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Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation

43K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
White Expected Score49.4%Range (90% confident): 49.0% – 49.8%Based on 43K games
0%49.4%100%
Range (90% confident): 49.0% – 49.8%
Outcome Distribution
47.5%3.8%48.8%
Win
Draw
Loss
4.b3
Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation
Analyzen=43K
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate3.8%

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 49.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 49.0% and 49.8%), based on 43K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 45% → 55%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 44.7% win rate (784 games)
  • 1000-1199: 46.9% win rate (1,913 games)
  • 1200-1399: 47.1% win rate (3,988 games)
  • 1400-1599: 47.7% win rate (7,238 games)
  • 1600-1799: 46.3% win rate (9,926 games)
  • 1800-1999: 46.1% win rate (8,952 games)
  • 2000-2199: 49.3% win rate (6,508 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.3% win rate (3,531 games)
  • 2500+: 55.1% win rate (471 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Similar across time controls (~48%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 47.5% win rate (29 games)
  • Bullet: 47.7% win rate (16,413 games)
  • Blitz: 47.4% win rate (22,833 games)
  • Rapid: 46.9% win rate (3,889 games)
  • Classical: 46.1% win rate (147 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 43.6% expected score (254 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (424 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (105 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (721 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (952 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (234 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (1,529 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.1% expected score (2,121 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (325 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 41.3% expected score (10 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (2,762 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (3,781 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (661 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 46.8% expected score (30 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (20 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (3,118 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (5,548 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (1,180 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (60 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (2,843 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (5,041 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (1,031 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 34.0% expected score (36 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (3,106 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (3,086 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (311 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (1,754 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (1,735 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (42 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 59.5% expected score (326 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.2% expected score (145 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Alekhine Defense
50.7%
Variations (5)
Alekhine Defense: Balogh Variation
48.3%
Alekhine Defense: Brooklyn Variation
50.9%
Alekhine Defense: Brooklyn Variation, Everglades Variation
53.3%
Alekhine Defense: Buckley Attack
49.7%
Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation
47.4%
Analyze Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate?

The Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 47.5% (90% CI: 47.1%-47.9%) win rate for white, based on 43K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation perform best?

The Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 55.1% win rate for white (471 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (47.7%) outperforms Classical (46.1%) by 1.6%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation?

The Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 44.7% (90% CI: 41.8%-47.7%) win rate for white, based on 784 Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 46.9% (90% CI: 45.0%-48.8%) win rate for white, based on 1.9K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 45.8%-48.4%) win rate for white, based on 4.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 2.4% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 47.7% (90% CI: 46.8%-48.7%) win rate for white, based on 7.2K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 46.3% (90% CI: 45.5%-47.1%) win rate for white, based on 9.9K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 46.1% (90% CI: 45.3%-47.0%) win rate for white, based on 9.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 49.3% (90% CI: 48.3%-50.4%) win rate for white, based on 6.5K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.7% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 50.3% (90% CI: 48.9%-51.7%) win rate for white, based on 3.5K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 55.1% (90% CI: 51.4%-58.9%) win rate for white, based on 471 Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 7.3% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 47.7% (90% CI: 47.0%-48.3%) win rate for white (16K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.3%.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 47.4% (90% CI: 46.9%-47.9%) win rate for white (23K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.7%.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 46.9% (90% CI: 45.6%-48.3%) win rate for white (3.9K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.9%.

What is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation has a 46.1% (90% CI: 39.4%-52.9%) win rate for white (147 Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.7%.

Is the Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation a good opening?

The Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation is statistically balanced with a 47.5% (90% CI: 47.1%-47.9%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.