English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line
330K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.4%.
Measured over 330K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 330K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 330K
- Best context
- 57.0% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Worst context
- 49.7% at 0-999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.0%
- Draws
- 6.0%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 46.1% at 0-999, 49.8% 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: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (1,627 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (3,009 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (1,845 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 45.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 65.2% expected score (15 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (4,815 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (7,066 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (3,376 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 54.2% expected score (70 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (23 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (7,137 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (13,201 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (5,713 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 56.0% expected score (235 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 68.1% expected score (40 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (9,315 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (20,005 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (9,426 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 58.9% expected score (477 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 60.9% expected score (17 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (11,110 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (28,910 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (13,927 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 55.3% expected score (821 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 38.3% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (12,692 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (36,257 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.6% expected score (13,082 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.4% expected score (1,355 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (15,123 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (36,989 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (9,505 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 52.6% expected score (415 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (14,067 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (28,318 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 57.0% expected score (4,803 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.5% expected score (115 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.0% expected score (9,574 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.5% expected score (5,010 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.0% expected score (634 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.5% expected score (108 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line scores 54.2% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.1% and 54.4% — from 330K 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
- 330K+ 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, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate?
Playing the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, White wins 51.2%, draws 6.0% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 330K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line perform best?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.1% (15K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 54.3% in Blitz (179K games) against 54.5% in Rapid (62K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line has a sharpness score of 94.0 (decisive), meaning 94.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 50.3%, draws 3.5% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 52.2%, draws 3.1% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.2%, draws 3.4% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 26K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.6%, draws 3.7% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 39K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 51.8%, draws 4.2% and loses 44.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 55K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 51.2%, draws 4.9% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 63K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.2%, draws 5.9% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 62K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.4%, draws 7.4% and loses 41.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.1%. It rests on 47K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 42.4%, draws 27.3% and loses 30.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.1%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 47 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 57.8%, draws 3.1% and loses 39.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.4%. It rests on 110 Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 51.0%, draws 5.5% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 85K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.3%, draws 6.0% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 179K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.3%, draws 6.4% and loses 42.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 62K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 49.8%, draws 9.2% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 3.6K Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line a good opening?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.2% of its games and loses 42.8%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.