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Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation

203K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
Black Expected Score50.7%Range (90% confident): 50.5% – 50.9%Based on 203K games
0%50.7%100%
Range (90% confident): 50.5% – 50.9%
Outcome Distribution
48.3%4.7%47.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
5...Bf5
Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation
Analyzen=203K
Avg Length34 moves
Sharpness95%
Draw Rate4.7%

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 50.7% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 50.5% and 50.9%), based on 203K Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 51% → 44%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 51.1% win rate (5,834 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.5% win rate (17,258 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.0% win rate (29,226 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.2% win rate (35,670 games)
  • 1600-1799: 48.6% win rate (36,900 games)
  • 1800-1999: 47.7% win rate (32,044 games)
  • 2000-2199: 47.1% win rate (23,683 games)
  • 2200-2499: 45.5% win rate (16,886 games)
  • 2500+: 43.7% win rate (5,814 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (54%), worst in Classical (42%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 53.8% win rate (18 games)
  • Bullet: 49.4% win rate (57,478 games)
  • Blitz: 48.4% win rate (108,205 games)
  • Rapid: 46.6% win rate (36,423 games)
  • Classical: 42.2% win rate (1,191 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 54.1% expected score (2,455 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (2,703 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (673 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (5,374 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (9,002 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (2,857 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 61.6% expected score (20 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (8,027 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (15,140 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (5,974 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.7% expected score (80 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.3% expected score (9,063 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (18,391 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (7,944 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.1% expected score (268 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (9,142 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (20,235 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.7% expected score (7,178 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.6% expected score (342 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (7,734 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (17,913 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (6,119 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.9% expected score (278 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (6,120 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (13,693 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.9% expected score (3,719 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (151 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (5,757 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 49.3% expected score (9,338 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.6% expected score (1,750 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 28.8% expected score (41 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (3,806 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 45.5% expected score (1,790 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (209 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 31.0% expected score (9 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Scandinavian Defense
48.5%
Variations (5)
Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation
50.2%
Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation
49.0%
Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation
47.8%
Scandinavian Defense: Main Line
47.3%
Scandinavian Defense: Gubinsky-Melts Defense
48.5%
Analyze Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate?

The Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.0% (90% CI: 46.8%-47.2%) win rate for white, based on 203K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation perform best?

The Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 47.7% win rate for white (17K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Rapid (47.8%) outperforms Blitz (46.6%) by 1.2%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation?

The Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a sharpness score of 95.3 (very decisive), meaning 95.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 46.5% (90% CI: 45.4%-47.6%) win rate for white, based on 5.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 2.4% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.7% (90% CI: 47.1%-48.3%) win rate for white, based on 17K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.8% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 46.8% (90% CI: 46.3%-47.2%) win rate for white, based on 29K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 46.7%-47.5%) win rate for white, based on 36K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 46.7%-47.5%) win rate for white, based on 37K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.0% (90% CI: 46.6%-47.5%) win rate for white, based on 32K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 5.2% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 46.5% (90% CI: 46.0%-47.1%) win rate for white, based on 24K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 6.3% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.4% (90% CI: 46.8%-48.0%) win rate for white, based on 17K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 7.1% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 45.0% (90% CI: 43.9%-46.1%) win rate for white, based on 5.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 44 moves with a 11.3% draw rate.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 46.7%-47.4%) win rate for white (57K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.5%.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 46.6% (90% CI: 46.4%-46.9%) win rate for white (108K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.0%.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 47.8% (90% CI: 47.4%-48.3%) win rate for white (36K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.5%.

What is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation has a 49.1% (90% CI: 46.7%-51.5%) win rate for white (1.2K Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.7%.

Is the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation a good opening?

The Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation is statistically balanced with a 47.0% (90% CI: 46.8%-47.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1000-1199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.