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Analyzer

Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel

63K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel leaves Black at 43.6% — pick a better weapon.

The minimum advantage of -13.5% means this line underperforms at the selected level.

You play
Tough Sell
Rating
Time
Black Expected Score43.6%Based on 63K gamesWin + ½×draw — predicts rating gain better than win rate
40%43.6%55%
Range (90% confident): 43.3% – 43.9%
Min adv-13.5%
ContextAll ratings · All speeds · n=63K
Outcome Distribution
3...Nf4
Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel
Analyzen=63K
Avg Length32 moves
Sharpness97%
Draw Rate2.9%

Sharpness — share of games that end decisively

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 43.6% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 43.3% and 43.9%), based on 63K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 16.0% · Classical best · Bullet worst

Black Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 42% → 51%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 41.9% win rate (7,618 games)
  • 1000-1199: 40.4% win rate (8,875 games)
  • 1200-1399: 39.2% win rate (9,038 games)
  • 1400-1599: 41.5% win rate (10,573 games)
  • 1600-1799: 43.4% win rate (12,672 games)
  • 1800-1999: 44.6% win rate (9,639 games)
  • 2000-2199: 43.1% win rate (3,224 games)
  • 2200-2499: 47.0% win rate (982 games)
  • 2500+: 51.3% win rate (169 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (56%), worst in Classical (30%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 55.6% win rate (66 games)
  • Bullet: 48.1% win rate (17,708 games)
  • Blitz: 41.5% win rate (31,373 games)
  • Rapid: 36.0% win rate (12,970 games)
  • Classical: 29.9% win rate (673 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter — click it again to clear. 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: 50.4% expected score (1,969 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 42.3% expected score (3,714 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 39.5% expected score (1,917 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 44.9% expected score (18 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (2,012 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 41.4% expected score (4,499 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 35.4% expected score (2,298 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 29.7% expected score (60 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 53.0% expected score (15 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (1,984 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 40.3% expected score (4,623 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 36.0% expected score (2,281 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 31.0% expected score (135 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 55.7% expected score (16 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (2,352 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 43.1% expected score (5,772 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 36.3% expected score (2,167 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 29.7% expected score (266 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 59.1% expected score (15 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (3,148 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 44.5% expected score (7,156 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 40.5% expected score (2,206 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 37.9% expected score (147 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.6% expected score (13 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (3,494 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (4,310 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (1,786 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 22.0% expected score (36 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (1,747 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 43.4% expected score (1,169 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 37.4% expected score (297 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 41.3% expected score (10 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (840 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (124 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (17 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (162 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Alekhine Defense
50.7%
Variations (5)
Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation
47.1%
Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation
49.0%
Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation
49.9%
Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation
47.4%
Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Geschev Gambit
47.6%
Analyze Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel PositionsGet move-by-move win rates at your level with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate?

The Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 54.9% (90% CI: 54.6%-55.3%) win rate for white, based on 63K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel perform best?

The Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel performs best at 1200-1399 Elo with a 58.1% win rate for white (9.0K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (66.3%) outperforms UltraBullet (43.7%) by 22.6%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel?

The Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a sharpness score of 97.1 (very decisive), meaning 97.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 54.6% (90% CI: 53.6%-55.5%) win rate for white, based on 7.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 57.0% (90% CI: 56.2%-57.9%) win rate for white, based on 8.9K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 58.1% (90% CI: 57.3%-59.0%) win rate for white, based on 9.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 55.9% (90% CI: 55.1%-56.7%) win rate for white, based on 11K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 53.8% (90% CI: 53.1%-54.5%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 2.8% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 52.0% (90% CI: 51.2%-52.8%) win rate for white, based on 9.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 53.2% (90% CI: 51.8%-54.7%) win rate for white, based on 3.2K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 49.6% (90% CI: 46.9%-52.2%) win rate for white, based on 982 Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 46.0% (90% CI: 39.8%-52.3%) win rate for white, based on 169 Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 50.3% (90% CI: 49.7%-50.9%) win rate for white (18K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.6%.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 55.2% (90% CI: 54.8%-55.7%) win rate for white (31K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.2%.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 60.0% (90% CI: 59.3%-60.7%) win rate for white (13K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.0%.

What is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel has a 66.3% (90% CI: 63.3%-69.3%) win rate for white (673 Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.8%.

Is the Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel a good opening?

The Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel is statistically favors white with a 54.9% (90% CI: 54.6%-55.3%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1200-1399 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.