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Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game

4.3M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score52.1%Range (90% confident): 52.1% – 52.2%Based on 4.3M games
0%52.1%100%
Range (90% confident): 52.1% – 52.2%
Outcome Distribution
50.2%3.8%46.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
3.Nc3
Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game
Analyzen=4.3M
Avg Length31 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate3.8%

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 52.1% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.1% and 52.2%), based on 4.3M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 51% → 49%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 51.2% win rate (540,363 games)
  • 1000-1199: 51.6% win rate (635,308 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.6% win rate (778,179 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.9% win rate (838,749 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.6% win rate (712,010 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.2% win rate (467,613 games)
  • 2000-2199: 48.6% win rate (208,633 games)
  • 2200-2499: 48.2% win rate (81,473 games)
  • 2500+: 48.7% win rate (13,914 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (53%), worst in Bullet (50%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 50.2% win rate (8,828 games)
  • Bullet: 49.6% win rate (1,106,270 games)
  • Blitz: 50.0% win rate (2,159,811 games)
  • Rapid: 51.3% win rate (963,508 games)
  • Classical: 53.4% win rate (37,825 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: 47.0% expected score (476 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (97,211 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (251,082 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (189,812 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 54.3% expected score (1,782 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 48.4% expected score (976 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (141,379 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (317,055 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 55.3% expected score (170,728 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5,170 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.6% expected score (1,929 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (182,846 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (405,297 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.9% expected score (179,728 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 57.1% expected score (8,379 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 49.1% expected score (2,265 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (196,219 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (443,295 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (184,618 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 55.3% expected score (12,352 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 55.0% expected score (1,447 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (181,906 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (379,904 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (141,642 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 55.3% expected score (7,111 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 55.8% expected score (1,092 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (150,423 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (239,696 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (73,824 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 55.5% expected score (2,578 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.9% expected score (440 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (93,396 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (94,660 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (19,740 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (397 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 59.7% expected score (158 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (51,241 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (26,685 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (3,333 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 52.6% expected score (56 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 55.4% expected score (45 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (11,649 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (2,137 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 61.9% expected score (83 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Petrov's Defense
49.1%
Variations (5)
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack
50.2%
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Berger Variation
41.7%
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation
45.3%
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Browne Attack
46.5%
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line
38.0%
Analyze Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate?

The Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.3%) win rate for white, based on 4.3M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game perform best?

The Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 51.6% win rate for white (635K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (53.4%) outperforms UltraBullet (50.2%) by 3.2%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game?

The Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 31 moves.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 51.2% (90% CI: 51.1%-51.3%) win rate for white, based on 540K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 51.6% (90% CI: 51.5%-51.7%) win rate for white, based on 635K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 50.6% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 778K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 49.9% (90% CI: 49.8%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 839K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 49.6% (90% CI: 49.5%-49.7%) win rate for white, based on 712K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 49.2% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 468K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.4% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 48.6% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.8%) win rate for white, based on 209K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 48.2% (90% CI: 47.9%-48.5%) win rate for white, based on 81K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.8% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.0%-49.4%) win rate for white, based on 14K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 7.4% draw rate.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 50.2% (90% CI: 49.4%-51.1%) win rate for white (8.8K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.3%.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 49.6% (90% CI: 49.5%-49.6%) win rate for white (1.1M Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.6%.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 50.0% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.1%) win rate for white (2.2M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.1%.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 51.3% (90% CI: 51.2%-51.4%) win rate for white (964K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.6%.

What is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game has a 53.4% (90% CI: 53.0%-53.8%) win rate for white (38K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.0%.

Is the Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game a good opening?

The Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game is statistically favors white with a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.3%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1000-1199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.