English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense
37K 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 47.7%.
Measured over 37K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 8.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 37K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 37K
- Best context
- 51.5% at 1600-1799 Blitz
- Worst context
- 40.2% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 40 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 91.7%
- Draws
- 8.3%
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: 43.3% at 0-999, 39.5% 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: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 61.1% expected score (30 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (27 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.3% expected score (12 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (128 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 34.6% expected score (112 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.5% expected score (18 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (253 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.4% expected score (380 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (76 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (496 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (1,035 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.8% expected score (222 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (17 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.4% expected score (997 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.7% expected score (2,380 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (496 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 66.5% expected score (50 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (1,820 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (6,221 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (715 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 49.0% expected score (48 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (3,892 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (11,847 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (709 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 43.2% expected score (35 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (2,383 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 40.2% expected score (2,541 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (117 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense scores 47.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.8% and 47.7% — from 37K 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
- 37K+ 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, Hedgehog Defense win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense, Black wins 43.1%, draws 8.3% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 37K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense perform best?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 50.7% (1.8K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.3% in Blitz (25K games) against 47.6% in Rapid (2.4K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense has a sharpness score of 91.7 (decisive), meaning 91.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 40 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 43.2%, draws 2.5% and loses 54.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.5%. It rests on 259 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 43.5%, draws 3.3% and loses 53.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.2%. It rests on 715 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 48.5%, draws 4.4% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.9%, draws 6.2% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 3.9K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.6%, draws 7.5% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 8.8K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.4%, draws 9.0% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.9%. It rests on 16K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 36.8%, draws 11.6% and loses 51.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.6%. It rests on 5.0K Lichess games, which average 45 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 43.6%, draws 6.4% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 10K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 42.9%, draws 8.8% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 25K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 42.3%, draws 10.6% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 44.6%, draws 15.7% and loses 39.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 161 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense a good opening?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 43.1% of its games and loses 48.6%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.