Prepare against Loek Van Wely
GM · NLD · World #73 classical · FIDE ID 1000268
Our database contains 4,697 games by Loek Van Wely, covering Apr 2003 to Aug 2026. Below you'll find Loek Van Wely's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Loek Van Wely 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 | 2,643 | 2,701 | Sep 2013 |
| Rapid | 2,556 | 2,692 | Dec 2014 |
| Blitz | 2,552 | 2,691 | Mar 2012 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4,697 | 2,001 | 1,652 | 1,043 | 42.6% |
| As White | 2,339 | 1,113 | 797 | 428 | 47.6% |
| As Black | 2,358 | 888 | 855 | 615 | 37.7% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Loek Van Wely's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Loek Van Wely's side.
First moves as White (2,334 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| d4 | 1,809 | 77.5% | 65.8% |
| Nf3 | 284 | 12.2% | 59.7% |
| c4 | 220 | 9.4% | 62.0% |
| e4 | 17 | 0.7% | 70.6% |
| g3 | 3 | 0.1% | 66.7% |
| d3 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.d4 — 78% of White games, 65.8% score
- …Nf6 (59% of these games) — Wely usually continues c4 (65.0% score)
- …d5 (29% of these games) — Wely usually continues c4 (63.2% score)
- …e6 (5% of these games) — Wely usually continues c4 (73.2% score)
- 1.Nf3 — 12% of White games, 59.7% score
- …Nf6 (49% of these games) — Wely usually continues c4 (58.3% score)
- …d5 (31% of these games) — Wely usually continues g3 (67.1% score)
- …c5 (12% of these games) — Wely usually continues c4 (60.7% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (1,132 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 994 | 87.8% | 55.5% |
| d6 | 80 | 7.1% | 56.3% |
| e6 | 27 | 2.4% | 42.6% |
| d5 | 17 | 1.5% | 35.3% |
| e5 | 8 | 0.7% | 87.5% |
| c6 | 4 | 0.4% | 75.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (828 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 644 | 77.8% | 58.5% |
| d5 | 161 | 19.4% | 47.8% |
| e6 | 7 | 0.8% | 71.4% |
| f5 | 6 | 0.7% | 50.0% |
| d6 | 5 | 0.6% | 60.0% |
| g6 | 3 | 0.4% | 50.0% |
Loek Van Wely's chess games
All 4,697 games by Loek Van Wely in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - Aug 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: 2,001 wins, 1,652 draws, 1,043 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D15 | Slav Defense | 297 | 127/105/65 | 42.8% |
| D37 | Indian Defense | 276 | 124/108/44 | 44.9% |
| E15 | Queen's Indian Defense | 227 | 93/88/46 | 41.0% |
| E94 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 226 | 144/46/36 | 63.7% |
| A57 | Benoni Defense | 106 | 63/25/18 | 59.4% |
| A17 | English Opening | 96 | 44/33/19 | 45.8% |
| E32 | Nimzo-Indian: Classical Variation | 75 | 29/34/12 | 38.7% |
| A29 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 74 | 28/26/20 | 37.8% |
| D92 | Grünfeld Defense | 74 | 31/29/14 | 41.9% |
| D20 | Queen's Gambit Accepted | 70 | 24/28/18 | 34.3% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B90 | Sicilian: Najdorf | 338 | 123/111/104 | 36.4% |
| B42 | Sicilian | 286 | 117/102/67 | 40.9% |
| D43 | Slav Defense | 158 | 44/66/48 | 27.8% |
| D39 | Indian Defense | 145 | 49/67/29 | 33.8% |
| D85 | Grünfeld Defense | 92 | 37/36/19 | 40.2% |
| E97 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 85 | 34/24/27 | 40.0% |
| B07 | Pirc Defense | 81 | 34/24/23 | 42.0% |
| B23 | Sicilian: Closed | 80 | 40/20/20 | 50.0% |
| B81 | Sicilian: Scheveningen | 68 | 35/12/21 | 51.5% |
| B33 | Sicilian: Sveshnikov | 62 | 9/32/21 | 14.5% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2014 | Levon Aronian | 2,812 | 76th Tata Steel Masters | A80 |
| Jan 2003 | Vladimir Kramnik | 2,807 | Corus | E32 |
| Mar 2006 | Veselin Topalov | 2,801 | 15th Amber Rapid | D44 |
| Feb 2017 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 2,796 | PRO League Stage | A29 |
| Jan 2014 | Hikaru Nakamura | 2,789 | 76th Tata Steel Masters | B54 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corus | 2010 | 143 | 59 | 2,645 |
| Hoogovens | 1999 | 83 | 34.5 | 2,572 |
| FRA-chT Top 12 | 2021 | 76 | 52 | 2,679 |
| PRO League Stage | 2020 | 54 | 38 | 2,706 |
| NED-ch internet | 2016 | 52 | 30.5 | 2,573 |
| ch-EU blitz | 2007 | 50 | 28 | 2,557 |
| Kuppenheim Open g/5 | 2004 | 50 | 47.5 | 2,534 |
| ch-NED | 2018 | 46 | 27 | 2,640 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Ivan Sokolov (56 games) · Vasyl Ivanchuk (54 games) · Alexei Shirov (48 games) · Michael Adams (47 games) · Boris Gelfand (47 games) · Veselin Topalov (40 games) · Viswanathan Anand (40 games) · Peter Leko (39 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 4,697 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Loek Van Wely's chess games?
4,697 games by Loek Van Wely, from Apr 2003 to Aug 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 Loek Van Wely has played.
What does Loek Van Wely play on the first move as White?
Across 2,334 games with White in our database, Loek Van Wely opens with 1.d4 (78% of games), 1.Nf3 (12% of games), 1.c4 (9% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Loek Van Wely answers 1...c5 (88% of games), 1...d6 (7% of games), 1...e6 (2% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (78% of games), 1...d5 (19% of games), 1...e6 (1% of games).
What openings does Loek Van Wely play as White?
As White, Loek Van Wely's most-played openings in our database are: Slav Defense (297 games, 42.8% win rate); Indian Defense (276 games, 44.9% win rate); Queen's Indian Defense (227 games, 41.0% win rate). The full breakdown of 2,339 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Loek Van Wely play as Black?
As Black, Loek Van Wely most often plays: Sicilian: Najdorf (338 games, 36.4% win rate); Sicilian (286 games, 40.9% win rate); Slav Defense (158 games, 27.8% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 2,358 games.
What is Loek Van Wely's FIDE rating?
Loek Van Wely is currently rated 2,643 in classical chess, 2,556 in rapid and 2,552 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,701 (Sep 2013).
How many games has Loek Van Wely played?
Our database contains 4,697 games by Loek Van Wely, covering Apr 2003 to Aug 2026. Overall record: 2,001 wins, 1,652 draws, 1,043 losses (42.6% win rate).
How do I prepare against Loek Van Wely?
4,697 games by Loek Van Wely 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.