Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation
392 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.4%.
Measured over 392 games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 392 games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 392
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.3%
- Draws
- 6.7%
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 · 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 falls away as the rating rises: 70.0% at 1000-1199, 54.8% 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, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 38.4% expected score (20 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 41.3% expected score (10 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 44.4% expected score (34 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (18 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (14 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (80 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (20 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (34 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 43.6% expected score (92 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 66.3% expected score (20 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (18 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation scores 49.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.2% and 53.4% — from 392 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
- 392+ 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 Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation win rate?
Playing the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation, White wins 45.9%, draws 6.7% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 392 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation perform best?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation performs best for White at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 51.3% (117 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 48.0% in Blitz (246 games) against 54.5% in Rapid (65 games).
How sharp is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation has a sharpness score of 93.3 (decisive), meaning 93.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.1%, draws 0.4% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 117 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 42.4%, draws 12.5% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 146 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 44.2%, draws 7.5% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 246 Lichess games.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation a good opening?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Berger Variation is hard work for White — it favours Black. Across all ratings, White wins 45.9% of its games and loses 47.4%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.