Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit
9.1K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
37.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 38.4%.
Measured over 9.1K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 2.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 9.1K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 9.1K
- Best context
- 54.2% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 24.0% at 1600-1799 Blitz
- Average game length
- 23 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.5%
- Draws
- 2.5%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 19.4% at 0-999, 47.7% 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: 31.1% expected score (17 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 8.7% expected score (30 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 18.5% expected score (8 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 14.5% expected score (45 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 13.6% expected score (107 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 9.4% expected score (28 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 21.0% expected score (119 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 14.5% expected score (232 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 8.1% expected score (63 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 19.1% expected score (188 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 17.7% expected score (368 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 11.6% expected score (177 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 15.2% expected score (10 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 26.6% expected score (278 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 24.0% expected score (636 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 16.2% expected score (201 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 13.0% expected score (12 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 29.0% expected score (329 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 37.4% expected score (1,152 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 23.4% expected score (239 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 7.1% expected score (9 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (615 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (1,524 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 23.3% expected score (152 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 41.0% expected score (526 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (1,705 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 34.1% expected score (52 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (153 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (82 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit scores 37.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 36.7% and 38.4% — from 9.1K 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
- 9.1K+ 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 Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate?
Playing the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit, Black wins 36.3%, draws 2.5% and loses 61.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 37.5%. It rests on 9.1K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit perform best?
The Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 50.7% (2.3K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 41.3% in Blitz (5.8K games) against 18.4% in Rapid (922 games).
How sharp is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit?
The Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit has a sharpness score of 97.5 (very decisive), meaning 97.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 23 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 12.3%, draws 0.3% and loses 87.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 12.5%. It rests on 181 Lichess games, which average 13 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 14.2%, draws 1.6% and loses 84.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 15.0%. It rests on 417 Lichess games, which average 15 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 15.9%, draws 0.9% and loses 83.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 16.4%. It rests on 743 Lichess games, which average 15 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 22.3%, draws 1.4% and loses 76.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 23.0%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 18 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 32.9%, draws 1.4% and loses 65.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 33.6%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 20 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.9%, draws 2.3% and loses 51.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 48.3%, draws 4.9% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 43.8%, draws 5.2% and loses 50.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.5%. It rests on 237 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 35.4%, draws 1.7% and loses 63.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.2%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 39.8%, draws 3.0% and loses 57.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.3%. It rests on 5.8K Lichess games.
What is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 17.6%, draws 1.5% and loses 80.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 18.4%. It rests on 922 Lichess games.
Is the Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit a good opening?
The Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 36.3% of its games and loses 61.3%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.