Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation
45K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.7%.
Measured over 45K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 45K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 45K
- Best context
- 51.9% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Worst context
- 41.8% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.8%
- Draws
- 4.2%
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: 46.8% at 0-999, 38.9% 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: 42.7% expected score (53 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (112 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (25 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (176 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (312 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.1% expected score (56 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (267 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (627 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 40.8% expected score (167 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 11.5% expected score (5 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (668 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.0% expected score (1,257 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.3% expected score (344 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 26.2% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (1,194 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (2,988 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (643 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (36 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (1,968 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (6,374 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (1,050 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 41.4% expected score (62 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (3,822 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (7,427 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (1,112 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.6% expected score (65 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.1% expected score (6,415 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (4,374 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (579 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 29.2% expected score (44 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 41.8% expected score (1,319 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (1,235 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 21.0% expected score (14 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation scores 48.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.0% and 48.7% — from 45K 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
- 45K+ 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: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate?
Playing the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation, Black wins 46.2%, draws 4.2% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 45K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation perform best?
The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 51.5% (9.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 49.3% in Blitz (25K games) against 48.3% in Rapid (4.0K games).
How sharp is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation?
The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation has a sharpness score of 95.8 (very decisive), meaning 95.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 44.1%, draws 5.0% and loses 50.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 190 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 45.0%, draws 2.1% and loses 52.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.1%. It rests on 544 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 46.2%, draws 1.8% and loses 52.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 46.9%, draws 2.1% and loses 51.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 47.3%, draws 3.8% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 4.9K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 49.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 9.5K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 47.1%, draws 4.5% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.7%, draws 4.6% and loses 51.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 39.1%, draws 6.0% and loses 54.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.2%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.5%, draws 3.1% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 16K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 46.9%, draws 4.7% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 25K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 45.8%, draws 4.9% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games.
What is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 38.3%, draws 8.7% and loses 53.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.7%. It rests on 222 Lichess games.
Is the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation a good opening?
The Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.2% of its games and loses 49.6%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.