Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation

11K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Tough Sell
White Expected Score47.4%Range (90% confident): 46.6% – 48.2%Based on 11K games
0%47.4%100%
Range (90% confident): 46.6% – 48.2%
Outcome Distribution
45.7%3.4%50.9%
Win
Draw
Loss
4...Nf6
Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation
Analyzen=11K
Avg Length29 moves
Sharpness97%
Draw Rate3.4%

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 47.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 46.6% and 48.2%), based on 11K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 45% → 52%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 44.6% win rate (515 games)
  • 1000-1199: 48.9% win rate (1,046 games)
  • 1200-1399: 47.2% win rate (1,465 games)
  • 1400-1599: 47.4% win rate (1,595 games)
  • 1600-1799: 44.8% win rate (1,564 games)
  • 1800-1999: 45.5% win rate (1,956 games)
  • 2000-2199: 43.2% win rate (1,596 games)
  • 2200-2499: 42.5% win rate (904 games)
  • 2500+: 51.8% win rate (125 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (49%), worst in Rapid (44%)

Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • Bullet: 45.3% win rate (1,872 games)
  • Blitz: 46.4% win rate (5,747 games)
  • Rapid: 44.3% win rate (3,001 games)
  • Classical: 48.5% win rate (146 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

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, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (90 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 45.6% expected score (305 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (118 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (123 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (561 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.2% expected score (357 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.8% expected score (175 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (691 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (588 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 42.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (185 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (781 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (559 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 54.2% expected score (70 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (221 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (790 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.1% expected score (522 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 53.1% expected score (31 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (348 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (1,113 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (478 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 33.8% expected score (17 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (326 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 44.5% expected score (1,003 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (260 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 41.5% expected score (317 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 43.3% expected score (469 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (115 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 72.3% expected score (3 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (87 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (34 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 77.3% expected score (4 games)

Related Openings

Analyze Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate?

The Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 45.7% (90% CI: 44.9%-46.5%) win rate for white, based on 11K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation perform best?

The Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 48.9% win rate for white (1.0K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Blitz (46.4%) outperforms Classical (48.5%) by -2.1%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation?

The Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a sharpness score of 96.6 (very decisive), meaning 96.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 29 moves.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 44.6% (90% CI: 41.0%-48.2%) win rate for white, based on 515 Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 46.4%-51.5%) win rate for white, based on 1.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 2.1% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 47.2% (90% CI: 45.0%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 1.5K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 2.8% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 47.4% (90% CI: 45.3%-49.4%) win rate for white, based on 1.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 44.8% (90% CI: 42.7%-46.9%) win rate for white, based on 1.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 3.2% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 45.5% (90% CI: 43.7%-47.4%) win rate for white, based on 2.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 4.6% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 43.2% (90% CI: 41.1%-45.2%) win rate for white, based on 1.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 42.5% (90% CI: 39.8%-45.2%) win rate for white, based on 904 Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 4.0% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 51.8% (90% CI: 44.5%-59.0%) win rate for white, based on 125 Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 6.7% draw rate.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 45.3% (90% CI: 43.5%-47.2%) win rate for white (1.9K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.2%.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 46.4% (90% CI: 45.3%-47.5%) win rate for white (5.7K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.6%.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 44.3% (90% CI: 42.9%-45.8%) win rate for white (3.0K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.0%.

What is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation has a 48.5% (90% CI: 41.7%-55.2%) win rate for white (146 Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.1%.

Is the Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation a good opening?

The Ponziani Opening: Leonhardt Variation is slightly favors black with a 45.7% (90% CI: 44.9%-46.5%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1000-1199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.