Center Game: Charousek Variation
4.7K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.6%.
Measured over 4.7K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 4.7K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 4.7K
- Best context
- 51.8% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Worst context
- 49.0% at 1000-1199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 33 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.4%
- Draws
- 3.6%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 47.9% at 0-999, 55.9% 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: 43.9% expected score (72 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (262 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (107 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (173 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (559 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (258 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (191 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (612 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (270 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (18 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 86.4% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (260 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (518 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 57.0% expected score (205 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 73.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 45.6% expected score (189 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (353 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (112 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 58.2% expected score (140 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 60.9% expected score (150 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (36 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (80 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (49 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (42 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 28.1% expected score (19 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Center Game: Charousek Variation scores 51.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.2% and 52.6% — from 4.7K 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
- 4.7K+ 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 Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate?
Playing the Center Game: Charousek Variation, Black wins 49.6%, draws 3.6% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 4.7K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Center Game: Charousek Variation perform best?
The Center Game: Charousek Variation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 58.3% (330 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Center Game: Charousek Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Center Game: Charousek Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 51.1% in Blitz (2.5K games) against 52.4% in Rapid (1.0K games).
How sharp is the Center Game: Charousek Variation?
The Center Game: Charousek Variation has a sharpness score of 96.4 (very decisive), meaning 96.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 46.9%, draws 5.1% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 441 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 48.4%, draws 3.4% and loses 48.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 47.8%, draws 3.7% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 52.3%, draws 2.8% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 996 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 49.2%, draws 3.8% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 662 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 56.6%, draws 3.5% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.3%. It rests on 330 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 48.8%, draws 6.7% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 141 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 49.9%, draws 1.9% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 49.0%, draws 4.2% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games.
What is the Center Game: Charousek Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 50.2%, draws 4.3% and loses 45.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games.
Is the Center Game: Charousek Variation a good opening?
The Center Game: Charousek Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 49.6% of its games and loses 46.8%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.