3.3M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 47.3% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 47.2% and 47.3%), based on 3.3M Lichess games.
Declines with rating: 47% → 39%
Best in UltraBullet (47%), worst in Classical (44%)
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| 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
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.5% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.6%) win rate for white, based on 3.3M rated games from Lichess.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 52.9% win rate for white (90K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Bullet (51.0%) outperforms Classical (49.3%) by 1.7%. Choose your time control wisely.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
At 0-999 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 48.2% (90% CI: 47.9%-48.5%) win rate for white, based on 73K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 4.4% draw rate.
At 1000-1199 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.6% (90% CI: 50.4%-50.8%) win rate for white, based on 124K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.0% draw rate.
At 1200-1399 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.5% (90% CI: 50.4%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 242K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.1% draw rate.
At 1400-1599 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.3%) win rate for white, based on 425K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.1% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.2%) win rate for white, based on 621K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.3% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.3%) win rate for white, based on 726K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.8%-51.0%) win rate for white, based on 609K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 51.5% (90% CI: 51.4%-51.6%) win rate for white, based on 427K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 5.9% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 52.9% (90% CI: 52.6%-53.1%) win rate for white, based on 90K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 7.7% draw rate.
In UltraBullet games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 51.2% (90% CI: 50.3%-52.1%) win rate for white (8.4K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.9%.
In Bullet games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.1%) win rate for white (1.4M Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.2%.
In Blitz games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.3% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.3%) win rate for white (1.6M Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.1%.
In Rapid games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 50.1% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.2%) win rate for white (362K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.8%.
In Classical games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation has a 49.3% (90% CI: 48.6%-49.9%) win rate for white (18K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.3%.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation is statistically favors white with a 50.5% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.6%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.