Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation
36K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.8%.
Measured over 36K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 36K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 36K
- Best context
- 53.7% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 39.9% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.5%
- Draws
- 5.5%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 50.9% at 0-999, 45.3% 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: 51.9% expected score (135 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (130 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 58.1% expected score (48 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (438 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (431 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.1% expected score (128 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (712 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (773 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (253 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (1,034 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (1,571 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (363 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 63.5% expected score (32 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (1,367 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (2,244 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (552 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 44.9% expected score (37 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (1,967 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (3,977 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.3% expected score (751 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 60.4% expected score (80 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (2,384 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (5,617 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.5% expected score (871 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 40.8% expected score (47 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (3,102 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (4,864 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (437 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 22.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (1,000 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 39.9% expected score (678 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (37 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation scores 50.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.9% and 50.8% — from 36K 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
- 36K+ 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: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation, Black wins 47.5%, draws 5.5% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 36K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 52.6% (6.8K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 49.9% in Blitz (20K games) against 49.6% in Rapid (3.4K games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation?
The Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation has a sharpness score of 94.5 (decisive), meaning 94.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 47.5%, draws 3.0% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 313 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 48.1%, draws 2.7% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 998 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 48.9%, draws 2.7% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 49.3%, draws 3.1% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 3.0K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 49.3%, draws 3.8% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 4.2K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 50.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 6.8K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 47.3%, draws 5.9% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 8.9K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 45.1%, draws 7.6% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 8.4K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 41.2%, draws 9.7% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.1%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 49.1%, draws 4.1% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 12K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 46.8%, draws 6.1% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 20K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 46.4%, draws 6.3% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 46.1%, draws 10.5% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 212 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 47.5% of its games and loses 47.0%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.