4.2K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 51.9% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 50.6% and 53.2%), based on 4.2K Lichess games.
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Improves with rating: 20% → 37%
Best in Classical (57%), worst in Rapid (46%)
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, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 43.6% (90% CI: 42.4%-44.9%) win rate for white, based on 4.2K rated games from Lichess.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 45.6% win rate for white (977 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Bullet (46.3%) outperforms Rapid (36.0%) by 10.3%. Choose your time control wisely.
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.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 39.7% (90% CI: 32.0%-47.7%) win rate for white, based on 103 Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 8.1% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 39.9% (90% CI: 35.3%-44.6%) win rate for white, based on 293 Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 8.3% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 42.6% (90% CI: 39.7%-45.4%) win rate for white, based on 801 Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 5.2% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 43.7% (90% CI: 41.9%-45.6%) win rate for white, based on 2.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 6.7% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 45.6% (90% CI: 43.0%-48.3%) win rate for white, based on 977 Lichess games. Average game length is 43 moves with a 17.0% draw rate.
In Bullet games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 46.3% (90% CI: 44.0%-48.5%) win rate for white (1.3K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.9%.
In Blitz games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 43.3% (90% CI: 41.7%-44.9%) win rate for white (2.6K Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.5%.
In Rapid games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation has a 36.0% (90% CI: 31.3%-40.9%) win rate for white (269 Lichess games). Draw rate is 18.3%.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Geller Variation is slightly favors black with a 43.6% (90% CI: 42.4%-44.9%) 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.