Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit
58K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 56.1%.
Measured over 58K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 58K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 58K
- Best context
- 59.2% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 48.2% at 1200-1399 Blitz
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.9%
- Draws
- 4.1%
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 · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 54.2%.
| 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: 57.5% expected score (85 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (204 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 55.1% expected score (68 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (211 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (404 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (127 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (416 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (656 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (175 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (803 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (992 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (242 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.2% expected score (16 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 56.3% expected score (1,375 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (1,526 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (295 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 71.1% expected score (27 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (3,300 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.5% expected score (5,412 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (427 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.8% expected score (40 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (6,407 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (12,108 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 58.4% expected score (742 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 60.3% expected score (47 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 58.3% expected score (8,371 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.1% expected score (9,846 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 57.9% expected score (687 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 59.2% expected score (2,177 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (420 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit scores 55.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.4% and 56.1% — from 58K 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
- 58K+ 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 Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate?
Playing the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit, White wins 53.7%, draws 4.1% and loses 42.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 58K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit perform best?
The Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 58.5% (2.6K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 55.1% in Blitz (32K games) against 55.8% in Rapid (2.8K games).
How sharp is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit?
The Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit has a sharpness score of 95.9 (very decisive), meaning 95.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 51.5%, draws 2.6% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 357 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 50.0%, draws 2.9% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 745 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 48.3%, draws 2.4% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.2%, draws 3.1% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.7%, draws 3.0% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 53.9%, draws 3.2% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.5%. It rests on 9.2K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 53.8%, draws 3.9% and loses 42.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 19K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 54.1%, draws 4.9% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.6%. It rests on 19K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 55.7%, draws 5.6% and loses 38.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.5%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 55.1%, draws 3.0% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.6%. It rests on 23K Lichess games.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.8%, draws 4.7% and loses 42.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.1%. It rests on 32K Lichess games.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 52.8%, draws 5.9% and loses 41.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 52.6%, draws 8.6% and loses 38.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.9%. It rests on 144 Lichess games.
Is the Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit a good opening?
The Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 53.7% of its games and loses 42.2%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.