Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line
19K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.0%.
Measured over 19K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 19K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 19K
- Best context
- 58.6% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 51.1% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.6%
- Draws
- 4.4%
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 · 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: 30.0% at 0-999, 55.6% 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, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 25.9% expected score (13 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 71.1% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (45 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 60.2% expected score (33 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 61.8% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (209 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (182 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (48 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (628 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (1,083 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.0% expected score (148 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (1,411 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (3,694 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (367 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.9% expected score (24 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 18.5% expected score (8 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (3,196 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (4,294 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.1% expected score (335 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 80.5% expected score (10 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (2,231 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.6% expected score (540 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (19 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line scores 53.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.8% and 54.0% — from 19K Lichess games. 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
- 19K+ 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 Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate?
Playing the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line, White wins 51.2%, draws 4.4% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 19K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line perform best?
The Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 54.5% (7.8K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.1% in Blitz (9.8K games) against 54.1% in Rapid (926 games).
How sharp is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line?
The Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 46.8%, draws 2.2% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 440 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 50.5%, draws 4.1% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 5.5K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.1%, draws 4.7% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 7.8K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 51.8%, draws 5.2% and loses 43.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 52.0%, draws 3.4% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 7.7K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.6%, draws 5.0% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.1%. It rests on 9.8K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.2%, draws 5.9% and loses 43.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 926 Lichess games.
Is the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line a good opening?
The Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.2% of its games and loses 44.5%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.