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Owen Defense: Smith Gambit

988K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
White Expected Score50.6%Range (90% confident): 50.5% – 50.6%Based on 988K games
0%50.6%100%
Range (90% confident): 50.5% – 50.6%
Outcome Distribution
49.1%2.9%48.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
3.Nf3
Owen Defense: Smith Gambit
Analyzen=988K
Avg Length32 moves
Sharpness97%
Draw Rate2.9%

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 50.6% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 50.5% and 50.6%), based on 988K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Gambit BreakpointWhite

Peak: +3.8% · Breakpoint: 0-999

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 47% → 51%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 47.1% win rate (42,360 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.0% win rate (90,738 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.0% win rate (162,700 games)
  • 1400-1599: 48.5% win rate (235,898 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.3% win rate (232,828 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.5% win rate (148,253 games)
  • 2000-2199: 50.2% win rate (56,475 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.5% win rate (16,961 games)
  • 2500+: 50.8% win rate (1,814 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (50%), worst in Classical (44%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 47.3% win rate (8,752 games)
  • Bullet: 49.5% win rate (575,014 games)
  • Blitz: 48.7% win rate (344,014 games)
  • Rapid: 47.0% win rate (59,158 games)
  • Classical: 43.9% win rate (1,089 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. 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, UltraBullet: 45.1% expected score (222 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (20,723 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (17,639 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (3,754 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 41.5% expected score (22 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.2% expected score (740 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (48,280 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (35,046 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (6,595 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 43.0% expected score (77 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 45.6% expected score (1,499 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (90,136 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (60,325 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.9% expected score (10,547 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.2% expected score (193 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 45.1% expected score (2,051 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (128,391 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (89,635 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.7% expected score (15,469 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 42.5% expected score (352 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.1% expected score (1,896 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (129,582 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (86,990 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (14,042 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.3% expected score (318 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.5% expected score (1,285 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (95,016 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (44,464 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.7% expected score (7,374 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (114 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 52.6% expected score (736 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (45,517 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (8,910 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (1,299 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (13 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 53.0% expected score (314 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (15,605 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (965 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 59.6% expected score (77 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 31.0% expected score (9 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (1,764 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (40 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Owen Defense
49.8%
Variations (5)
Owen Defense: Guatemala Defense
50.9%
Owen Defense: Hekili-Loa Gambit
52.9%
Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit
61.3%
Owen Defense: Naselwaus Gambit
56.5%
Owen Defense: Unicorn Variation
58.9%
Analyze Owen Defense: Smith Gambit PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate?

The Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 49.1% (90% CI: 49.0%-49.1%) win rate for white, based on 988K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit perform best?

The Owen Defense: Smith Gambit performs best at 2000-2199 Elo with a 50.2% win rate for white (56K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (49.5%) outperforms Classical (43.9%) by 5.6%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit?

The Owen Defense: Smith Gambit 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 Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 47.1% (90% CI: 46.7%-47.5%) win rate for white, based on 42K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.5% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.8%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 91K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.8%-49.2%) win rate for white, based on 163K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.4% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.7%) win rate for white, based on 236K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 49.3% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.4%) win rate for white, based on 233K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.1% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.3%-49.7%) win rate for white, based on 148K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 50.2% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.6%) win rate for white, based on 56K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.0% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 50.5% (90% CI: 49.9%-51.2%) win rate for white, based on 17K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 50.8% (90% CI: 48.9%-52.7%) win rate for white, based on 1.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 40 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 47.3% (90% CI: 46.4%-48.1%) win rate for white (8.8K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.4%.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.6%) win rate for white (575K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.5%.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.6%-48.9%) win rate for white (344K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.6%.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 47.0% (90% CI: 46.7%-47.3%) win rate for white (59K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.8%.

What is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit has a 43.9% (90% CI: 41.4%-46.4%) win rate for white (1.1K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.5%.

Is the Owen Defense: Smith Gambit a good opening?

The Owen Defense: Smith Gambit is statistically balanced with a 49.1% (90% CI: 49.0%-49.1%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2000-2199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.