Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

← chesspieler / Openings

Playing Black · 22 blitz games · 14W 8L 0D · Your opponents choose this

Colle System

You outplay the Colle, then 7 of your 8 losses are on time.

Score64%+14% vs your average
Win chance after move 1246%−6% vs your average
Blunders per game0.91−0.32 vs your average
Clock left at move 102:51+12s vs your average
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Your most common line

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bg4

What it says about you

Against a Colle player you choose the active ...Bg4 setup rather than mirroring them passively, which says you want to disrupt a system player's autopilot. You play the opening fast, and you're reading the position well. Where you fall down is time management later in the game, not chess understanding.

How you play it

You come out of the opening slightly worse (move-12 win chance 45.9 against a 52.1 baseline), yet by move 20 you're at 59.3, so the middlegame goes your way. You're the fastest here of any opening, with 171.4s at move 10, and you blunder less than usual (0.91 against 1.22). You score 63.6% (14-8), with both the main line (61.5%) and the Anti-Colle (62.5%) healthy. But 7 of your 8 losses were timeouts, so the clock is the only real opponent here.

What you're missing

  1. 01

    Bxf3 was best on moves 11 and 12 of one game, and you played ...Bh5 and ...c4 instead (74% to 53% each time). Like in the English, you pin the f3 knight and then don't take it.

  2. 02

    12...Qc7, when cxd4 was best, went from 42% to 14%. Releasing central tension at the right moment is a recurring Colle theme you missed.

  3. 03

    10...Ne7 (47% to 11%) missed the opponent's combination, where ...Bf5 was the move. Blocking your own pieces' retreat squares is dangerous against Bd3 and e4 play.

  4. 04

    Your move-12 win chance of 45.9 means your ...Bg4 setup isn't quite landing yet. You're slightly worse coming out of the opening before your middlegame play rescues it.

How to improve it

  1. 01

    The Colle plan is Bd3, O-O, Nbd2 and the e4 break. Your ...Bg4 system works best with ...e6, ...Nbd7, ...Bd6 and ...c5, and taking on f3 just as e4 becomes a threat.

  2. 02

    Watch the c5-d4 tension. Taking cxd4 when exd4 opens the e-file or when White's pieces are misplaced is often best; 12...cxd4 was the engine's choice over Qc7.

  3. 03

    Keep your light-squared bishop a retreat route (h5 and g6, or f5). Don't block it with knights on e7.

  4. 04

    You're already fast early, so don't give it back in the middlegame. Trade into simple endings once you're ahead.

Where it goes wrong

Your losses in this opening, by where and how the decisive mistake happened.

Phase of the decisive mistake

opening1n=1
middlegame3n=3
endgame2n=2

What the mistake was

Lost on time in a playable position2n=2
Endgame technique error2n=2
Allowed a mating attack1n=1
Hung a piece (left it undefended)1n=1
Big positional error (no simple tactic)1n=1

Variations you reach

Main line1362%
Anti Colle Variation863%

Winning positions converted here: 69% (11 of 16).

Recent mistakes in this opening

Your move in red, Stockfish's in black.

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Missed a tactic · 2:51 left
11… Bh5? Best was Bxf3. 74% → 53%
vs HaremKurdish (1474) · 07-06-26 →
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Missed a tactic · 2:50 left
12… c4? Best was Bxf3. 74% → 53%
vs HaremKurdish (1474) · 07-06-26 →
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Missed a tactic · 2:21 left
12… Qc7? Best was cxd4. 42% → 14%
vs KIW95 (1564) · 31-05-26 →
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Missed their combination · 2:39 left
10… Ne7? Best was Bf5. 47% → 11%
vs darjaxen (1502) · 18-05-26 →

Next steps

01

Protect your middlegame clock

Seven of 8 losses were timeouts, so set a rule of no more than 10 seconds per move until the opponent is below 30 seconds.

02

Time ...Bxf3 to meet e4

When White prepares e4 with Nbd2 and Bd3, cut the support by taking on f3. You missed it on moves 11 and 12.

03

Review the c5 tension

Study three model Colle games where Black plays ...cxd4 at the right moment to open lines.