Source Lichess
White wins at least 0.1 more of every 100 games than it loses
how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident
At All Ratings, Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Cortlever Gambit keeps White's wins running +0.1% ahead of its losses at worst, 90% confident, from 18K Lichess games. This gambit is playable but marginal. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
| Rating | Edge at worst | White Win | Draw | White Loss | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | −17.5% | 47.9% | 2.3% | 49.8% | 108 |
| 1000-1199 | −2.8% | 51.1% | 2.3% | 46.6% | 508 |
| 1200-1399 | −6.2% | 48.2% | 1.8% | 49.9% | 1.3K |
| 1400-1599 | −1.7% | 49.6% | 2.3% | 48.1% | 2.7K |
| 1600-1799 | −3.2% | 48.4% | 2.6% | 49.0% | 4.2K |
| 1800-1999 | −2.5% | 48.6% | 2.8% | 48.6% | 4.3K |
| 2000-2199 | +2.8% | 51.0% | 3.6% | 45.4% | 3.5K |
| 2200-2499 | −1.9% | 49.5% | 3.5% | 47.0% | 1.4K |
| 2500+ | −15.1% | 43.6% | 9.3% | 47.1% | 197 |
At some ratings. White comes out ahead at 2000-2199; at the other ratings we can see, the games do not show it paying. Where it pays changes with the clock, so set yours above and look again.
White wins 49.2% of Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Cortlever Gambit games, draws 2.9% and loses 47.9%. That rests on 18K games from Lichess.
2000-2199. There White wins at least 2.8 more of every 100 games than it loses (90% confident), its highest Edge at worst.
Blitz. For White, the Edge at worst — how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident — is −1.0% in Blitz (9.6K games) and −3.5% in Rapid (2.9K games). In neither do the games show White winning more than losing.
Yes. The first rating where the games do not show White coming out ahead is 0-999 in Bullet, 1000-1199 in Blitz and 1000-1199 in Rapid. In Classical, only 1600-1799 has enough games, and there the games do not show White coming out ahead.
The Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Cortlever Gambit is extremely sharp: 2.9% of its games are drawn, so 97.1% end with a winner.
At 2000-2199, where White comes out ahead. At the other ratings we can see, the games do not show it paying. Where it pays changes with the clock, so set yours above and look again.
As Black, take the material, then develop fast, castle early, and trade pieces. Give the material back when doing so kills the attack. At 2000-2199, White still comes out ahead in these games; at the other ratings we can see, the games do not show the gambit paying.
This rests on 18K games from Lichess. Every figure carries the range it is in, 90% confident, and the table above shows how many games sit behind each rating and each clock — the fewer there are, the wider that range.