Prepare against Brandon Jacobson
GM · United States · World #74 classical · FIDE ID 30901561
When preparing against Brandon Jacobson, expect 1.d4 in 49% of White games. Against 1.e4 the reply is 1...c5 (58% of games); against 1.d4, 1...Nf6 (71%). Lowest win rate among frequent openings: King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation as Black, 25.0% over 20 games.
Our database contains 1,678 games by Brandon Jacobson, covering Sep 2014 to Sep 2026. Below you'll find Brandon Jacobson's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Brandon Jacobson before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 2,644 | 2,644 | Sep 2026 |
| Rapid | 2,502 | 2,507 | Dec 2025 |
| Blitz | 2,517 | 2,517 | Sep 2026 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1,678 | 821 | 359 | 498 | 48.9% |
| As White | 849 | 455 | 178 | 216 | 53.6% |
| As Black | 829 | 366 | 181 | 282 | 44.1% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Brandon Jacobson's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Brandon Jacobson's side.
First moves as White (849 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| d4 | 418 | 49.2% | 64.4% |
| Nf3 | 192 | 22.6% | 67.4% |
| e4 | 179 | 21.1% | 58.1% |
| c4 | 51 | 6.0% | 68.6% |
| b4 | 6 | 0.7% | 75.0% |
| a4 | 3 | 0.4% | 66.7% |
Main lines as White
- 1.d4 — 49% of White games, 64.4% score
- …Nf6 (59% of these games) — Jacobson usually continues c4 (61.4% score)
- …d5 (31% of these games) — Jacobson usually continues c4 (70.9% score)
- …e6 (3% of these games) — Jacobson usually continues c4 (60.0% score)
- 1.Nf3 — 23% of White games, 67.4% score
- …d5 (43% of these games) — Jacobson usually continues e3 (74.6% score)
- …Nf6 (40% of these games) — Jacobson usually continues c4 (65.8% score)
- …c5 (10% of these games) — Jacobson usually continues c4 (70.6% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (401 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 233 | 58.1% | 59.0% |
| e5 | 113 | 28.2% | 58.4% |
| g6 | 34 | 8.5% | 38.2% |
| c6 | 14 | 3.5% | 57.1% |
| e6 | 2 | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| Nc6 | 1 | 0.2% | 0.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (288 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 204 | 70.8% | 58.6% |
| d5 | 57 | 19.8% | 48.2% |
| g6 | 17 | 5.9% | 41.2% |
| d6 | 3 | 1.0% | 50.0% |
| h6 | 3 | 1.0% | 50.0% |
| f5 | 2 | 0.7% | 25.0% |
Brandon Jacobson's chess games
All 1,678 games by Brandon Jacobson in the Chess.ceo database (Sep 2014 - Sep 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 821 wins, 359 draws, 498 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E04 | Catalan | 70 | 38/17/15 | 54.3% |
| D35 | Indian Defense | 68 | 34/18/16 | 50.0% |
| D12 | Slav Defense | 67 | 31/20/16 | 46.3% |
| A06 | Réti Opening | 65 | 41/10/14 | 63.1% |
| A17 | English Opening | 56 | 28/16/12 | 50.0% |
| E94 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 41 | 25/6/10 | 61.0% |
| E15 | Queen's Indian Defense | 35 | 20/5/10 | 57.1% |
| E48 | Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein System | 34 | 12/11/11 | 35.3% |
| B50 | Sicilian | 23 | 16/3/4 | 69.6% |
| A11 | English Opening: Slav Setup | 17 | 10/4/3 | 58.8% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B67 | Sicilian | 132 | 72/24/36 | 54.5% |
| D36 | Indian Defense | 80 | 37/18/25 | 46.3% |
| B06 | Modern Defense | 64 | 22/9/33 | 34.4% |
| D02 | Réti Opening | 41 | 15/13/13 | 36.6% |
| C78 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense | 34 | 19/5/10 | 55.9% |
| B30 | Sicilian: Rossolimo | 32 | 12/9/11 | 37.5% |
| E68 | King's Indian Defense | 25 | 11/8/6 | 44.0% |
| E01 | Catalan | 22 | 9/5/8 | 40.9% |
| B23 | Sicilian: Closed | 21 | 8/4/9 | 38.1% |
| E94 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 20 | 5/9/6 | 25.0% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | Hikaru Nakamura | 2,802 | World Rapid 2024 | A00 |
| May 2021 | Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | 2,770 | Titled Arena May 8th | D35 |
| Nov 2020 | Anish Giri | 2,764 | Titled Tue | E11 |
| Dec 2020 | Alireza Firouzja | 2,749 | Chess.com Bullet Open 2 | B50 |
| Aug 2024 | Praggnanandhaa R | 2,749 | FIDE World Rapid Team | B27 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2023 | 332 | 215.5 | 2,525 |
| Junior Speed Qual | 2022 | 49 | 25 | 2,579 |
| ch-USA U20 | 2023 | 45 | 25 | 2,517 |
| Titled Arena May 8th | 2021 | 40 | 20.5 | 2,476 |
| Titled Arena Mar 6th | 2021 | 35 | 19 | 2,478 |
| Titled Arena 2nd Jan | 2021 | 33 | 16.5 | 2,499 |
| Junior Speed Qual 2 | 2022 | 30 | 18 | 2,507 |
| Titled Arena Apr 3rd | 2021 | 30 | 13 | 2,424 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Awonder Liang (32 games) · Arseniy Nesterov (25 games) · Christopher Woojin Yoo (23 games) · Andrew Hong (22 games) · Ryo Chen (18 games) · Kassa Korley (14 games) · Aleksandr Ostrovskiy (10 games) · Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (10 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 1,678 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Brandon Jacobson's chess games?
1,678 games by Brandon Jacobson, from Sep 2014 to Sep 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line Brandon Jacobson has played.
What does Brandon Jacobson play on the first move as White?
Across 849 games with White in our database, Brandon Jacobson opens with 1.d4 (49% of games), 1.Nf3 (23% of games), 1.e4 (21% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Brandon Jacobson answers 1...c5 (58% of games), 1...e5 (28% of games), 1...g6 (8% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (71% of games), 1...d5 (20% of games), 1...g6 (6% of games).
What openings does Brandon Jacobson play as White?
As White, Brandon Jacobson's most-played openings in our database are: Catalan (70 games, 54.3% win rate); Indian Defense (68 games, 50.0% win rate); Slav Defense (67 games, 46.3% win rate). The full breakdown of 849 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Brandon Jacobson play as Black?
As Black, Brandon Jacobson most often plays: Sicilian (132 games, 54.5% win rate); Indian Defense (80 games, 46.3% win rate); Modern Defense (64 games, 34.4% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 829 games.
What is Brandon Jacobson's FIDE rating?
Brandon Jacobson is currently rated 2,644 in classical chess, 2,502 in rapid and 2,517 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,644 (Sep 2026).
How many games has Brandon Jacobson played?
Our database contains 1,678 games by Brandon Jacobson, covering Sep 2014 to Sep 2026. Overall record: 821 wins, 359 draws, 498 losses (48.9% win rate).
How do I prepare against Brandon Jacobson?
1,678 games by Brandon Jacobson reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.