King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack
839K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.0%.
Measured over 839K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 839K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 839K
- Best context
- 59.4% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 47.2% at 0-999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.3%
- Draws
- 3.7%
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: 50.8% at 0-999, 58.1% 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, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (1,169 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.0% expected score (786 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 58.8% expected score (135 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (23 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (5,512 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (3,705 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (584 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 61.8% expected score (7 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 46.2% expected score (38 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (15,921 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (12,201 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (1,831 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (38 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 49.5% expected score (180 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (31,739 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (38,548 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (6,291 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 60.6% expected score (234 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (110 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (56,806 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (96,471 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (15,709 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.3% expected score (671 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (22 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (80,482 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (163,476 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (29,835 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.0% expected score (1,176 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 60.3% expected score (18 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (74,775 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (101,190 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (18,858 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.0% expected score (321 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (45,379 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (24,808 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (2,833 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 68.9% expected score (25 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (5,678 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.4% expected score (962 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 61.1% expected score (57 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack scores 51.9% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.8% and 52.0% — from 839K 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
- 839K+ 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 King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate?
Playing the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 839K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack perform best?
The King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 54.8% (6.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.2% in Blitz (442K games) against 52.3% in Rapid (76K games).
How sharp is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack?
The King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack has a sharpness score of 96.3 (very decisive), meaning 96.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 47.6%, draws 1.3% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 49.6%, draws 2.0% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 9.8K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 50.3%, draws 2.1% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 30K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 50.4%, draws 2.6% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 77K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 50.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 170K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 49.7%, draws 3.9% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 275K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.8%, draws 4.4% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 195K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 50.3%, draws 4.8% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 73K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 51.6%, draws 6.2% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 6.7K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 50.4%, draws 0.6% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.8%. It rests on 392 Lichess games.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.0%, draws 2.7% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 317K Lichess games.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.0%, draws 4.3% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 442K Lichess games.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.8%, draws 5.0% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 76K Lichess games.
What is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 50.1%, draws 6.3% and loses 43.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games.
Is the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack a good opening?
The King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 50.0% of its games and loses 46.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.