English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation
118K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 56.0%.
Measured over 118K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 118K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 118K
- Best context
- 59.1% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 53.5% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.9%
- Draws
- 7.1%
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.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 51.9% at 0-999, 61.6% 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, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 56.9% expected score (42 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (57 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 73.0% expected score (29 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 55.6% expected score (179 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (168 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 56.2% expected score (88 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 58.3% expected score (479 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (718 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 56.1% expected score (170 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (1,169 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (1,851 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 58.8% expected score (491 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 70.4% expected score (23 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (2,220 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (4,934 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (1,096 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 67.0% expected score (75 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 56.0% expected score (4,758 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (11,972 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.7% expected score (2,236 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.2% expected score (167 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.3% expected score (7,820 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (22,110 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (2,834 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 60.9% expected score (141 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (15,573 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.4% expected score (22,088 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 58.2% expected score (2,178 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 72.1% expected score (46 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.6% expected score (9,290 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.1% expected score (3,093 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 69.2% expected score (90 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation scores 55.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.5% and 56.0% — from 118K 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
- 118K+ 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, Mecking Variation win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation, White wins 52.2%, draws 7.1% and loses 40.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 118K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation perform best?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 57.4% (12K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 55.8% in Blitz (67K games) against 56.0% in Rapid (9.2K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation has a sharpness score of 92.9 (decisive), meaning 92.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 53.3%, draws 5.7% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.2%. It rests on 129 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 50.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 436 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 54.4%, draws 3.2% and loses 42.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 54.1%, draws 4.3% and loses 41.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.2%, draws 5.2% and loses 42.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 8.3K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 52.8%, draws 5.8% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 19K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.7%, draws 7.0% and loses 41.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.2%. It rests on 33K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.8%, draws 8.2% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.9%. It rests on 40K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 53.1%, draws 8.6% and loses 38.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.4%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 44 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 52.9%, draws 5.3% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 42K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.8%, draws 7.9% and loses 40.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 67K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.4%, draws 9.2% and loses 39.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 9.2K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 54.4%, draws 13.5% and loses 32.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.2%. It rests on 461 Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation a good opening?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 52.2% of its games and loses 40.7%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.