Anderssen's Opening
2 variations · 1.6M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
50.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.6%.
Measured over 1.6M games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.6M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- #40 of 56
- Games in this context
- 1.6M
- Best context
- 56.6% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Worst context
- 43.5% at 0-999 Rapid
- Variations measured
- 2
- Average game length
- 35 moves
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
What to play from here
White · OverallThese are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 45.9% at 0-999, 55.1% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | |||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | |||||
| 2500+ |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 51.1% expected score (1,143 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (30,494 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (36,619 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 43.5% expected score (14,338 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 39.7% expected score (290 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.5% expected score (2,728 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (49,901 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.7% expected score (53,017 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (17,838 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 43.5% expected score (479 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 51.1% expected score (5,866 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (66,468 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (85,154 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (25,137 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 46.7% expected score (1,478 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 49.8% expected score (8,655 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (107,912 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (112,336 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (35,399 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 45.8% expected score (2,643 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.4% expected score (4,239 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (120,481 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (133,582 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (29,034 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.9% expected score (1,185 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 49.2% expected score (1,596 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (136,030 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (93,156 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (17,266 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.1% expected score (658 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.7% expected score (742 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (99,932 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (68,426 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (8,466 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.2% expected score (348 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 51.0% expected score (369 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (110,169 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.6% expected score (37,422 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.6% expected score (2,355 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 58.1% expected score (92 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 56.4% expected score (22 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (48,581 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.2% expected score (5,709 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (466 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 55.7% expected score (147 games)
2 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Anderssen's Opening family scores 50.5% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.4% and 50.6% — from 1.6M Lichess games across 2 variations. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 1.6M+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Anderssen's Opening win rate?
Across the Anderssen's Opening's 2 variations, White wins 48.4%, draws 4.3% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 1.6M rated games from Lichess.
How many Anderssen's Opening variations are there?
2 Anderssen's Opening variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Anderssen's Opening perform best?
The Anderssen's Opening family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 54.5% (55K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Anderssen's Opening better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Anderssen's Opening scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 50.5% in Blitz (625K games) against 49.4% in Rapid (150K games).
How sharp is the Anderssen's Opening?
Anderssen's Opening games are 95.7% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Anderssen's Opening a good opening family?
The Anderssen's Opening family is about level overall. Across its games, White wins 48.4% and loses 47.4%. Results differ between its 2 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.