6.2M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 47.0% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 47.0% and 47.0%), based on 6.2M Lichess games.
Declines with rating: 50% → 30%
Best in UltraBullet (47%), worst in Classical (43%)
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| 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
The English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.0%) win rate for white, based on 6.2M rated games from Lichess.
The English Opening: King's English Variation performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 51.9% win rate for white (341K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Bullet (51.5%) outperforms Classical (50.2%) by 1.3%. Choose your time control wisely.
The English Opening: King's English Variation has a sharpness score of 95.9 (very decisive), meaning 95.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
At 0-999 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 46.8% (90% CI: 46.6%-46.9%) win rate for white, based on 288K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.
At 1000-1199 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 50.6% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.8%) win rate for white, based on 487K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 3.0% draw rate.
At 1200-1399 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.2% (90% CI: 51.1%-51.3%) win rate for white, based on 834K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.0% draw rate.
At 1400-1599 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.4% (90% CI: 51.3%-51.5%) win rate for white, based on 1.2M Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.4% (90% CI: 51.4%-51.5%) win rate for white, based on 1.3M Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.5% (90% CI: 51.4%-51.6%) win rate for white, based on 1.1M Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.4% (90% CI: 51.3%-51.5%) win rate for white, based on 625K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.9% (90% CI: 51.8%-52.0%) win rate for white, based on 341K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 39.0% (90% CI: 38.8%-39.3%) win rate for white, based on 91K Lichess games. Average game length is 47 moves with a 30.8% draw rate.
In UltraBullet games, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.4% (90% CI: 50.8%-52.1%) win rate for white (16K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.4%.
In Bullet games, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 51.5% (90% CI: 51.4%-51.6%) win rate for white (1.9M Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.4%.
In Blitz games, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.8%-50.9%) win rate for white (3.2M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.4%.
In Rapid games, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 50.3%-50.5%) win rate for white (1.1M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.8%.
In Classical games, the English Opening: King's English Variation has a 50.2% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.6%) win rate for white (50K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.6%.
The English Opening: King's English Variation is statistically favors white with a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.0%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.