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English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System

1.2M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

47.9%

40%55%
Floor47.8%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.0%.

Measured over 1.2M games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 4.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.2M games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
1.2M
Best context
52.6% at 1600-1799 UltraBullet
Worst context
44.0% at 2500+ Blitz
Average game length
36 moves
Games that end decisively
95.5%
Draws
4.5%

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: 53.4% at 0-999, 42.6% at 2500+.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 61.5% expected score (16 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (3,064 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (3,294 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (1,029 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 56.7% expected score (6 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.6% expected score (109 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (10,773 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (10,149 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.9% expected score (2,503 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 34.7% expected score (41 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.9% expected score (353 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (26,827 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (31,948 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (6,567 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.6% expected score (201 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.5% expected score (925 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (57,319 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (76,733 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (15,611 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.2% expected score (801 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.6% expected score (1,121 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (99,564 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (140,465 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (29,753 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.1% expected score (1,862 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 52.2% expected score (586 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (124,384 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (178,460 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (33,685 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.6% expected score (1,540 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.1% expected score (235 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (116,286 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (109,183 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (18,189 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 51.0% expected score (589 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 43.9% expected score (47 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (80,637 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (30,499 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (4,392 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 36.4% expected score (50 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (14,436 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (1,539 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 37.0% expected score (60 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)

Related Openings

Parent
English Opening
50.4%
Variations (5)
English Opening: King's English Variation
51.0%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense
50.2%
English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense
52.0%
English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian
52.2%
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation
50.5%
Analyze English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System scores 47.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.8% and 48.0% — from 1.2M 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
1.2M+ 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: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate?

Playing the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System, Black wins 45.6%, draws 4.5% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 1.2M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System perform best?

The English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 48.2% (339K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.8% in Blitz (582K games) against 48.4% in Rapid (112K games).

How sharp is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System?

The English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System has a sharpness score of 95.5 (very decisive), meaning 95.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 47.2%, draws 3.3% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 45.8%, draws 2.5% and loses 51.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 24K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 46.1%, draws 2.8% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 66K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.3% and loses 50.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 151K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.0%, draws 4.1% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 273K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.8%, draws 4.7% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 339K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.4%, draws 5.3% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 244K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 44.6%, draws 5.5% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 116K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, Black wins 42.5%, draws 6.8% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.9%. It rests on 16K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, Black wins 49.9%, draws 1.6% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 46.1%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 533K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 45.2%, draws 5.1% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 582K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 45.3%, draws 6.2% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 112K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 46.5%, draws 7.1% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 5.1K Lichess games.

Is the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System a good opening?

The English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.6% of its games and loses 49.9%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.