English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense
244K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
44.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 44.3%.
Measured over 244K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 244K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 244K
- Best context
- 50.1% at 1200-1399 Bullet
- Worst context
- 38.8% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.6%
- Draws
- 5.4%
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: 43.5% at 0-999, 36.6% 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: 36.8% expected score (82 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.6% expected score (140 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 46.1% expected score (24 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.1% expected score (278 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (433 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 38.6% expected score (86 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 34.2% expected score (27 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (889 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.4% expected score (1,212 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.7% expected score (282 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 53.1% expected score (31 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (2,602 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (3,159 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.9% expected score (706 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 41.4% expected score (39 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 43.2% expected score (152 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (6,628 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (9,727 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (1,719 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.9% expected score (206 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.5% expected score (116 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (14,476 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (28,353 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (3,753 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.4% expected score (314 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 28.2% expected score (99 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 44.4% expected score (26,579 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 44.7% expected score (43,878 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (5,271 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 39.5% expected score (236 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 43.7% expected score (46 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (44,495 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 41.6% expected score (28,068 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (3,010 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 27.8% expected score (48 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 39.7% expected score (14,932 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 38.8% expected score (2,133 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 33.0% expected score (110 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense scores 44.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 44.0% and 44.3% — from 244K 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
- 244K+ 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 Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense, Black wins 41.4%, draws 5.4% and loses 53.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.1%. It rests on 244K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense perform best?
The English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense performs best for Black at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 47.8% (2.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 44.6% in Blitz (117K games) against 44.6% in Rapid (15K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense?
The English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense has a sharpness score of 94.6 (decisive), meaning 94.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 42.2%, draws 3.0% and loses 54.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.8%. It rests on 246 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 42.1%, draws 3.2% and loses 54.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.7%. It rests on 800 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 46.3%, draws 3.0% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.2%, draws 3.3% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.9%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 44.6%, draws 4.1% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 43.7%, draws 5.0% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 47K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 41.7%, draws 5.6% and loses 52.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.5%. It rests on 76K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 39.5%, draws 6.0% and loses 54.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.5%. It rests on 76K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 36.1%, draws 6.8% and loses 57.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 39.5%. It rests on 17K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, Black wins 39.6%, draws 3.0% and loses 57.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.1%. It rests on 475 Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 41.5%, draws 4.2% and loses 54.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.6%. It rests on 111K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 41.4%, draws 6.3% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 117K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 40.7%, draws 7.7% and loses 51.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 15K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 38.9%, draws 10.2% and loses 50.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.0%. It rests on 850 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense a good opening?
The English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense, Semi-Slav Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 41.4% of its games and loses 53.2%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.