290K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 49.2% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 49.0% and 49.3%), based on 290K Lichess games.
Declines with rating: 50% → 42%
Best in UltraBullet (52%), worst in Classical (42%)
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, Spielmann Defense has a 48.3% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.5%) win rate for white, based on 290K rated games from Lichess.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense performs best at 2000-2199 Elo with a 48.7% win rate for white (74K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Bullet (48.4%) outperforms UltraBullet (44.7%) by 3.7%. Choose your time control wisely.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a sharpness score of 94.9 (decisive), meaning 94.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
At 0-999 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.3% (90% CI: 44.3%-52.3%) win rate for white, based on 418 Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.
At 1000-1199 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 47.7% (90% CI: 45.8%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 2.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.
At 1200-1399 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.0% (90% CI: 47.0%-49.0%) win rate for white, based on 7.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.
At 1400-1599 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.2% (90% CI: 47.6%-48.8%) win rate for white, based on 19K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.2% draw rate.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 47.7% (90% CI: 47.3%-48.1%) win rate for white, based on 39K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.0% (90% CI: 47.6%-48.3%) win rate for white, based on 63K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.4% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.4%-49.0%) win rate for white, based on 74K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 5.1% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.8%) win rate for white, based on 68K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 6.4% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.5% (90% CI: 47.8%-49.1%) win rate for white, based on 18K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 10.0% draw rate.
In UltraBullet games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 44.7% (90% CI: 41.6%-47.7%) win rate for white (714 Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.7%.
In Bullet games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.6%) win rate for white (163K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.1%.
In Blitz games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.7%) win rate for white (111K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.2%.
In Rapid games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 46.5% (90% CI: 45.8%-47.2%) win rate for white (15K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.5%.
In Classical games, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense has a 46.0% (90% CI: 42.8%-49.2%) win rate for white (654 Lichess games). Draw rate is 12.0%.
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense is statistically balanced with a 48.3% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.5%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2000-2199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.