Benko Gambit
22 variations · 1.5M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · Overall
52.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 1.5M games at this level and clock.
A strong opening choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.5M games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- #4 of 62
- Games in this context
- 1.5M
- Best context
- 55.4% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 41.3% at 2500+ Rapid
- Variations measured
- 22
- Average game length
- 36 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.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 45.5% at 0-999, 39.4% 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, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (525 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (426 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 35.4% expected score (60 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (2,697 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.1% expected score (2,602 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (425 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (8,118 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (10,277 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (1,667 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 57.2% expected score (47 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 60.6% expected score (46 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (19,770 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (33,905 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (6,187 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.2% expected score (357 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 60.8% expected score (31 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.6% expected score (47,225 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (102,717 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.3% expected score (18,549 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 53.6% expected score (1,125 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 40.7% expected score (20 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (73,422 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (239,712 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.4% expected score (40,196 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.5% expected score (2,578 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (96,109 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (313,575 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.7% expected score (44,407 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 49.4% expected score (1,391 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (20 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (109,750 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (212,659 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (18,880 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 36.6% expected score (299 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (34,814 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.4% expected score (25,155 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 41.3% expected score (841 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 32.6% expected score (10 games)
22 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Benko Gambit family scores 52.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.1% and 52.2% — from 1.5M Lichess games across 22 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
- 1.5M+ 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 Benko Gambit win rate?
Across the Benko Gambit's 22 variations, Black wins 49.6%, draws 5.0% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 1.5M rated games from Lichess.
How many Benko Gambit variations are there?
22 Benko Gambit variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Benko Gambit perform best?
The Benko Gambit family performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 54.8% (356K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Benko Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Benko Gambit scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 52.1% in Blitz (941K games) against 53.2% in Rapid (131K games).
How sharp is the Benko Gambit?
Benko Gambit games are 95.0% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 36 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Benko Gambit a good opening family?
The Benko Gambit family is good for Black overall. Across its games, Black wins 49.6% and loses 45.4%. Results differ between its 22 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.