Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line
3.4K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.7%.
Measured over 3.4K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 32.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 3.4K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 3.4K
- Best context
- 55.0% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 54.9% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 50 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 67.2%
- Draws
- 32.8%
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 · 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 falls away as the rating rises: 70.0% at 1000-1199, 55.5% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (10 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 65.8% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 45.7% expected score (10 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (40 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (100 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 35.4% expected score (19 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 40.9% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 56.3% expected score (101 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (427 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (93 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.6% expected score (14 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (205 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (894 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.3% expected score (141 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 46.3% expected score (12 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (867 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.4% expected score (326 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.3% expected score (109 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 53.3% expected score (14 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line scores 54.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.1% and 55.7% — from 3.4K 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
- 3.4K+ 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, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line, White wins 38.0%, draws 32.8% and loses 29.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 3.4K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line perform best?
The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.5% (1.3K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.8% in Blitz (1.8K games) against 56.4% in Rapid (374 games).
How sharp is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line?
The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line has a sharpness score of 67.2 (drawish), meaning 67.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 50 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 41.6%, draws 10.6% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 163 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.8%, draws 7.9% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 635 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 48.8%, draws 12.2% and loses 39.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 46 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 21.4%, draws 68.2% and loses 10.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.5%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 60 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 26.8%, draws 56.2% and loses 17.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 44.9%, draws 17.7% and loses 37.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 43.3%, draws 26.2% and loses 30.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 374 Lichess games.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line a good opening?
The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 38.0% of its games and loses 29.2%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.