Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation
864 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
44.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.0%.
Measured over 864 games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 864 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 864
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 27 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.4%
- Draws
- 3.6%
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 · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 33.7% at 0-999, 53.0% at 2000-2199.
| 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: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 23.2% expected score (32 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (54 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 37.1% expected score (41 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 39.7% expected score (42 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (85 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (35 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 39.4% expected score (36 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 41.3% expected score (131 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 32.8% expected score (45 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (23 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (102 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.8% expected score (55 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 17.8% expected score (14 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 59.9% expected score (59 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.4% expected score (34 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (29 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (23 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation scores 44.2% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 41.4% and 47.0% — from 864 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
- 864+ 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 Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate?
Playing the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation, Black wins 42.3%, draws 3.6% and loses 54.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 864 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation perform best?
The Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 49.8% (186 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 47.8% in Blitz (462 games) against 43.9% in Rapid (236 games).
How sharp is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation?
The Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation has a sharpness score of 96.4 (very decisive), meaning 96.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 27 moves.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 34.4%, draws 3.5% and loses 62.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.1%. It rests on 128 Lichess games, which average 22 moves.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 43.1%, draws 7.0% and loses 49.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 162 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 37.8%, draws 2.6% and loses 59.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 39.1%. It rests on 214 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 48.3%, draws 2.9% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 186 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 47.5%, draws 3.2% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 109 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 34.2%, draws 1.0% and loses 64.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.7%. It rests on 155 Lichess games.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.4%, draws 4.6% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 462 Lichess games.
What is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 41.9%, draws 4.0% and loses 54.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.9%. It rests on 236 Lichess games.
Is the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation a good opening?
The Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 42.3% of its games and loses 54.0%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.