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English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense

16K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

45.4%

40%55%
Floor44.8%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 46.1%.

Measured over 16K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 4.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 16K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
16K
Best context
47.9% at 1200-1399 Bullet
Worst context
43.3% at 2000-2199 Blitz
Average game length
35 moves
Games that end decisively
95.8%
Draws
4.2%

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: 53.5% at 0-999, 46.0% 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, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (166 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (280 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (107 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (471 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (688 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.1% expected score (192 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (743 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (1,416 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (360 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 69.1% expected score (9 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 32.6% expected score (10 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (914 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (2,081 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.4% expected score (528 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.3% expected score (17 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.3% expected score (931 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 45.4% expected score (2,128 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.4% expected score (608 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.9% expected score (35 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (819 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 44.5% expected score (1,436 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.5% expected score (449 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 27.2% expected score (16 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (528 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 43.3% expected score (592 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 38.6% expected score (139 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (9 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 38.3% expected score (224 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 42.2% expected score (190 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 43.9% expected score (23 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (23 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 38.0% expected score (11 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, Smyslov Defense 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, Smyslov Defense scores 45.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 44.8% and 46.1% — from 16K 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
16K+ 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, Smyslov Defense win rate?

Playing the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense, Black wins 43.3%, draws 4.2% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.4%. It rests on 16K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense perform best?

The English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense performs best for Black at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 47.3% (2.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 45.6% in Blitz (8.8K games) against 44.6% in Rapid (2.4K games).

How sharp is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense?

The English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense has a sharpness score of 95.8 (very decisive), meaning 95.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.5% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 554 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 45.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 45.4%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 43.3%, draws 4.3% and loses 52.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.5%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 42.8%, draws 4.2% and loses 53.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.9%. It rests on 3.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 42.7%, draws 4.5% and loses 52.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 40.3%, draws 5.3% and loses 54.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.0%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 37.5%, draws 5.4% and loses 57.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.2%. It rests on 437 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 44.2%, draws 2.7% and loses 53.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 4.8K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 43.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 8.8K Lichess games.

What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 41.9%, draws 5.3% and loses 52.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.

Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense a good opening?

The English Opening: King's English Variation, Smyslov Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 43.3% of its games and loses 52.5%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.