Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense
1.8K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.7%.
Measured over 1.8K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 7.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.8K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.8K
- Best context
- 50.0% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.1%
- Draws
- 7.9%
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 · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 1000-1199, 41.6% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 41.3% expected score (10 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (20 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 85.3% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 39.9% expected score (28 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (38 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 58.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 61.2% expected score (61 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (182 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 39.3% expected score (36 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (9 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (316 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (587 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (58 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 59.1% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 41.8% expected score (95 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.5% expected score (330 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense scores 49.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.9% and 51.7% — from 1.8K 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
- 1.8K+ 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 Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate?
Playing the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense, Black wins 45.8%, draws 7.9% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 1.8K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense perform best?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 51.3% (965 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 49.0% in Blitz (1.2K games) against 48.8% in Rapid (125 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense has a sharpness score of 92.1 (decisive), meaning 92.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 42 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 49.6%, draws 5.7% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 288 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 48.1%, draws 6.5% and loses 45.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 965 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 38.2%, draws 11.1% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.8%. It rests on 434 Lichess games, which average 46 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 48.7%, draws 6.8% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 509 Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.1%, draws 7.7% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 42.3%, draws 13.0% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 125 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense a good opening?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.8% of its games and loses 46.3%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.