What is the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense expected score for White?
At all ratings, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 52.9% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.8% and 53.1%), based on 257K Lichess games.
257K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 52.9% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.8% and 53.1%), based on 257K Lichess games.
Improves with rating: 49% → 51%
Best in Classical (55%), worst in UltraBullet (48%)
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| 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
The Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.2%) win rate for white, based on 257K rated games from Lichess.
The Rat Defense: Balogh Defense performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 53.5% win rate for white (14K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Classical (55.3%) outperforms UltraBullet (48.2%) by 7.1%. Choose your time control wisely.
The Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.
At 0-999 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 48.6% (90% CI: 47.8%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.
At 1000-1199 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 51.3% (90% CI: 50.8%-51.9%) win rate for white, based on 22K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.
At 1200-1399 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.5%-51.4%) win rate for white, based on 29K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.2% draw rate.
At 1400-1599 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 51.3% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.7%) win rate for white, based on 36K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 50.3% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 47K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 50.3% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 60K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 52.9% (90% CI: 52.4%-53.3%) win rate for white, based on 33K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 53.5% (90% CI: 52.8%-54.2%) win rate for white, based on 14K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 51.2% (90% CI: 49.1%-53.2%) win rate for white, based on 1.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 6.0% draw rate.
In UltraBullet games, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 48.2% (90% CI: 44.6%-51.8%) win rate for white (510 Lichess games). Draw rate is 0.7%.
In Bullet games, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 50.4% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.7%) win rate for white (80K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.9%.
In Blitz games, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.7%-51.1%) win rate for white (140K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.1%.
In Rapid games, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 52.8% (90% CI: 52.4%-53.2%) win rate for white (35K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.5%.
In Classical games, the Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has a 55.3% (90% CI: 53.4%-57.2%) win rate for white (1.8K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.2%.
The Rat Defense: Balogh Defense is statistically favors white with a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.