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King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening

517K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · All ratings · All speeds

50.5%

45%55%
Floor50.3%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.6%.

Measured over 517K games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for White

Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 517K games

Rank among the families White can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
517K
Best context
56.0% at 2200-2499 Blitz
Worst context
48.2% at 1600-1799 Bullet
Average game length
34 moves
Games that end decisively
96.1%
Draws
3.9%

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

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 8.3% · Classical best · UltraBullet worst

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: 40.1% at 0-999, 47.0% at 2500+.

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: 18.3% expected score (19 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (5,600 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (27,553 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (10,438 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 33.7% expected score (81 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 40.7% expected score (47 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (9,600 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (54,778 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (27,601 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 53.9% expected score (516 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 46.3% expected score (52 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (15,129 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.8% expected score (65,541 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (43,868 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 52.6% expected score (2,295 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 45.6% expected score (55 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (17,060 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (62,707 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (38,862 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.0% expected score (4,880 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 40.4% expected score (14 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (8,523 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (43,248 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (30,548 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.4% expected score (3,542 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (7,261 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (19,747 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (5,755 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.6% expected score (270 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (3,818 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (5,226 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (595 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (599 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (775 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 59.2% expected score (96 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (367 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.8% expected score (339 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 33.8% expected score (17 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (10 games)

Related Openings

Parent
King's Pawn Game
47.9%
Variations (5)
King's Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation
48.7%
King's Pawn Game: Wayward Queen Attack
51.8%
King's Pawn Game: Busch-Gass Gambit
50.9%
King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense
50.0%
King's Pawn Game: Napoleon Attack
50.5%
Analyze King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening scores 50.5% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.3% and 50.6% — from 517K 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
517K+ 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 Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate?

Playing the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening, White wins 48.5%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 517K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening perform best?

The King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 53.0% (1.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 50.6% in Blitz (280K games) against 50.4% in Rapid (158K games).

How sharp is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening?

The King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, White wins 47.9%, draws 3.9% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, White wins 49.0%, draws 3.5% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.8%. It rests on 93K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, White wins 48.8%, draws 3.7% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 127K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 124K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, White wins 48.1%, draws 4.2% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 86K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, White wins 48.2%, draws 4.1% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 33K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, White wins 48.1%, draws 4.7% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 9.7K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, White wins 49.5%, draws 7.0% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, White wins 36.4%, draws 30.4% and loses 33.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 733 Lichess games, which average 47 moves.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, White wins 41.0%, draws 0.7% and loses 58.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.4%. It rests on 202 Lichess games.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, White wins 48.3%, draws 2.4% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 68K Lichess games.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, White wins 48.6%, draws 4.0% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 280K Lichess games.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, White wins 48.2%, draws 4.4% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 158K Lichess games.

What is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening win rate in Classical?

In Classical, White wins 49.3%, draws 4.6% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 12K Lichess games.

Is the King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening a good opening?

The King's Pawn Game: Mengarini's Opening is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.5% of its games and loses 47.6%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.