Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line
33K 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 54.0%.
Measured over 33K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 33K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 33K
- Best context
- 56.7% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Worst context
- 43.9% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.9%
- Draws
- 5.1%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 60.9% at 0-999, 48.9% 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: 62.8% expected score (22 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 59.3% expected score (90 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 59.1% expected score (65 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 63.4% expected score (21 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (322 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (298 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (58 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (674 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (809 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (208 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 69.1% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 56.7% expected score (1,103 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (2,257 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 57.7% expected score (478 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.7% expected score (35 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (1,581 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.3% expected score (5,071 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (1,005 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 61.4% expected score (78 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (1,822 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (7,207 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (1,514 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 63.7% expected score (57 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.0% expected score (2,498 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (4,335 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (674 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (678 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 45.6% expected score (403 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (30 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 61.1% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line scores 53.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.1% and 54.0% — from 33K 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
- 33K+ 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 Variation, Cordel Line win rate?
Playing the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line, Black wins 50.9%, draws 5.1% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 33K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line perform best?
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line performs best for Black at 1000-1199, with an Expected Score of 59.9% (176 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.4% in Blitz (20K games) against 54.7% in Rapid (4.0K games).
How sharp is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line?
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line has a sharpness score of 94.9 (decisive), meaning 94.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 58.9%, draws 2.0% and loses 39.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.9%. It rests on 176 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 52.7%, draws 1.8% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 684 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 48.1%, draws 3.3% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 53.2%, draws 3.3% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 3.9K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 52.5%, draws 4.1% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 7.7K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 51.6%, draws 5.3% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 49.4%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 7.5K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 36.9%, draws 15.4% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 51.5%, draws 3.4% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 8.8K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 50.6%, draws 5.5% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 20K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 51.3%, draws 6.8% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.7%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 56.9%, draws 8.8% and loses 34.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.3%. It rests on 198 Lichess games.
Is the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line a good opening?
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 50.9% of its games and loses 43.9%. It performs best at 1000-1199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.