Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation
24K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.6%.
Measured over 24K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 8.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 24K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 24K
- Best context
- 57.0% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 49.3% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 91.6%
- Draws
- 8.4%
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: 67.0% at 0-999, 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
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 38.6% expected score (16 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 57.1% expected score (41 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (39 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 31.0% expected score (9 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (182 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (166 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 59.7% expected score (45 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 66.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (569 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (1,117 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (176 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (36 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (1,049 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (3,565 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (615 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.5% expected score (85 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (1,550 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (4,912 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (1,139 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 71.9% expected score (90 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (1,553 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (3,885 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (760 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 53.8% expected score (38 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (948 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.0% expected score (785 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (133 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation scores 53.0% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.5% and 53.6% — from 24K 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
- 24K+ 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, Staunton Variation win rate?
Playing the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation, White wins 48.8%, draws 8.4% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 24K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation perform best?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.3% (1.9K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 52.9% in Blitz (14K games) against 55.4% in Rapid (2.9K games).
How sharp is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation has a sharpness score of 91.6 (decisive), meaning 91.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.5%, draws 7.0% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 404 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 49.6%, draws 4.6% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 49.6%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 5.3K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.6%, draws 7.6% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 7.7K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 49.6%, draws 7.9% and loses 42.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 6.2K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 44.3%, draws 24.1% and loses 31.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 47 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 48.9%, draws 5.9% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 5.9K Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 48.6%, draws 8.5% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 14K Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.2%, draws 12.3% and loses 38.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 2.9K Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 54.3%, draws 14.3% and loses 31.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.5%. It rests on 261 Lichess games.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation a good opening?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 48.8% of its games and loses 42.8%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.