Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack
9.7K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.7%.
Measured over 9.7K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 2.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 9.7K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 9.7K
- Best context
- 54.7% at 1600-1799 Blitz
- Worst context
- 45.9% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 29 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.6%
- Draws
- 2.4%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 47.7% at 0-999, 51.2% 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: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 73.5% expected score (24 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 58.9% expected score (49 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 59.3% expected score (90 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 71.1% expected score (27 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (120 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 63.2% expected score (170 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 68.4% expected score (42 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (343 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 61.3% expected score (412 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 71.8% expected score (72 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (512 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (735 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 65.0% expected score (95 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (1,126 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2,093 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.4% expected score (132 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 71.1% expected score (8 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (993 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.3% expected score (1,628 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (134 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (457 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (386 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.3% expected score (27 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (46 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 34.7% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack scores 50.9% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.1% and 51.7% — from 9.7K 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
- 9.7K+ 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 Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate?
Playing the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack, White wins 49.7%, draws 2.4% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 9.7K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack perform best?
The Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack performs best for White at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 60.7% (335 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 51.7% in Blitz (5.5K games) against 61.5% in Rapid (531 games).
How sharp is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack?
The Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack has a sharpness score of 97.6 (very decisive), meaning 97.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 29 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 60.6%, draws 1.5% and loses 37.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.4%. It rests on 166 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 60.5%, draws 0.4% and loses 39.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.7%. It rests on 335 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 57.2%, draws 2.0% and loses 40.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.2%. It rests on 828 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.6%, draws 1.2% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 47.5%, draws 2.9% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 47.4%, draws 2.4% and loses 50.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 47.5%, draws 2.9% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 871 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 47.4%, draws 1.4% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 3.7K Lichess games.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.2%, draws 2.9% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 5.5K Lichess games.
What is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 59.8%, draws 3.3% and loses 36.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.5%. It rests on 531 Lichess games.
Is the Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack a good opening?
The Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 49.7% of its games and loses 47.9%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.