English Orangutan

1 variations · 31K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

2.b4

Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · Overall

47.4%

40%55%

Floor46.9%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.8%.

Measured over 31K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

White comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the ranked list.

Outcomes for White

45.4%4.0%50.7%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 4.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 31K games

Rank among the families White can choose here: #52 of 56
Games in this context: 31K
Best context: 55.0% at 2200-2499 Blitz
Worst context: 43.4% at 1000-1199 Bullet
Variations measured: 1
Average game length: 34 moves

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.

What to play from here

White · Overall

#1English OrangutanBest here

1.c4 Nf6 2.b4

Floor 46.9% · 31K games

47.4%

These are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.

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: 36.6% at 0-999, 53.9% at 2500+.

Rating	UB	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: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 42.3% expected score (411 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (800 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.0% expected score (283 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.4% expected score (653 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (1,014 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (426 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 31.5% expected score (12 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 31.5% expected score (12 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 43.8% expected score (890 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (1,883 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 44.4% expected score (746 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 33.6% expected score (32 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 33.2% expected score (43 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (1,276 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 45.5% expected score (2,644 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (1,089 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 37.0% expected score (79 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 21.7% expected score (25 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (1,318 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (4,565 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (1,254 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.1% expected score (69 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (11 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (972 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (3,690 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (1,674 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.8% expected score (59 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (864 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (1,840 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.0% expected score (852 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (19 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (757 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (599 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (154 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (94 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (31 games)

1 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

English Orangutan31K games

Losing47.4%Floor 46.9%

Analyze English Orangutan PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the English Orangutan family scores 47.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.9% and 47.8% — from 31K Lichess games across 1 variations. 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: 31K+ 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 Orangutan win rate?

Across the English Orangutan's 1 variations, White wins 45.4%, draws 4.0% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 31K rated games from Lichess.

How many English Orangutan variations are there?

1 English Orangutan variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the English Orangutan perform best?

The English Orangutan family performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 51.8% (1.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the English Orangutan better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the English Orangutan scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 48.1% in Blitz (17K games) against 47.1% in Rapid (6.5K games).

How sharp is the English Orangutan?

English Orangutan games are 96.0% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the English Orangutan a good opening family?

The English Orangutan family is hard work for White — it favours Black overall. Across its games, White wins 45.4% and loses 50.7%. Results differ between its 1 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.