Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense
59K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.8%.
Measured over 59K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 2.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 59K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 59K
- Best context
- 56.1% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Worst context
- 49.2% at 1200-1399 Blitz
- Average game length
- 29 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.6%
- Draws
- 2.4%
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 · 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: 48.0% at 0-999, 35.1% 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: 51.7% expected score (117 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (64 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 43.9% expected score (48 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (465 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (326 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (124 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: 50.1% expected score (1,225 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (1,255 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (344 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 72.6% expected score (14 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (2,510 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (3,468 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.1% expected score (948 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 44.8% expected score (27 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (3,619 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (6,791 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (1,690 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.5% expected score (109 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (4,556 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (10,252 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (2,389 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.9% expected score (160 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (3,436 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (7,371 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (2,087 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 48.9% expected score (43 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.1% expected score (2,157 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (2,198 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.5% expected score (539 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 34.7% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 57.6% expected score (295 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 31.3% expected score (73 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 21.5% expected score (9 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense scores 53.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.2% and 53.8% — from 59K 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
- 59K+ 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 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate?
Playing the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense, Black wins 52.3%, draws 2.4% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 59K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense perform best?
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 54.8% (13K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 53.8% in Blitz (32K games) against 52.7% in Rapid (8.2K games).
How sharp is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense?
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense has a sharpness score of 97.6 (very decisive), meaning 97.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 29 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 48.8%, draws 0.7% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 229 Lichess games, which average 22 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 51.0%, draws 1.0% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 917 Lichess games, which average 24 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 49.0%, draws 2.0% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 51.2%, draws 2.0% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 7.0K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 51.5%, draws 2.2% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 53.0%, draws 2.3% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 17K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 53.4%, draws 2.7% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 52.9%, draws 3.1% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 4.9K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 48.9%, draws 4.9% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 378 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 52.6%, draws 1.6% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 18K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 52.4%, draws 2.6% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 32K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 51.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 8.2K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 49.4%, draws 3.5% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 360 Lichess games.
Is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense a good opening?
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 52.3% of its games and loses 45.3%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.