Ware Opening: Wing Gambit
300 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
40.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 45.4%.
Measured over 300 games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 7.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 300 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 300
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.5%
- Draws
- 7.5%
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.
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 falls away as the rating rises: 54.2% at 0-999, 50.0% 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: 71.8% expected score (10 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 37.7% expected score (27 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 53.1% expected score (15 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (21 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 40.3% expected score (14 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 38.9% expected score (12 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 26.8% expected score (20 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (18 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 42.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 65.8% expected score (8 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 21.0% expected score (14 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 29.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 42.7% expected score (19 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 23.2% expected score (19 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 36.5% expected score (17 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 37.1% expected score (14 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit scores 40.7% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 36.2% and 45.4% — from 300 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
- 300+ 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 Ware Opening: Wing Gambit win rate?
Playing the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit, Black wins 37.0%, draws 7.5% and loses 55.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.7%. It rests on 300 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit perform best?
The Ware Opening: Wing Gambit performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 49.1% (52 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 37.8% in Blitz (121 games) against 44.1% in Rapid (58 games).
How sharp is the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit?
The Ware Opening: Wing Gambit has a sharpness score of 92.5 (decisive), meaning 92.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 40.4%, draws 4.7% and loses 54.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.8%. It rests on 116 Lichess games.
What is the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 34.7%, draws 6.1% and loses 59.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 37.8%. It rests on 121 Lichess games.
Is the Ware Opening: Wing Gambit a good opening?
The Ware Opening: Wing Gambit is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 37.0% of its games and loses 55.6%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.