English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation
4.2K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.2%.
Measured over 4.2K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 9.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 4.2K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 4.2K
- Best context
- 58.4% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.1% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 91.0%
- Draws
- 9.0%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 30.0% at 0-999, 47.4% 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, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 40.9% expected score (4 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (33 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 76.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 60.6% expected score (27 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (61 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (14 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 58.6% expected score (98 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (144 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.8% expected score (42 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 69.1% expected score (9 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (226 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 58.4% expected score (510 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (63 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (551 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (1,339 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (91 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 76.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (393 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (530 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (51 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation scores 51.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.6% and 53.2% — from 4.2K 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
- 4.2K+ 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: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation, Black wins 47.4%, draws 9.0% and loses 43.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 4.2K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation perform best?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 54.9% (801 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 52.5% in Blitz (2.6K games) against 54.9% in Rapid (269 games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a sharpness score of 91.0 (decisive), meaning 91.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 52.2%, draws 8.1% and loses 39.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 103 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 51.8%, draws 8.3% and loses 39.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 293 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 52.3%, draws 5.2% and loses 42.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 801 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 49.6%, draws 6.7% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 37.4%, draws 17.0% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.9%. It rests on 977 Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.9%, draws 7.9% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 48.2%, draws 8.5% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 45.7%, draws 18.3% and loses 36.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 269 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation a good opening?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 47.4% of its games and loses 43.6%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.