Prepare against David W L Howell
GM · United Kingdom · World #50 classical · FIDE ID 410608
Our database contains 3,230 games by David W L Howell, covering Apr 2003 to Jul 2026. Below you'll find David W L Howell's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout David W L Howell 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 | 2,665 | 2,712 | Aug 2015 |
| Rapid | 2,613 | 2,690 | Jul 2017 |
| Blitz | 2,574 | 2,679 | Dec 2018 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3,230 | 1,800 | 843 | 587 | 55.7% |
| As White | 1,649 | 1,013 | 387 | 249 | 61.4% |
| As Black | 1,581 | 787 | 456 | 338 | 49.8% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of David W L Howell's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from David W L Howell's side.
First moves as White (1,649 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e4 | 898 | 54.5% | 69.4% |
| d4 | 262 | 15.9% | 83.0% |
| Nf3 | 190 | 11.5% | 66.8% |
| c4 | 153 | 9.3% | 73.9% |
| g3 | 36 | 2.2% | 87.5% |
| b3 | 33 | 2.0% | 80.3% |
Main lines as White
- 1.e4 — 54% of White games, 69.4% score
- …c5 (38% of these games) — Howell usually continues Nf3 (72.0% score)
- …e5 (28% of these games) — Howell usually continues Nf3 (65.5% score)
- …e6 (14% of these games) — Howell usually continues d4 (69.2% score)
- 1.d4 — 16% of White games, 83.0% score
- …Nf6 (59% of these games) — Howell usually continues c4 (73.1% score)
- …d5 (27% of these games) — Howell usually continues c4 (87.1% score)
- …e6 (5% of these games) — Howell usually continues Nf3 (100.0% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (743 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e5 | 408 | 54.9% | 54.4% |
| c6 | 101 | 13.6% | 69.3% |
| c5 | 89 | 12.0% | 89.9% |
| e6 | 78 | 10.5% | 78.2% |
| g6 | 31 | 4.2% | 72.6% |
| d5 | 16 | 2.2% | 84.4% |
As Black against 1.d4 (523 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 380 | 72.7% | 61.7% |
| d5 | 65 | 12.4% | 64.6% |
| e6 | 25 | 4.8% | 78.0% |
| f5 | 16 | 3.1% | 93.8% |
| g6 | 11 | 2.1% | 72.7% |
| d6 | 7 | 1.3% | 92.9% |
David W L Howell's chess games
All 3,230 games by David W L Howell in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - Jul 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: 1,800 wins, 843 draws, 587 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B22 | Sicilian: Alapin | 139 | 72/42/25 | 51.8% |
| B22 | Sicilian | 87 | 58/18/11 | 66.7% |
| A13 | English Opening | 81 | 50/22/9 | 61.7% |
| C05 | French: Tarrasch Variation | 65 | 38/15/12 | 58.5% |
| D02 | Réti Opening | 63 | 32/19/12 | 50.8% |
| A29 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 50 | 19/25/6 | 38.0% |
| D77 | Indian Defense | 42 | 28/13/1 | 66.7% |
| B06 | Modern Defense | 39 | 19/7/13 | 48.7% |
| A01 | Nimzovich-Larsen attack | 33 | 24/5/4 | 72.7% |
| D00 | London System | 32 | 29/0/3 | 90.6% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D85 | Grünfeld Defense | 138 | 55/43/40 | 39.9% |
| D85 | Indian Defense | 108 | 47/35/26 | 43.5% |
| C67 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | 87 | 17/47/23 | 19.5% |
| C96 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | 84 | 27/29/28 | 32.1% |
| A16 | English Opening | 84 | 31/32/21 | 36.9% |
| B06 | Modern Defense | 51 | 34/9/8 | 66.7% |
| D16 | Slav Defense | 41 | 15/17/9 | 36.6% |
| B50 | Sicilian | 40 | 34/2/4 | 85.0% |
| A04 | Réti Opening | 39 | 25/9/5 | 64.1% |
| A26 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 37 | 13/9/15 | 35.1% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | Fabiano Caruana | 2,776 | Titled Tue Early | A00 |
| Jan 2019 | Levon Aronian | 2,767 | 17th Gibraltar Masters | B13 |
| Oct 2019 | Alexander Grischuk | 2,759 | FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss | A30 |
| Oct 2014 | Michael Adams | 2,758 | Douglas PokerStars Open | C88 |
| Oct 2014 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 2,757 | Douglas PokerStars Open | B11 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2025 | 929 | 777 | 2,542 |
| ch-GBR KO | 2019 | 77 | 39 | 2,642 |
| Wch Blitz | 2021 | 63 | 30 | 2,565 |
| Wch Rapid | 2021 | 43 | 24 | 2,647 |
| ch-BCF rapidplay | 2010 | 39 | 32.5 | 2,637 |
| Gibraltar Masters | 2007 | 29 | 16.5 | 2,449 |
| Douglas IoM Open | 2018 | 27 | 18 | 2,653 |
| Wch U20 | 2009 | 23 | 14.5 | 2,623 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Gawain C B Maroroa Jones (48 games) · Michael Adams (31 games) · Luke J McShane (21 games) · Nicholas Pert (18 games) · Nigel D Short (17 games) · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (17 games) · Daniel W Gormally (17 games) · Jon S Speelman (15 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 3,230 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find David W L Howell's chess games?
3,230 games by David W L Howell, from Apr 2003 to Jul 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 David W L Howell has played.
What does David W L Howell play on the first move as White?
Across 1,649 games with White in our database, David W L Howell opens with 1.e4 (54% of games), 1.d4 (16% of games), 1.Nf3 (12% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, David W L Howell answers 1...e5 (55% of games), 1...c6 (14% of games), 1...c5 (12% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (73% of games), 1...d5 (12% of games), 1...e6 (5% of games).
What openings does David W L Howell play as White?
As White, David W L Howell's most-played openings in our database are: Sicilian: Alapin (139 games, 51.8% win rate); Sicilian (87 games, 66.7% win rate); English Opening (81 games, 61.7% win rate). The full breakdown of 1,649 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does David W L Howell play as Black?
As Black, David W L Howell most often plays: Grünfeld Defense (138 games, 39.9% win rate); Indian Defense (108 games, 43.5% win rate); Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense (87 games, 19.5% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 1,581 games.
What is David W L Howell's FIDE rating?
David W L Howell is currently rated 2,665 in classical chess, 2,613 in rapid and 2,574 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,712 (Aug 2015).
How many games has David W L Howell played?
Our database contains 3,230 games by David W L Howell, covering Apr 2003 to Jul 2026. Overall record: 1,800 wins, 843 draws, 587 losses (55.7% win rate).
How do I prepare against David W L Howell?
3,230 games by David W L Howell 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.