TrueEloPlay what wins.
Analyzer

Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice

6.6K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Play This
White Expected Score58.5%Range (90% confident): 57.5% – 59.5%Based on 6.6K games
0%58.5%100%
Range (90% confident): 57.5% – 59.5%
Outcome Distribution
56.2%4.6%39.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
7.Bxf7+
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice
Analyzen=6.6K
Avg Length32 moves
Sharpness95%
Draw Rate4.6%

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 58.5% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 57.5% and 59.5%), based on 6.6K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Traps & Chaos

Complexity: 95.7 · Trap factor: +28.8 · n=6.6K

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 47% → 57%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 46.7% win rate (6 games)
  • 1000-1199: 51.0% win rate (23 games)
  • 1200-1399: 59.6% win rate (95 games)
  • 1400-1599: 62.3% win rate (208 games)
  • 1600-1799: 56.9% win rate (374 games)
  • 1800-1999: 58.2% win rate (716 games)
  • 2000-2199: 55.6% win rate (1,680 games)
  • 2200-2499: 55.1% win rate (2,619 games)
  • 2500+: 57.0% win rate (839 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (76%), worst in Classical (39%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 76.0% win rate (11 games)
  • Bullet: 57.0% win rate (3,157 games)
  • Blitz: 55.6% win rate (3,024 games)
  • Rapid: 54.8% win rate (350 games)
  • Classical: 38.5% win rate (18 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, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 71.1% expected score (8 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (13 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 65.8% expected score (27 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 60.9% expected score (49 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 57.3% expected score (19 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 58.7% expected score (56 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 64.3% expected score (111 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 66.1% expected score (39 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 58.6% expected score (103 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 58.9% expected score (202 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (61 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (195 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 59.9% expected score (455 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 71.4% expected score (57 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 59.2% expected score (508 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.5% expected score (1,080 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (87 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 88.5% expected score (5 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 58.5% expected score (1,550 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (981 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 48.9% expected score (83 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 60.0% expected score (708 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 64.1% expected score (130 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Philidor Defense
50.2%
Variations (5)
Philidor Defense: Albin-Blackburne Gambit
44.3%
Philidor Defense: Berger Variation
40.3%
Philidor Defense: Bird Gambit
53.3%
Philidor Defense: Boden Variation
49.4%
Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation
50.5%
Analyze Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate?

The Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 56.2% (90% CI: 55.2%-57.2%) win rate for white, based on 6.6K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice perform best?

The Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice performs best at 1400-1599 Elo with a 62.3% win rate for white (208 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (57.0%) outperforms Rapid (54.8%) by 2.2%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice?

The Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a sharpness score of 95.4 (very decisive), meaning 95.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 62.3% (90% CI: 56.7%-67.7%) win rate for white, based on 208 Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 1.7% draw rate.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 56.9% (90% CI: 52.6%-61.0%) win rate for white, based on 374 Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 2.0% draw rate.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 58.2% (90% CI: 55.1%-61.2%) win rate for white, based on 716 Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 2.2% draw rate.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 55.6% (90% CI: 53.6%-57.6%) win rate for white, based on 1.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 55.1% (90% CI: 53.5%-56.7%) win rate for white, based on 2.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 5.2% draw rate.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 57.0% (90% CI: 54.2%-59.8%) win rate for white, based on 839 Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 7.2% draw rate.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 57.0% (90% CI: 55.5%-58.4%) win rate for white (3.2K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.7%.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 55.6% (90% CI: 54.1%-57.1%) win rate for white (3.0K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.6%.

What is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice has a 54.8% (90% CI: 50.4%-59.1%) win rate for white (350 Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.4%.

Is the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice a good opening?

The Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice is statistically favors white with a 56.2% (90% CI: 55.2%-57.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1400-1599 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.