Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation
7.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.6%.
Measured over 7.3K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 8.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 7.3K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 7.3K
- Best context
- 53.2% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.8% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 91.4%
- Draws
- 8.6%
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.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 40.0% at 0-999, 61.6% 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: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 77.3% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 43.3% expected score (21 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 37.7% expected score (27 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 35.5% expected score (78 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (111 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 45.1% expected score (39 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.6% expected score (212 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (369 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 43.5% expected score (67 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (272 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (1,051 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (299 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (29 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (396 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (1,572 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (377 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 39.1% expected score (35 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (546 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (1,026 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 47.1% expected score (240 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 61.1% expected score (12 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.5% expected score (223 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 62.2% expected score (187 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 68.6% expected score (39 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 59.1% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation scores 49.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.7% and 50.6% — from 7.3K 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
- 7.3K+ 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 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate?
Playing the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, White wins 45.3%, draws 8.6% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 7.3K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation perform best?
The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 60.1% (453 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 49.9% in Blitz (4.3K games) against 48.1% in Rapid (1.1K games).
How sharp is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation?
The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation has a sharpness score of 91.4 (decisive), meaning 91.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 39.9%, draws 7.2% and loses 52.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.5%. It rests on 228 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 45.6%, draws 6.5% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 657 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 46.8%, draws 6.3% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 42.9%, draws 8.5% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 46.7%, draws 9.2% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 50.1%, draws 19.9% and loses 30.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.1%. It rests on 453 Lichess games, which average 52 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 46.2%, draws 7.3% and loses 46.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 45.7%, draws 8.5% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 42.8%, draws 10.5% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation a good opening?
The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 45.3% of its games and loses 46.1%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.