English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation
200K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.9%.
Measured over 200K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 200K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 200K
- Best context
- 58.7% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 51.0% at 0-999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.0%
- Draws
- 6.0%
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: 46.9% at 0-999, 62.4% 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: 47.9% expected score (360 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (698 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 55.7% expected score (263 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 56.1% expected score (1,135 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (1,657 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 57.1% expected score (565 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 72.9% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.6% expected score (2,446 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (3,744 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (1,183 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 66.8% expected score (52 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 71.2% expected score (15 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (4,559 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (7,658 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 54.1% expected score (2,219 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 53.1% expected score (161 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 61.5% expected score (16 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (7,281 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (14,055 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (3,652 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 56.5% expected score (350 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 51.9% expected score (25 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (11,281 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (23,724 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (5,003 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (429 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (14,555 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (29,901 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (4,676 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.3% expected score (204 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (16,973 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (28,173 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.4% expected score (2,525 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 60.6% expected score (65 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (5,391 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.7% expected score (4,554 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 60.0% expected score (249 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 76.7% expected score (21 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation scores 52.7% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.6% and 52.9% — from 200K 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
- 200K+ 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, Three Knights Variation win rate?
Playing the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation, White wins 49.7%, draws 6.0% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 200K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation perform best?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.5% (10K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.7% in Blitz (114K games) against 53.5% in Rapid (20K games).
How sharp is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation has a sharpness score of 94.0 (decisive), meaning 94.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 49.7%, draws 2.7% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 53.6%, draws 3.2% and loses 43.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.2%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.0%, draws 3.5% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 50.4%, draws 4.0% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 50.1%, draws 4.1% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 25K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 49.0%, draws 5.3% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 40K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.2%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 49K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 49.6%, draws 7.7% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 48K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 50.9%, draws 11.1% and loses 38.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.5%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.5%, draws 4.2% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 64K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.3%, draws 6.7% and loses 44.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 114K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.7%, draws 7.6% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 20K Lichess games.
What is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 51.7%, draws 9.3% and loses 39.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games.
Is the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation a good opening?
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 49.7% of its games and loses 44.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.