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English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line

169K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · All ratings · All speeds

52.0%

45%60%
Floor51.8%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.2%.

Measured over 169K games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for White

Draw 5.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 169K games

Rank among the families White can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
169K
Best context
57.4% at 2500+ Blitz
Worst context
49.4% at 0-999 Rapid
Average game length
35 moves
Games that end decisively
95.0%
Draws
5.0%

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, 58.9% at 2500+.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (1,582 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (2,214 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (1,579 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (15 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 60.4% expected score (13 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (3,157 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (4,845 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (2,335 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 48.4% expected score (60 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 46.7% expected score (28 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (5,619 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (9,150 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (4,186 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 55.8% expected score (172 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (36 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (6,993 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (13,926 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (5,061 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.6% expected score (353 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (21 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (8,728 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (16,587 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (6,772 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 49.0% expected score (386 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 45.7% expected score (10 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (8,901 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (17,752 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (6,090 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.2% expected score (336 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (8,188 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (12,862 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (3,783 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 59.3% expected score (128 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 71.1% expected score (8 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (7,151 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (5,194 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.7% expected score (925 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 67.5% expected score (30 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (2,274 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.4% expected score (1,343 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (30 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 60.5% expected score (8 games)

Related Openings

Parent
English Opening
50.4%
Variations (5)
English Opening: King's English Variation
51.0%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense
50.2%
English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense
52.0%
English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian
52.2%
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation
50.5%
Analyze English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line scores 52.0% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.8% and 52.2% — from 169K 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
169K+ 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, Flexible Line win rate?

Playing the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line, White wins 49.5%, draws 5.0% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 169K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line perform best?

The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 54.3% (3.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.0% in Blitz (84K games) against 52.1% in Rapid (31K games).

How sharp is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line?

The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line has a sharpness score of 95.0 (very decisive), meaning 95.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, White wins 48.2%, draws 3.6% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 5.4K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, White wins 50.4%, draws 3.6% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, White wins 50.3%, draws 3.5% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 19K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, White wins 50.2%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 26K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, White wins 50.3%, draws 4.0% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 32K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, White wins 49.0%, draws 5.0% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 33K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, White wins 49.2%, draws 5.4% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 25K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, White wins 49.0%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, White wins 40.2%, draws 28.2% and loses 31.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 3.7K Lichess games, which average 48 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, White wins 56.2%, draws 2.0% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.2%. It rests on 124 Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.5% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 53K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, White wins 49.2%, draws 5.6% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 84K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, White wins 49.2%, draws 5.6% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 31K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line win rate in Classical?

In Classical, White wins 50.0%, draws 6.9% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games.

Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line a good opening?

The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 49.5% of its games and loses 45.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.