English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System
2.2K 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 45.8%.
Measured over 2.2K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.2K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.2K
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 39 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.8%
- Draws
- 5.2%
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: 50.0% at 0-999, 39.5% 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: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 61.5% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (28 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (62 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 58.2% expected score (17 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 26.2% expected score (51 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (143 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (47 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 39.2% expected score (77 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 44.1% expected score (303 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 38.7% expected score (65 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.2% expected score (116 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (382 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 33.9% expected score (42 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (181 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 39.3% expected score (437 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (57 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (108 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 41.3% expected score (50 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System scores 44.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 42.4% and 45.8% — from 2.2K 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
- 2.2K+ 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: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate?
Playing the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System, Black wins 41.5%, draws 5.2% and loses 53.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.1%. It rests on 2.2K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System perform best?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 52.3% (108 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 44.6% in Blitz (1.4K games) against 43.5% in Rapid (230 games).
How sharp is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System has a sharpness score of 94.8 (decisive), meaning 94.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 49.8%, draws 5.0% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 108 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 40.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.4%. It rests on 242 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 40.0%, draws 4.8% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.4%. It rests on 447 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.3%, draws 4.1% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 541 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 37.9%, draws 6.7% and loses 55.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.3%. It rests on 675 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 42.1%, draws 5.9% and loses 52.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.1%. It rests on 159 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 40.7%, draws 4.9% and loses 54.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.2%. It rests on 584 Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 42.2%, draws 4.8% and loses 53.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 39.5%, draws 8.0% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.5%. It rests on 230 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System a good opening?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 41.5% of its games and loses 53.3%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.