English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6
378 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
58.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 62.7%.
Measured over 378 games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 10.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 378 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 378
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 89.1%
- Draws
- 10.9%
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: 61.1% at 1200-1399, 38.8% 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
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (13 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 72.1% expected score (28 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 67.9% expected score (71 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 69.2% expected score (35 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (107 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 74.2% expected score (13 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 42.3% expected score (44 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (34 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 scores 58.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.4% and 62.7% — from 378 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
- 378+ 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, Delayed .. Nc6 win rate?
Playing the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6, Black wins 53.1%, draws 10.9% and loses 36.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.6%. It rests on 378 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 perform best?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 67.7% (106 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
How sharp is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 has a sharpness score of 89.1 (moderately decisive), meaning 89.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 43 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 64.7%, draws 6.0% and loses 29.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 67.7%. It rests on 106 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 54.6%, draws 6.6% and loses 38.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.9%. It rests on 157 Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 49.3%, draws 16.2% and loses 34.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.4%. It rests on 113 Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 53.4%, draws 8.5% and loses 38.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.7%. It rests on 228 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 a good opening?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 53.1% of its games and loses 36.0%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.