Prepare against Marco Materia
IM · France · World #406 classical · FIDE ID 45150451
When preparing against Marco Materia, expect 1.Nf3 in 60% of White games. Against 1.e4 the reply is 1...c5 (52% of games); against 1.d4, 1...Nf6 (97%). Lowest win rate among frequent openings: English Opening: Neo-Catalan as Black, 35.0% over 20 games.
Our database contains 1,980 games by Marco Materia, covering Mar 2017 to Sep 2026. Below you'll find Marco Materia's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Marco Materia 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 | 2,530 | 2,530 | Sep 2026 |
| Rapid | 2,508 | 2,508 | Sep 2026 |
| Blitz | 2,507 | 2,510 | Dec 2025 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1,980 | 1,148 | 332 | 500 | 58.0% |
| As White | 986 | 608 | 158 | 220 | 61.7% |
| As Black | 994 | 540 | 174 | 280 | 54.3% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Marco Materia's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Marco Materia's side.
First moves as White (980 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf3 | 584 | 59.6% | 72.0% |
| d4 | 339 | 34.6% | 62.5% |
| e4 | 25 | 2.6% | 70.0% |
| c4 | 19 | 1.9% | 100.0% |
| Nc3 | 7 | 0.7% | 78.6% |
| b3 | 4 | 0.4% | 100.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.Nf3 — 60% of White games, 72.0% score
- …Nf6 (43% of these games) — Materia usually continues c4 (71.3% score)
- …d5 (36% of these games) — Materia usually continues b3 (71.6% score)
- …c5 (7% of these games) — Materia usually continues c4 (77.1% score)
- 1.d4 — 35% of White games, 62.5% score
- …Nf6 (63% of these games) — Materia usually continues c4 (63.5% score)
- …d5 (27% of these games) — Materia usually continues c4 (66.1% score)
- …e6 (3% of these games) — Materia usually continues c4 (50.0% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (457 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 239 | 52.3% | 63.6% |
| c6 | 107 | 23.4% | 63.6% |
| d6 | 81 | 17.7% | 67.3% |
| e5 | 29 | 6.3% | 60.3% |
| e6 | 1 | 0.2% | 100.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (343 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 331 | 96.5% | 63.3% |
| d5 | 9 | 2.6% | 77.8% |
| b6 | 1 | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| d6 | 1 | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| f5 | 1 | 0.3% | 100.0% |
Marco Materia's chess games
All 1,980 games by Marco Materia in the Chess.ceo database (Mar 2017 - 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: 1,148 wins, 332 draws, 500 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A15 | English Opening | 162 | 120/7/35 | 74.1% |
| A05 | Réti Opening | 145 | 96/23/26 | 66.2% |
| A06 | Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 118 | 78/13/27 | 66.1% |
| D37 | Indian Defense | 78 | 50/18/10 | 64.1% |
| E15 | Queen's Indian Defense | 43 | 18/12/13 | 41.9% |
| A37 | English Opening: Symmetrical | 41 | 29/4/8 | 70.7% |
| D15 | Slav Defense | 34 | 18/6/10 | 52.9% |
| A04 | Modern Defense | 31 | 17/2/12 | 54.8% |
| A70 | Benoni Defense | 30 | 18/6/6 | 60.0% |
| E11 | Bogo-Indian Defense | 24 | 11/8/5 | 45.8% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D35 | Indian Defense | 130 | 60/18/52 | 46.2% |
| B48 | Sicilian: Taimanov | 98 | 44/21/33 | 44.9% |
| B40 | Sicilian | 89 | 48/19/22 | 53.9% |
| B06 | Pirc Defense | 81 | 51/7/23 | 63.0% |
| E06 | Catalan | 70 | 40/13/17 | 57.1% |
| A05 | Réti Opening | 47 | 23/13/11 | 48.9% |
| D02 | London System | 43 | 24/7/12 | 55.8% |
| B12 | Caro-Kann: Advance Variation | 35 | 19/2/14 | 54.3% |
| A15 | English Opening | 23 | 13/5/5 | 56.5% |
| A14 | English Opening: Neo-Catalan | 20 | 7/6/7 | 35.0% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | Hikaru Nakamura | 2,810 | Titled Tuesday | D53 |
| Jan 2026 | Fabiano Caruana | 2,795 | 1st 3-0 Thursday | A04 |
| Jun 2025 | Erigaisi Arjun | 2,782 | Titled Tue Early | A04 |
| Jan 2024 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 2,769 | Titled Tue Early | D91 |
| Apr 2026 | Wesley So | 2,754 | Titled Tuesday | A15 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2026 | 1,270 | 873 | 2,530 |
| 1st 3-0 Thursday | 2026 | 43 | 27.5 | 2,519 |
| Djerba Blitz Masters | 2021 | 22 | 11 | 2,573 |
| Wch U10 | 2019 | 21 | 15 | 1,886 |
| World Blitz 2025 | 2025 | 19 | 10 | 2,537 |
| ch-FRA Blitz Online Qual | 2020 | 15 | 9.5 | 2,144 |
| World Rapid 2025 | 2025 | 13 | 6.5 | 2,456 |
| Cappelle Online Blitz Open | 2022 | 11 | 8 | 2,331 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Alexey Sarana (14 games) · Hikaru Nakamura (12 games) · Tuan Minh Le (11 games) · Olexandr Bortnyk (11 games) · Bogdan-Daniel Deac (10 games) · Tong(QD) Xiao (10 games) · Denis Lazavik (10 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 1,980 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Marco Materia's chess games?
1,980 games by Marco Materia, from Mar 2017 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 Marco Materia has played.
What does Marco Materia play on the first move as White?
Across 980 games with White in our database, Marco Materia opens with 1.Nf3 (60% of games), 1.d4 (35% of games), 1.e4 (3% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Marco Materia answers 1...c5 (52% of games), 1...c6 (23% of games), 1...d6 (18% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (97% of games), 1...d5 (3% of games), 1...b6 (0% of games).
What openings does Marco Materia play as White?
As White, Marco Materia's most-played openings in our database are: English Opening (162 games, 74.1% win rate); Réti Opening (145 games, 66.2% win rate); Nimzo-Larsen Attack (118 games, 66.1% win rate). The full breakdown of 986 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Marco Materia play as Black?
As Black, Marco Materia most often plays: Indian Defense (130 games, 46.2% win rate); Sicilian: Taimanov (98 games, 44.9% win rate); Sicilian (89 games, 53.9% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 994 games.
What is Marco Materia's FIDE rating?
Marco Materia is currently rated 2,530 in classical chess, 2,508 in rapid and 2,507 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,530 (Sep 2026).
How many games has Marco Materia played?
Our database contains 1,980 games by Marco Materia, covering Mar 2017 to Sep 2026. Overall record: 1,148 wins, 332 draws, 500 losses (58.0% win rate).
How do I prepare against Marco Materia?
1,980 games by Marco Materia 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.