Creepy Crawly Formation

1 variations · 174K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

2.a3

Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · Overall

49.7%

45%55%

Floor49.5%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.9%.

Measured over 174K games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for White

47.8%3.6%48.5%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 3.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 174K games

Rank among the families White can choose here: #43 of 56
Games in this context: 174K
Best context: 53.2% at 2000-2199 Bullet
Worst context: 43.4% at 1200-1399 Classical
Variations measured: 1
Average game length: 35 moves

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.

What to play from here

White · Overall · limited data

Not enough games here yet to rank what comes next. Pick another rating or time control above.

These are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.

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: 44.5% at 0-999, 53.7% at 2500+.

Rating	UB	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, UltraBullet: 44.9% expected score (18 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (3,599 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (7,447 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.7% expected score (2,120 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 34.9% expected score (25 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 51.9% expected score (25 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (5,743 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.7% expected score (14,782 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (5,319 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 33.2% expected score (46 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 59.6% expected score (35 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (7,141 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (21,216 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (8,494 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 43.4% expected score (532 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 42.0% expected score (42 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (9,828 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (23,349 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (9,044 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 40.6% expected score (345 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (8,169 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (11,960 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (5,667 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (311 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (4,023 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (4,104 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (7,316 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.2% expected score (86 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (2,505 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (4,090 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (952 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 46.1% expected score (24 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (1,268 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (3,268 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (165 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (733 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (413 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 55.3% expected score (8 games)

1 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

Creepy Crawly Formation: Classical Defense174K games

Balanced49.7%Floor 49.5%

Analyze Creepy Crawly Formation PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Creepy Crawly Formation family scores 49.7% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.5% and 49.9% — from 174K Lichess games across 1 variations. 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: 174K+ 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 Creepy Crawly Formation win rate?

Across the Creepy Crawly Formation's 1 variations, White wins 47.8%, draws 3.6% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 174K rated games from Lichess.

How many Creepy Crawly Formation variations are there?

1 Creepy Crawly Formation variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the Creepy Crawly Formation perform best?

The Creepy Crawly Formation family performs best for White at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 51.1% (16K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Creepy Crawly Formation better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Creepy Crawly Formation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 49.4% in Blitz (91K games) against 48.9% in Rapid (39K games).

How sharp is the Creepy Crawly Formation?

Creepy Crawly Formation games are 96.4% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Creepy Crawly Formation a good opening family?

The Creepy Crawly Formation family is about level overall. Across its games, White wins 47.8% and loses 48.5%. Results differ between its 1 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.