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Analyzer

Russian Game

38 variations · 13M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Russian Game is balanced for White at 51.9% expected score.

This opening produces roughly even results, with outcomes depending more on middlegame play than opening choice.

You play
Playable
Rating
Time
White Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 51.9% – 51.9%Aggregated from 38 variations
0%51.9%100%
Range (90% confident): 51.9% – 51.9%
ContextOverall · n=13M
Outcome Distribution
50.0%3.8%46.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
No position data
Russian Game
Variations38
Games (Context)13M
Avg Length31 moves
Draw Rate3.8%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall · limited data

No continuation list is available for this context yet (needs more games).

Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

What is the Russian Game expected score for White?

Snapshot

Overall, the Russian Game family has a 51.9% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.9% and 51.9%), aggregated from 38 variations and 13M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 51% → 48%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 51.0% win rate (1,392,660 games)
  • 1000-1199: 51.3% win rate (1,753,518 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.5% win rate (2,222,737 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.8% win rate (2,466,359 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.4% win rate (2,198,422 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.1% win rate (1,487,006 games)
  • 2000-2199: 48.6% win rate (692,873 games)
  • 2200-2499: 48.6% win rate (274,291 games)
  • 2500+: 47.5% win rate (44,299 games)

White Win% by Time Control

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

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 50.4% win rate (24,648 games)
  • Bullet: 49.6% win rate (3,243,964 games)
  • Blitz: 49.8% win rate (6,406,525 games)
  • Rapid: 50.9% win rate (2,738,688 games)
  • Classical: 52.6% win rate (118,340 games)

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

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: 45.8% expected score (1,735 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (282,084 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (667,902 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (436,304 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 54.4% expected score (4,635 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.5% expected score (3,655 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (435,658 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (871,527 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (429,211 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.4% expected score (13,467 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.2% expected score (5,459 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (554,242 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (1,156,593 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.7% expected score (484,366 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (22,077 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.1% expected score (6,015 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (598,646 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (1,281,775 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (543,781 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (36,142 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.9% expected score (4,032 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (553,167 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (1,161,685 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (452,697 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.1% expected score (26,841 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 55.0% expected score (2,198 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (408,463 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (790,678 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (273,680 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (11,987 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 57.4% expected score (1,074 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (247,411 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (345,173 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (96,578 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 56.7% expected score (2,637 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 53.8% expected score (463 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (134,259 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (118,017 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (21,060 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 56.4% expected score (492 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 69.0% expected score (17 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (30,034 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.7% expected score (13,175 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.0% expected score (1,011 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 47.7% expected score (62 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (38)

1
Russian Game: Damiano Variation600K games
60.2%
2
Russian Game: Modern Attack, Steinitz Variation504 games
60.0%
3
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Tarrasch Variation242 games
61.5%
Russian Game: Modern Attack, Center Variation63K games
56.0%
Russian Game: Modern Attack, Symmetrical Variation56K games
54.3%
Russian Game: Nimzowitsch Attack133K games
53.6%
Russian Game: Classical Attack127K games
53.6%
Russian Game: Cochrane Gambit, Center Variation24K games
53.8%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Closed Variation21K games
53.8%
Russian Game: Kaufmann Attack7.4K games
54.2%
Russian Game: Modern Attack890K games
53.2%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Mason Variation14K games
53.7%
Russian Game: Italian Variation2.8M games
52.5%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation24K games
53.0%
Russian Game: Cochrane Gambit19K games
52.9%
Russian Game: Three Knights Game3.2M games
52.1%
Russian Game: Modern Attack, Trifunovic Variation1.2K games
54.0%
Russian Game: Cozio Attack260K games
51.7%
Russian Game2.4M games
50.8%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line1.6K games
52.7%
Russian Game: Cochrane Gambit, Bishop Check Line43K games
51.0%
Russian Game: French Attack107K games
50.9%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Mason-Showalter Variation12K games
51.0%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Browne Attack1.3K games
52.6%
Russian Game: Karklins-Martinovsky Variation27K games
50.7%
Russian Game: Damiano Variation, Kholmov Gambit141K games
50.3%
Russian Game: Millennium Attack24K games
50.4%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation, Chinese Gambit379 games
54.0%
Russian Game: Modern Attack, Center Attack25K games
50.1%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation39K games
49.7%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Jaenisch Variation3.2K games
50.5%
Russian Game: Paulsen Attack52K games
49.3%
Russian Game: Modern Attack, Murrey Variation3.0K games
49.3%
Russian Game: Stafford Gambit1.4M games
47.8%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation4.9K games
48.1%
Russian Game: Moody Gambit4.1K games
47.7%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation392 games
49.3%
Russian Game: Classical Attack, Marshall Trap132 games
21.2%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Russian Game win rate?

The Russian Game family has a 50.0% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.0%) win rate for white, aggregated from 38 variations and 13M rated games from Lichess.

How many Russian Game variations are there?

This analysis covers 38 Russian Game variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Russian Game perform best?

The Russian Game family performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 51.3% win rate for white (1.8M games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Russian Game better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (52.6%) outperforms Bullet (49.6%) by 3.0% across all Russian Game variations.

How sharp is the Russian Game?

Russian Game games are 96.2% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 31 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Russian Game a good opening family?

The Russian Game family is statistically balanced overall with a 50.0% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.0%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 38 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.