Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line
39K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
41.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 41.6%.
Measured over 39K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 39K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 39K
- Best context
- 55.3% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 34.8% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.2%
- Draws
- 3.8%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 40.6% at 1000-1199, 33.6% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (53 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (17 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (143 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 56.5% expected score (122 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (20 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (615 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (659 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.3% expected score (78 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 40.9% expected score (15 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (1,520 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (4,049 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.3% expected score (507 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 63.2% expected score (29 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 42.3% expected score (3,407 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 41.9% expected score (9,196 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (891 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (29 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 37.2% expected score (6,099 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 37.8% expected score (6,742 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 40.3% expected score (569 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 54.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 34.8% expected score (3,899 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 35.6% expected score (380 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.5% expected score (19 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line scores 41.2% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 40.8% and 41.6% — from 39K 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
- 39K+ 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: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line, Black wins 39.2%, draws 3.8% and loses 56.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.2%. It rests on 39K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line perform best?
The Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 49.9% (1.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 41.9% in Blitz (21K games) against 47.7% in Rapid (2.1K games).
How sharp is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line?
The Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 50.6%, draws 1.9% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 288 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 48.8%, draws 2.2% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 46.2%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 6.1K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 40.5%, draws 3.9% and loses 55.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.5%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 35.5%, draws 4.2% and loses 60.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 37.6%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 33.0%, draws 3.6% and loses 63.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.8%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 37.8%, draws 2.8% and loses 59.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 39.3%. It rests on 16K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 39.6%, draws 4.5% and loses 55.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.9%. It rests on 21K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 45.4%, draws 4.6% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games.
Is the Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line a good opening?
The Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 39.2% of its games and loses 56.9%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.