Source Lichess
White wins at least 1.0 more of every 100 games than it loses
how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident
At All Ratings, Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Steinitz Variation keeps White's wins running +1.0% ahead of its losses at worst, 90% confident, from 35K 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 | −1.8% | 49.2% | 3.8% | 47.0% | 1.6K |
| 1000-1199 | +0.9% | 50.4% | 3.7% | 45.9% | 2.1K |
| 1200-1399 | −7.1% | 46.2% | 3.5% | 50.3% | 3.1K |
| 1400-1599 | −5.4% | 47.1% | 2.8% | 50.0% | 4.3K |
| 1600-1799 | −2.2% | 48.1% | 3.8% | 48.1% | 5.7K |
| 1800-1999 | +0.9% | 49.3% | 4.3% | 46.4% | 7.2K |
| 2000-2199 | +4.3% | 50.6% | 5.1% | 44.3% | 6.1K |
| 2200-2499 | +0.0% | 48.6% | 5.5% | 45.9% | 3.8K |
| 2500+ | +10.6% | 55.3% | 7.0% | 37.7% | 538 |
At some ratings. White comes out ahead at 1000-1199, 1800-2199 and 2500+; 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 48.9% of Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Steinitz Variation games, draws 4.2% and loses 46.9%. That rests on 35K games from Lichess.
2500+. There White wins at least 10.6 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 −0.6% in Blitz (14K games) and −9.5% in Rapid (3.8K 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, 0-999 in Blitz and 0-999 in Rapid. In Classical, only 1400-1599 has enough games, and there the games do not show White coming out ahead.
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Steinitz Variation is extremely sharp: 4.2% of its games are drawn, so 95.8% end with a winner.
At 1000-1199, 1800-2199 and 2500+, 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 1000-1199, 1800-2199 and 2500+, 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 35K 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.