English Defense
6 variations · 12M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · Overall
48.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 12M games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 12M games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- #24 of 62
- Games in this context
- 12M
- Best context
- 57.8% at 0-999 UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 40.0% at 2000-2199 Classical
- Variations measured
- 6
- 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
Black · OverallThese 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 · 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: 51.3% at 0-999, 42.4% 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, UltraBullet: 57.8% expected score (872 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (96,135 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (167,093 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (49,067 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 48.0% expected score (439 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.7% expected score (2,323 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (241,368 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (328,614 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (82,415 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (1,568 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 54.4% expected score (6,395 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (519,003 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (641,123 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (143,323 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.2% expected score (4,126 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 52.2% expected score (14,687 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (872,206 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (1,072,177 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (237,526 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.0% expected score (8,822 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.1% expected score (20,357 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (1,193,653 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (1,325,681 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (263,194 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.0% expected score (9,323 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 45.7% expected score (12,319 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (1,340,333 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (1,045,799 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (197,591 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 42.9% expected score (5,058 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 43.3% expected score (6,212 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (1,031,074 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (469,501 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (59,501 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 40.0% expected score (922 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 41.7% expected score (2,708 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.4% expected score (582,035 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.1% expected score (127,840 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (10,047 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 44.4% expected score (97 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 44.7% expected score (73 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (112,288 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.6% expected score (10,472 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 42.1% expected score (252 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 34.6% expected score (5 games)
6 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Defense family scores 48.6% for Black — we are 90% confident it is 48.6% — from 12M Lichess games across 6 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
- 12M+ 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 English Defense win rate?
Across the English Defense's 6 variations, Black wins 46.8%, draws 3.5% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 12M rated games from Lichess.
How many English Defense variations are there?
6 English Defense variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the English Defense perform best?
The English Defense family performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 50.3% (314K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the English Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 48.3% in Blitz (5.2M games) against 47.6% in Rapid (1.0M games).
How sharp is the English Defense?
English Defense games are 96.5% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the English Defense a good opening family?
The English Defense family is about level overall. Across its games, Black wins 46.8% and loses 49.7%. Results differ between its 6 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.