Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack
12K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
46.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.2%.
Measured over 12K games at this level and clock.
White comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 12K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 12K
- Best context
- 49.8% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Worst context
- 41.4% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.8%
- Draws
- 4.2%
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: 55.6% at 0-999, 43.5% 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: 63.7% expected score (68 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (122 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.8% expected score (26 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 53.0% expected score (167 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (335 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (99 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (326 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (511 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 59.7% expected score (199 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (510 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (916 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (304 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 72.6% expected score (14 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (743 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 43.7% expected score (1,497 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (335 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 57.5% expected score (12 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 42.0% expected score (657 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 44.8% expected score (1,516 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (285 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (768 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 41.4% expected score (1,173 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (137 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 43.5% expected score (490 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.4% expected score (466 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (35 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 36.9% expected score (29 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack scores 46.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.7% and 47.2% — from 12K 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
- 12K+ 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, Orthodox Attack win rate?
Playing the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack, White wins 44.3%, draws 4.2% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.4%. It rests on 12K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack perform best?
The Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack performs best for White at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 55.3% (216 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 45.6% in Blitz (6.5K games) against 51.1% in Rapid (1.4K games).
How sharp is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack?
The Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack has a sharpness score of 95.8 (very decisive), meaning 95.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 53.6%, draws 3.4% and loses 43.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 216 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 51.3%, draws 3.1% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 602 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 47.9%, draws 3.6% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.7%, draws 2.8% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 44.3%, draws 3.7% and loses 52.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 42.1%, draws 4.2% and loses 53.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 40.0%, draws 5.4% and loses 54.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.7%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 41.4%, draws 7.3% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.1%. It rests on 992 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 44.2%, draws 3.7% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.1%. It rests on 3.8K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 43.4%, draws 4.3% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 48.3%, draws 5.5% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games.
Is the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack a good opening?
The Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack is hard work for White — it favours Black. Across all ratings, White wins 44.3% of its games and loses 51.5%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.