Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack
424K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.7%.
Measured over 424K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 424K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 424K
- Best context
- 57.4% at 0-999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 49.8% at 0-999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.1%
- Draws
- 4.9%
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 · 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 gets better as the rating rises: 46.1% at 0-999, 64.8% 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, UltraBullet: 16.7% expected score (21 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (1,579 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (3,269 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 57.4% expected score (1,856 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 46.4% expected score (26 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (2,959 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (3,300 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (1,725 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (53 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 55.7% expected score (87 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (6,178 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (4,687 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 56.1% expected score (1,395 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (81 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 54.4% expected score (157 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (11,549 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (7,909 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.1% expected score (1,524 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 58.9% expected score (128 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 54.5% expected score (267 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (20,334 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (13,459 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (1,910 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.4% expected score (158 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 59.0% expected score (155 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (35,052 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (32,136 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (2,843 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.0% expected score (173 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.6% expected score (75 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (48,780 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (59,959 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (3,563 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.5% expected score (118 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 76.0% expected score (35 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.5% expected score (73,787 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (44,613 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.4% expected score (2,251 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (26 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 88.5% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.3% expected score (31,673 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (3,656 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.3% expected score (71 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.5% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.4% and 53.7% — from 424K 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
- 424K+ 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 before we will say where it stops working. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate?
The Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.5% (range, 90% confident: 53.4% – 53.7%) for White, based on 424K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack perform best?
The Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack performs best at 2500+, where it scores 55.5% for White (35K games). It tends to score less at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, Rapid (55.3%) outperforms Classical (53.4%). Choose your time control wisely.
How sharp is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack?
The Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack has a sharpness score of 95.1 (very decisive), meaning 95.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.5% (range, 90% confident: 52.5% – 54.5%) for White, based on 6.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.8% (range, 90% confident: 52.8% – 54.7%) for White, based on 8.1K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.4% (range, 90% confident: 52.7% – 54.2%) for White, based on 12K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.2% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 52.5% (range, 90% confident: 51.9% – 53.1%) for White, based on 21K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 51.3% (range, 90% confident: 50.9% – 51.7%) for White, based on 36K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 52.4% (range, 90% confident: 52.1% – 52.7%) for White, based on 70K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.3% (range, 90% confident: 53.0% – 53.5%) for White, based on 112K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 5.1% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 54.7% (range, 90% confident: 54.4% – 54.9%) for White, based on 121K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 5.7% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 55.5% (range, 90% confident: 55.0% – 55.9%) for White, based on 35K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 6.4% draw rate.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet games, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 55.5% (range, 90% confident: 52.6% – 58.3%) for White (828 Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.5%.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet games, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.5% (range, 90% confident: 53.3% – 53.7%) for White (232K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.9%.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz games, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.4% (range, 90% confident: 53.2% – 53.6%) for White (173K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.1%.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid games, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 55.3% (range, 90% confident: 54.6% – 55.9%) for White (17K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.9%.
What is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical games, the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack scores 53.4% (range, 90% confident: 50.4% – 56.4%) for White (752 Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.8%.
Is the Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack a good opening?
The Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack is good for White with a 51.0% (range, 90% confident: 50.9% – 51.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.