Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit
13K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
33.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 34.3%.
Measured over 13K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 2.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 13K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 13K
- Best context
- 36.5% at 1000-1199 Rapid
- Worst context
- 30.3% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Average game length
- 26 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.1%
- Draws
- 2.9%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 39.7%.
| 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: 37.2% expected score (151 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 39.1% expected score (370 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 42.9% expected score (173 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 36.5% expected score (243 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 31.9% expected score (918 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 36.5% expected score (556 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 33.8% expected score (249 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 31.6% expected score (1,176 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 35.2% expected score (1,034 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.0% expected score (28 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 31.9% expected score (330 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 32.0% expected score (1,129 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 34.3% expected score (961 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 26.4% expected score (83 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 35.8% expected score (286 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 32.3% expected score (1,203 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 30.3% expected score (741 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 28.5% expected score (75 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 39.0% expected score (225 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 33.5% expected score (1,030 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 32.4% expected score (553 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 42.0% expected score (36 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 29.0% expected score (201 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 33.1% expected score (469 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 34.5% expected score (205 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 38.2% expected score (87 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 42.6% expected score (236 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 32.5% expected score (27 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 38.4% expected score (20 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit scores 33.7% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 33.0% and 34.3% — from 13K 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
- 13K+ 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 Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit, Black wins 32.2%, draws 2.9% and loses 64.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 33.7%. It rests on 13K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 39.6% (694 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 33.1% in Blitz (6.5K games) against 34.2% in Rapid (4.3K games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit has a sharpness score of 97.1 (very decisive), meaning 97.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 26 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 38.7%, draws 1.7% and loses 59.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 39.6%. It rests on 694 Lichess games, which average 22 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 33.0%, draws 2.2% and loses 64.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.1%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 24 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 32.2%, draws 2.5% and loses 65.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 33.5%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 31.7%, draws 1.9% and loses 66.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 32.7%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 30.5%, draws 2.8% and loses 66.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 31.9%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 32.1%, draws 3.7% and loses 64.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.0%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 30.2%, draws 4.6% and loses 65.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 32.5%. It rests on 880 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 34.3%, draws 12.7% and loses 53.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.6%. It rests on 350 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 33.8%, draws 1.9% and loses 64.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.7%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 31.5%, draws 3.1% and loses 65.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 33.1%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 32.6%, draws 3.1% and loses 64.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.2%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 31.2%, draws 3.2% and loses 65.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 32.8%. It rests on 231 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Skipworth Gambit is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 32.2% of its games and loses 64.9%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.