English Opening: Carls-Bremen System
746K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.4%.
Measured over 746K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 746K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 746K
- Best context
- 57.6% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Worst context
- 54.5% at 0-999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.0%
- Draws
- 4.0%
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 · 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: 50.6% at 0-999, 57.0% 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: 28.8% expected score (22 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (6,529 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (9,347 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (4,488 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 59.5% expected score (25 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 47.4% expected score (93 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (14,988 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.1% expected score (23,441 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 55.9% expected score (10,828 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 58.1% expected score (166 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 53.4% expected score (146 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (26,370 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (47,077 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (20,403 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (732 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 58.2% expected score (181 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (34,514 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 55.1% expected score (72,279 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.6% expected score (29,064 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.4% expected score (1,782 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 56.7% expected score (89 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.6% expected score (39,383 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.6% expected score (89,958 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (34,093 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (2,155 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 58.5% expected score (34 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 55.6% expected score (33,698 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (85,296 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.1% expected score (27,762 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 56.2% expected score (1,605 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 58.2% expected score (17 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (24,187 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.5% expected score (50,282 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 55.8% expected score (12,452 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 59.3% expected score (468 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 22.8% expected score (4 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (15,755 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.6% expected score (18,785 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 57.6% expected score (2,812 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 65.3% expected score (67 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.3% expected score (3,251 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (888 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (40 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System scores 55.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.2% and 55.4% — from 746K 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
- 746K+ 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: Carls-Bremen System win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System, White wins 53.3%, draws 4.0% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 746K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System perform best?
The English Opening: Carls-Bremen System performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 56.4% (37K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 55.1% in Blitz (397K games) against 55.6% in Rapid (142K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System?
The English Opening: Carls-Bremen System has a sharpness score of 96.0 (very decisive), meaning 96.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 53.5%, draws 2.7% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 20K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 54.0%, draws 2.9% and loses 43.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 50K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 53.9%, draws 2.9% and loses 43.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 95K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 53.7%, draws 3.4% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 138K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.9%, draws 4.0% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 166K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 52.9%, draws 4.7% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 148K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 52.8%, draws 5.2% and loses 42.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 87K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 53.4%, draws 5.9% and loses 40.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 37K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.1%, draws 6.2% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.2%. It rests on 4.2K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 53.3%, draws 0.8% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 589 Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 54.2%, draws 2.7% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 199K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.9%, draws 4.3% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.1%. It rests on 397K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 53.1%, draws 4.9% and loses 42.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 142K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 53.8%, draws 5.8% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.7%. It rests on 7.0K Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System a good opening?
The English Opening: Carls-Bremen System is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 53.3% of its games and loses 42.7%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.