English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon
369K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
47.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.4%.
Measured over 369K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 369K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 369K
- Best context
- 52.5% at 0-999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 42.5% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.6%
- Draws
- 4.4%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 43.6% at 0-999, 48.5% 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, UltraBullet: 18.5% expected score (8 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (2,770 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (4,216 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (1,520 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.3% expected score (16 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (6,023 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (11,721 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (4,756 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 52.9% expected score (33 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 59.6% expected score (40 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (10,469 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (22,698 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (10,496 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (298 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 52.8% expected score (70 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (13,667 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (33,380 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.5% expected score (14,992 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 45.5% expected score (843 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 46.7% expected score (28 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.1% expected score (17,222 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (41,130 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.1% expected score (17,102 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 46.3% expected score (1,167 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 29.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (15,825 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (41,825 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (14,895 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 44.3% expected score (955 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (14,377 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (28,083 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (7,879 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 46.2% expected score (353 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (11,172 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (13,111 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.3% expected score (1,987 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 34.3% expected score (59 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (2,952 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.5% expected score (736 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 38.3% expected score (58 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon scores 47.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.2% and 47.4% — from 369K 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
- 369K+ 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, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate?
Playing the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon, Black wins 45.1%, draws 4.4% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 369K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon perform best?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 49.6% (8.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.3% in Blitz (197K games) against 47.8% in Rapid (74K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 48.1%, draws 2.8% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 8.5K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 46.5%, draws 3.2% and loses 50.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 23K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 45.6%, draws 3.2% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.3%, draws 3.5% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 63K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 44.9%, draws 4.2% and loses 50.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 77K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 44.7%, draws 5.0% and loses 50.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 74K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.0%, draws 5.7% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 51K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.3%, draws 6.6% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 26K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 43.9%, draws 6.9% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 3.7K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, Black wins 49.0%, draws 0.3% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 171 Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.6%, draws 3.0% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 94K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.9%, draws 4.7% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 197K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 45.1%, draws 5.2% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 74K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 42.1%, draws 6.8% and loses 51.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 3.7K Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon a good opening?
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.1% of its games and loses 50.5%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.