Prepare against Harika Dronavalli
GM · India · World #978 classical · FIDE ID 5015197
When preparing against Harika Dronavalli, expect 1.Nf3 in 38% of White games. Against 1.e4 the reply is 1...c5 (36% of games); against 1.d4, 1...Nf6 (51%). Lowest win rate among frequent openings: Catalan as Black, 18.3% over 60 games.
Our database contains 3,831 games by Harika Dronavalli, covering Apr 2003 to Sep 2026. Below you'll find Harika Dronavalli's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Harika Dronavalli 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 | 2,453 | 2,543 | Dec 2016 |
| Rapid | 2,415 | 2,529 | Dec 2012 |
| Blitz | 2,355 | 2,573 | Aug 2015 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3,831 | 1,416 | 1,564 | 851 | 37.0% |
| As White | 1,923 | 778 | 783 | 362 | 40.5% |
| As Black | 1,908 | 638 | 781 | 489 | 33.4% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Harika Dronavalli's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Harika Dronavalli's side.
First moves as White (1,919 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf3 | 728 | 37.9% | 65.2% |
| d4 | 544 | 28.3% | 59.4% |
| e4 | 317 | 16.5% | 52.5% |
| c4 | 246 | 12.8% | 62.2% |
| g3 | 35 | 1.8% | 54.3% |
| b3 | 25 | 1.3% | 70.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.Nf3 — 38% of White games, 65.2% score
- …Nf6 (44% of these games) — Dronavalli usually continues c4 (67.8% score)
- …d5 (38% of these games) — Dronavalli usually continues g3 (61.2% score)
- …c5 (7% of these games) — Dronavalli usually continues c4 (60.5% score)
- 1.d4 — 28% of White games, 59.4% score
- …Nf6 (60% of these games) — Dronavalli usually continues c4 (57.4% score)
- …d5 (31% of these games) — Dronavalli usually continues c4 (59.7% score)
- …e6 (2% of these games) — Dronavalli usually continues c4 (83.3% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (872 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 313 | 35.9% | 53.0% |
| e6 | 222 | 25.5% | 50.5% |
| e5 | 208 | 23.9% | 53.1% |
| g6 | 55 | 6.3% | 70.0% |
| d6 | 24 | 2.8% | 47.9% |
| Nc6 | 17 | 1.9% | 70.6% |
As Black against 1.d4 (736 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 373 | 50.7% | 55.8% |
| d5 | 175 | 23.8% | 52.3% |
| g6 | 81 | 11.0% | 53.7% |
| e6 | 56 | 7.6% | 52.7% |
| d6 | 40 | 5.4% | 57.5% |
| c5 | 6 | 0.8% | 41.7% |
Harika Dronavalli's chess games
All 3,831 games by Harika Dronavalli in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - 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: 1,416 wins, 1,564 draws, 851 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A30 | English Opening | 202 | 106/71/25 | 52.5% |
| A07 | Réti Opening | 176 | 81/61/34 | 46.0% |
| D45 | Slav Defense | 135 | 48/60/27 | 35.6% |
| D03 | Indian Defense | 122 | 56/49/17 | 45.9% |
| E05 | Catalan | 63 | 16/37/10 | 25.4% |
| D00 | Queen's Pawn Game | 61 | 27/23/11 | 44.3% |
| B38 | English Opening: Symmetrical | 59 | 15/32/12 | 25.4% |
| A14 | English Opening: Neo-Catalan | 58 | 31/19/8 | 53.4% |
| B22 | Sicilian: Alapin | 54 | 15/20/19 | 27.8% |
| A11 | English Opening: Slav Setup | 51 | 22/21/8 | 43.1% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B06 | Modern Defense | 163 | 72/52/39 | 44.2% |
| D35 | Indian Defense | 148 | 40/71/37 | 27.0% |
| B30 | Sicilian | 91 | 35/35/21 | 38.5% |
| C18 | French: Winawer Variation | 72 | 19/26/27 | 26.4% |
| C06 | French: Tarrasch Variation | 65 | 24/21/20 | 36.9% |
| B33 | Sicilian: Sveshnikov | 62 | 30/14/18 | 48.4% |
| A13 | English Opening | 61 | 14/27/20 | 23.0% |
| E05 | Catalan | 60 | 11/34/15 | 18.3% |
| D85 | Grünfeld Defense | 59 | 23/19/17 | 39.0% |
| D45 | Slav Defense | 48 | 18/22/8 | 37.5% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2022 | Quang Liem Le | 2,709 | chess.com Rapid Wk12 Swiss | A57 |
| Nov 2021 | Sam Shankland | 2,708 | Tata Steel India Blitz | A49 |
| Mar 2023 | Pavel Eljanov | 2,704 | PRO League Prelim | A38 |
| Nov 2021 | Alexey Sarana | 2,689 | Lindores Abbey Blitz Tal Memorial | E07 |
| Mar 2023 | Samuel Sevian | 2,687 | PRO League Prelim | B10 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2024 | 478 | 288.5 | 2,429 |
| Speed Chess w | 2023 | 112 | 63.5 | 2,535 |
| Wch Blitz w | 2023 | 105 | 63.5 | 2,489 |
| Wch Rapid w | 2023 | 98 | 58 | 2,440 |
| World-ch w k.o. | 2018 | 95 | 53.5 | 2,489 |
| Speed Chess Main w | 2021 | 77 | 38 | 2,558 |
| Tata Steel India Blitz w | 2026 | 72 | 38 | 2,489 |
| Chess.com Speed w | 2019 | 53 | 28 | 2,468 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Alexandra Kosteniuk (110 games) · Kateryna Lagno (95 games) · Yifan Hou (89 games) · Valentina Gunina (60 games) · Nana Dzagnidze (59 games) · Elina Danielian (46 games) · Anna Ushenina (44 games) · Zhongyi Tan (43 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 3,831 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Harika Dronavalli's chess games?
3,831 games by Harika Dronavalli, from Apr 2003 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 Harika Dronavalli has played.
What does Harika Dronavalli play on the first move as White?
Across 1,919 games with White in our database, Harika Dronavalli opens with 1.Nf3 (38% of games), 1.d4 (28% of games), 1.e4 (17% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Harika Dronavalli answers 1...c5 (36% of games), 1...e6 (25% of games), 1...e5 (24% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (51% of games), 1...d5 (24% of games), 1...g6 (11% of games).
What openings does Harika Dronavalli play as White?
As White, Harika Dronavalli's most-played openings in our database are: English Opening (202 games, 52.5% win rate); Réti Opening (176 games, 46.0% win rate); Slav Defense (135 games, 35.6% win rate). The full breakdown of 1,923 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Harika Dronavalli play as Black?
As Black, Harika Dronavalli most often plays: Modern Defense (163 games, 44.2% win rate); Indian Defense (148 games, 27.0% win rate); Sicilian (91 games, 38.5% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 1,908 games.
What is Harika Dronavalli's FIDE rating?
Harika Dronavalli is currently rated 2,453 in classical chess, 2,415 in rapid and 2,355 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,543 (Dec 2016).
How many games has Harika Dronavalli played?
Our database contains 3,831 games by Harika Dronavalli, covering Apr 2003 to Sep 2026. Overall record: 1,416 wins, 1,564 draws, 851 losses (37.0% win rate).
How do I prepare against Harika Dronavalli?
3,831 games by Harika Dronavalli 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.