Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line
1.6K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.7%.
Measured over 1.6K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 16.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.6K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.6K
- Best context
- 53.3% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 83.9%
- Draws
- 16.1%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 1200-1399, 54.0% 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
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 22.8% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 40.5% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 34.2% expected score (8 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 40.2% expected score (24 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (69 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 71.2% expected score (15 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.5% expected score (65 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (318 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 65.9% expected score (30 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (195 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (501 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (95 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (136 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.8% expected score (109 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (14 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line scores 52.7% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.7% and 54.7% — from 1.6K 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
- 1.6K+ 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, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line, White wins 44.6%, draws 16.1% and loses 39.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 1.6K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line perform best?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line performs best for White at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 54.5% (414 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.3% in Blitz (1.0K games) against 55.8% in Rapid (162 games).
How sharp is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line has a sharpness score of 83.9 (moderately decisive), meaning 83.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 45 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 49.8%, draws 4.0% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 110 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.2%, draws 10.5% and loses 40.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 414 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 45.7%, draws 12.2% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 803 Lichess games, which average 47 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 34.1%, draws 41.2% and loses 24.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.7%. It rests on 264 Lichess games, which average 55 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 41.4%, draws 18.2% and loses 40.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 430 Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 46.4%, draws 13.7% and loses 39.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 44.3%, draws 22.9% and loses 32.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 162 Lichess games.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line a good opening?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 44.6% of its games and loses 39.3%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.