Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System
62K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
56.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 56.6%.
Measured over 62K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 62K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 62K
- Best context
- 61.2% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 54.0% at 1600-1799 Blitz
- Average game length
- 28 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.7%
- Draws
- 3.3%
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 · 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: 60.4% at 0-999, 65.1% 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, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 54.5% expected score (1,810 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 56.7% expected score (4,295 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 60.4% expected score (1,202 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 56.6% expected score (2,755 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 56.3% expected score (7,477 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 59.1% expected score (3,343 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.9% expected score (24 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 79.5% expected score (7 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (3,332 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.5% expected score (6,346 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 58.8% expected score (4,120 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 67.0% expected score (66 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (3,057 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (4,867 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.8% expected score (2,729 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (136 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (2,782 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (3,510 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 57.8% expected score (1,527 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 67.3% expected score (91 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (2,249 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (1,727 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (661 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.8% expected score (24 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.5% expected score (1,794 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (697 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 58.3% expected score (144 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 76.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.8% expected score (793 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 62.2% expected score (261 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 68.9% expected score (25 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 69.6% expected score (70 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 75.8% expected score (14 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System scores 56.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 56.0% and 56.6% — from 62K 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
- 62K+ 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 Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate?
Playing the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System, White wins 54.6%, draws 3.3% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 62K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System perform best?
The Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 70.6% (86 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 55.8% in Blitz (29K games) against 58.5% in Rapid (14K games).
How sharp is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System?
The Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System has a sharpness score of 96.7 (very decisive), meaning 96.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 28 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 55.4%, draws 2.8% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.8%. It rests on 7.3K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 55.4%, draws 3.2% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.0%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 55.0%, draws 2.9% and loses 42.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 53.7%, draws 3.5% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 53.1%, draws 3.8% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.0%. It rests on 7.9K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 54.4%, draws 3.7% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 4.7K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 53.6%, draws 4.2% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 56.4%, draws 3.9% and loses 39.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.4%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 54.0%, draws 2.6% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 19K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 54.0%, draws 3.6% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 29K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 56.7%, draws 3.5% and loses 39.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.5%. It rests on 14K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 60.1%, draws 5.0% and loses 34.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.6%. It rests on 347 Lichess games.
Is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System a good opening?
The Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 54.6% of its games and loses 42.1%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.