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English Opening: The Whale

1.9M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
White Expected Score50.4%Range (90% confident): 50.4% – 50.5%Based on 1.9M games
0%50.4%100%
Range (90% confident): 50.4% – 50.5%
Outcome Distribution
48.3%4.3%47.5%
Win
Draw
Loss
2.c4
English Opening: The Whale
Analyzen=1.9M
Avg Length34 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate4.3%

What is the English Opening: The Whale expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the English Opening: The Whale has a 50.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 50.4% and 50.5%), based on 1.9M Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 8.1% · Bullet best · UltraBullet worst

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 44% → 46%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 43.7% win rate (205,433 games)
  • 1000-1199: 47.3% win rate (256,423 games)
  • 1200-1399: 48.4% win rate (337,939 games)
  • 1400-1599: 48.4% win rate (375,972 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.5% win rate (357,524 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.9% win rate (255,382 games)
  • 2000-2199: 50.2% win rate (97,143 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.4% win rate (22,282 games)
  • 2500+: 45.8% win rate (1,684 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (50%), worst in UltraBullet (42%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 41.9% win rate (1,048 games)
  • Bullet: 50.0% win rate (352,461 games)
  • Blitz: 48.6% win rate (1,028,477 games)
  • Rapid: 46.5% win rate (504,591 games)
  • Classical: 44.5% win rate (23,205 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 42.8% expected score (137 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (29,678 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (110,769 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.1% expected score (64,122 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 38.4% expected score (727 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 32.8% expected score (170 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (40,080 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (143,477 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.5% expected score (70,462 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 43.0% expected score (2,234 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 42.5% expected score (296 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (52,273 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (181,615 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (98,977 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 46.5% expected score (4,778 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 45.9% expected score (267 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (62,570 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (199,835 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (105,210 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 46.8% expected score (8,090 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 45.6% expected score (100 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (55,484 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (202,265 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (94,249 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.7% expected score (5,426 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 45.7% expected score (44 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.0% expected score (62,318 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (137,731 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (53,785 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.9% expected score (1,504 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.1% expected score (23 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (34,252 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (45,567 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (16,858 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (443 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 45.7% expected score (10 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (14,202 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (7,140 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (927 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (1,604 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (78 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
English Opening
50.4%
Variations (5)
English Opening: Achilles-Omega Gambit
46.3%
English Opening: Adorjan Defense
47.2%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense
50.2%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Bogoljubov Defense
51.6%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Bogoljubow Defense
51.8%
Analyze English Opening: The Whale PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate?

The English Opening: The Whale has a 48.3% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.3%) win rate for white, based on 1.9M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the English Opening: The Whale perform best?

The English Opening: The Whale performs best at 2000-2199 Elo with a 50.2% win rate for white (97K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the English Opening: The Whale better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (50.0%) outperforms UltraBullet (41.9%) by 8.1%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the English Opening: The Whale?

The English Opening: The Whale has a sharpness score of 95.7 (very decisive), meaning 95.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 43.7% (90% CI: 43.5%-43.9%) win rate for white, based on 205K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 47.3% (90% CI: 47.1%-47.4%) win rate for white, based on 256K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.5%) win rate for white, based on 338K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 48.4% (90% CI: 48.3%-48.5%) win rate for white, based on 376K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.3%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 358K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 49.9% (90% CI: 49.8%-50.1%) win rate for white, based on 255K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.5%) win rate for white, based on 97K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.2% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 50.4% (90% CI: 49.8%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 22K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the English Opening: The Whale has a 45.8% (90% CI: 43.8%-47.8%) win rate for white, based on 1.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 40 moves with a 8.3% draw rate.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the English Opening: The Whale has a 41.9% (90% CI: 39.4%-44.4%) win rate for white (1.0K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.1%.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the English Opening: The Whale has a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.8%-50.1%) win rate for white (352K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.6%.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the English Opening: The Whale has a 48.6% (90% CI: 48.6%-48.7%) win rate for white (1.0M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.4%.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the English Opening: The Whale has a 46.5% (90% CI: 46.3%-46.6%) win rate for white (505K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.1%.

What is the English Opening: The Whale win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the English Opening: The Whale has a 44.5% (90% CI: 43.9%-45.0%) win rate for white (23K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.1%.

Is the English Opening: The Whale a good opening?

The English Opening: The Whale is statistically balanced with a 48.3% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.3%) 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.