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Benoni Defense: Old Benoni

17M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
Black Expected Score49.8%Range (90% confident): 49.7% – 49.8%Based on 17M games
0%49.8%100%
Range (90% confident): 49.7% – 49.8%
Outcome Distribution
47.9%3.6%48.4%
Win
Draw
Loss
2...e5
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni
Analyzen=17M
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate3.6%

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 49.8% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 49.7% and 49.8%), based on 17M Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

How to Beat This (Move 3)

Best: 3...h6 · Black wins: 50.9% · n=1.9M

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 49% → 43%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 49.0% win rate (192,166 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.2% win rate (476,435 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.1% win rate (1,056,047 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.2% win rate (1,970,537 games)
  • 1600-1799: 48.8% win rate (3,011,713 games)
  • 1800-1999: 48.4% win rate (3,799,185 games)
  • 2000-2199: 47.5% win rate (3,396,594 games)
  • 2200-2499: 46.0% win rate (2,445,267 games)
  • 2500+: 42.6% win rate (511,722 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (49%), worst in Classical (45%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 49.4% win rate (222,195 games)
  • Bullet: 48.4% win rate (10,264,191 games)
  • Blitz: 47.2% win rate (5,453,372 games)
  • Rapid: 46.6% win rate (891,390 games)
  • Classical: 45.2% win rate (28,518 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 63.3% expected score (1,004 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (78,680 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (85,430 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (26,769 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (283 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.1% expected score (2,904 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (216,043 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (203,066 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.9% expected score (53,553 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 48.4% expected score (869 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 53.7% expected score (9,850 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (488,725 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (444,440 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (110,218 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.7% expected score (2,814 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 54.2% expected score (33,084 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (958,560 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (787,604 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (183,966 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.6% expected score (7,323 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.5% expected score (60,333 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (1,577,437 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (1,151,595 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (213,334 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.5% expected score (9,014 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.5% expected score (57,210 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (2,137,328 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (1,405,379 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (193,082 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (6,186 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 48.4% expected score (38,409 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (2,269,760 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (995,000 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (91,637 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 44.9% expected score (1,788 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 45.2% expected score (18,259 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (2,048,627 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (359,766 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (18,397 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 44.6% expected score (218 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 39.9% expected score (1,142 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (489,031 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.3% expected score (21,092 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 39.9% expected score (434 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 11.2% expected score (23 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Benoni Defense
47.5%
Variations (5)
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted
47.4%
Benoni Defense: French Benoni
50.8%
Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line
50.7%
Benoni Defense: Hromádka System
49.2%
Benoni Defense: Modern Variation
49.7%
Continuations (2)
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Schmid Variation
51.1%
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation
49.6%
Analyze Benoni Defense: Old Benoni PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate?

The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.5%) win rate for white, based on 17M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni perform best?

The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.2% win rate for white (512K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni better in blitz or rapid?

Rapid (48.8%) outperforms UltraBullet (48.1%) by 0.7%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni?

The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a sharpness score of 96.4 (very decisive), meaning 96.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.6%) win rate for white, based on 192K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.6%) win rate for white, based on 476K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.5%-48.6%) win rate for white, based on 1.1M Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.4% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.2% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.3%) win rate for white, based on 2.0M Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.2% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.2%) win rate for white, based on 3.0M Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.1% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.0% (90% CI: 48.0%-48.1%) win rate for white, based on 3.8M Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.3% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.3%) win rate for white, based on 3.4M Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 49.2% (90% CI: 49.2%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 2.4M Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 51.2% (90% CI: 51.1%-51.4%) win rate for white, based on 512K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 6.2% draw rate.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.1% (90% CI: 47.9%-48.2%) win rate for white (222K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.5%.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.5%) win rate for white (10M Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.2%.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.5%) win rate for white (5.5M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.4%.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 48.8% (90% CI: 48.7%-48.9%) win rate for white (891K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.6%.

What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni has a 49.1% (90% CI: 48.7%-49.6%) win rate for white (29K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.7%.

Is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni a good opening?

The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni is statistically balanced with a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.5%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.