King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation
11K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
67.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 68.6%.
Measured over 11K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 2.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 11K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 11K
- Best context
- 74.1% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 63.4% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Average game length
- 26 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.9%
- Draws
- 2.1%
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: 66.7% at 0-999, 69.9% at 2500+.
| 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, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (23 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 72.9% expected score (16 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 88.5% expected score (5 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 56.8% expected score (79 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 78.4% expected score (76 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 87.8% expected score (25 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 67.4% expected score (214 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 68.3% expected score (470 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 86.4% expected score (85 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 91.2% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 63.4% expected score (512 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 66.7% expected score (1,816 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 76.7% expected score (283 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 85.9% expected score (18 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 66.2% expected score (788 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 66.0% expected score (2,969 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 74.1% expected score (678 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 87.8% expected score (21 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 60.0% expected score (371 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 68.4% expected score (1,586 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 77.2% expected score (393 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 68.6% expected score (125 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 65.9% expected score (216 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 63.8% expected score (60 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation scores 67.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 67.1% and 68.6% — from 11K 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
- 11K+ 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 King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate?
Playing the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation, Black wins 66.8%, draws 2.1% and loses 31.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 67.9%. It rests on 11K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation perform best?
The King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 70.4% (776 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 67.0% in Blitz (7.2K games) against 76.1% in Rapid (1.5K games).
How sharp is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation?
The King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation has a sharpness score of 97.9 (very decisive), meaning 97.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 26 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 70.2%, draws 0.8% and loses 28.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 70.7%. It rests on 180 Lichess games, which average 20 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 69.6%, draws 1.5% and loses 28.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 70.4%. It rests on 776 Lichess games, which average 23 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 66.4%, draws 1.9% and loses 31.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 67.3%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 66.3%, draws 2.0% and loses 31.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 67.4%. It rests on 4.5K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 67.2%, draws 2.8% and loses 30.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 68.6%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 65.1%, draws 2.6% and loses 32.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 66.4%. It rests on 402 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 63.2%, draws 1.7% and loses 35.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 64.1%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 65.9%, draws 2.3% and loses 31.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 67.0%. It rests on 7.2K Lichess games.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 75.1%, draws 1.9% and loses 23.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 76.1%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games.
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation a good opening?
The King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 66.8% of its games and loses 31.1%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.