English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3
27K 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 47.8%.
Measured over 27K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 6.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 27K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 27K
- Best context
- 52.9% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 41.5% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.5%
- Draws
- 6.5%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 48.0% at 0-999, 38.1% 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: 47.7% expected score (41 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (66 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.9% expected score (18 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (124 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (163 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (53 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (204 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (394 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (130 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (372 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (698 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (238 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 42.6% expected score (12 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 45.6% expected score (783 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (1,438 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.7% expected score (421 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 53.3% expected score (29 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (1,213 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (3,293 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (760 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 59.6% expected score (51 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (1,847 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (4,921 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (832 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (32 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (2,384 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.8% expected score (4,687 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.0% expected score (395 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (9 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 41.5% expected score (932 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (353 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (11 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 scores 47.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.8% and 47.8% — from 27K 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
- 27K+ 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, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3, Black wins 44.1%, draws 6.5% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 27K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 perform best?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 50.1% (5.3K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 48.0% in Blitz (16K games) against 49.8% in Rapid (2.9K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 has a sharpness score of 93.5 (decisive), meaning 93.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 46.2%, draws 5.9% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 125 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 43.9%, draws 3.4% and loses 52.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 341 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 47.5%, draws 2.8% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 730 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 44.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 51.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.5%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 45.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 47.3%, draws 5.5% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 5.3K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 44.7%, draws 6.6% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 7.6K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 41.2%, draws 8.4% and loses 50.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.5%. It rests on 7.5K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 37.6%, draws 8.2% and loses 54.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.7%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 42.8%, draws 4.3% and loses 52.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 7.9K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.3%, draws 7.4% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 16K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 46.1%, draws 7.3% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 2.9K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 48.7%, draws 9.9% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 135 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 a good opening?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with e3 is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 44.1% of its games and loses 49.5%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.