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Rat Defense: Small Center Defense

4.5M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
White Expected Score52.0%Range (90% confident): 52.0% – 52.0%Based on 4.5M games
0%52.0%100%
Range (90% confident): 52.0% – 52.0%
Outcome Distribution
50.2%3.6%46.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
2...d6
Rat Defense: Small Center Defense
Analyzen=4.5M
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate3.6%

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 52.0% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.0% and 52.0%), based on 4.5M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 49% → 54%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 48.9% win rate (194,168 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.8% win rate (385,337 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.5% win rate (665,016 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.7% win rate (924,247 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.9% win rate (1,046,213 games)
  • 1800-1999: 50.7% win rate (810,274 games)
  • 2000-2199: 52.5% win rate (353,429 games)
  • 2200-2499: 53.5% win rate (105,760 games)
  • 2500+: 54.0% win rate (14,697 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (54%), worst in UltraBullet (47%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 47.3% win rate (21,915 games)
  • Bullet: 49.4% win rate (1,415,640 games)
  • Blitz: 50.4% win rate (2,271,539 games)
  • Rapid: 51.1% win rate (760,284 games)
  • Classical: 54.2% win rate (29,763 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: 35.9% expected score (870 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (53,070 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (100,284 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (39,560 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (384 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 39.7% expected score (2,198 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (112,774 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (202,044 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (66,853 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.6% expected score (1,468 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 45.5% expected score (4,228 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (194,945 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (347,860 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.3% expected score (113,788 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 57.0% expected score (4,195 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 47.3% expected score (7,229 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (253,915 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (482,156 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (172,062 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.6% expected score (8,885 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 53.4% expected score (5,110 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (296,294 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (537,704 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (197,522 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 55.4% expected score (9,583 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.9% expected score (1,450 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (247,549 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (424,148 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.7% expected score (132,298 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 58.7% expected score (4,829 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 57.2% expected score (539 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (164,460 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (153,017 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 57.7% expected score (35,013 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 63.6% expected score (400 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 60.4% expected score (279 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (79,700 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (22,728 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 63.2% expected score (3,035 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 85.9% expected score (18 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 79.7% expected score (12 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 57.3% expected score (12,933 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.2% expected score (1,598 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (153 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Variations (5)
Rat Defense: Accelerated Gurgenidze
50.0%
Rat Defense: Antal Defense
48.5%
Rat Defense: Balogh Defense
51.0%
Rat Defense: English Rat
47.8%
Rat Defense: English Rat, Lisbon Gambit
44.5%
Analyze Rat Defense: Small Center Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate?

The Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.1%-50.2%) win rate for white, based on 4.5M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense perform best?

The Rat Defense: Small Center Defense performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 53.5% win rate for white (106K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (54.2%) outperforms UltraBullet (47.3%) by 6.9%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense?

The Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a sharpness score of 96.4 (very decisive), meaning 96.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.7%-49.1%) win rate for white, based on 194K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 49.8% (90% CI: 49.6%-49.9%) win rate for white, based on 385K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 665K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 49.7% (90% CI: 49.6%-49.7%) win rate for white, based on 924K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 49.9% (90% CI: 49.8%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 1.0M Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.6%-50.8%) win rate for white, based on 810K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 52.5% (90% CI: 52.4%-52.6%) win rate for white, based on 353K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 53.5% (90% CI: 53.3%-53.8%) win rate for white, based on 106K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 54.0% (90% CI: 53.3%-54.7%) win rate for white, based on 15K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 7.0% draw rate.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 47.3% (90% CI: 46.8%-47.9%) win rate for white (22K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.3%.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 49.4% (90% CI: 49.3%-49.4%) win rate for white (1.4M Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.4%.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 50.4% (90% CI: 50.3%-50.4%) win rate for white (2.3M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.0%.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 51.1% (90% CI: 51.0%-51.2%) win rate for white (760K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.8%.

What is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense has a 54.2% (90% CI: 53.7%-54.6%) win rate for white (30K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.1%.

Is the Rat Defense: Small Center Defense a good opening?

The Rat Defense: Small Center Defense is statistically balanced with a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.1%-50.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.