English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System
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Statistics from Lichess
418,438 games: White 48.2% / Draw 6.8% / Black 45.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 149,952150K | ||
| 117,638118K | ||
| 64,07264K | ||
| 59,59060K | ||
| 10,05510K | ||
| 5,1135,113 | ||
| 3,0763,076 | ||
| 2,4702,470 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... a6 6. a4 d6 7. d3 Nf6 8. Nge2 Rb8 9. O-O O-O 10. h3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 14K | |
| 1400–1799 | 70K | |
| 1800–2199 | 249K | |
| 2200 and up | 121K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,236 |
Master games
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Anand, V.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Wojtaszek, R.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Gelfand, B.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Radjabov, T.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Wojtaszek, R.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System (ECO A36, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, reached after 1. c4 c5 2. e4 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 (5 moves).
In 418,438 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.2%, Black 45.0% and 6.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d6, in 36% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System
5…e6 scores best for Black: 49.6%, with Black winning 46.1% and White 47.0% of 118K games. The most played, 5…d6, scores 49.1% in 150K games, and 5…e5 scores lowest: 45.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…a6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System has gained ground since 2016: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.01%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.01% | 3,706 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,554 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 10,861 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 19,179 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 51,378 |
| 2021 | 0.016% | 64,495 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 60,659 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 59,123 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 57,508 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 57,928 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.018% | 19,875 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System (A36)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-symmetrical-variation-botvinnik-system