Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation
151K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.3%.
Measured over 151K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 151K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 151K
- Best context
- 53.4% at 1200-1399 Bullet
- Worst context
- 40.6% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.9%
- Draws
- 5.1%
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 · 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: 53.1% 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: 53.2% expected score (174 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 57.6% expected score (183 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (72 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (673 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (430 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (110 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (2,476 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (1,542 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (266 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 28.3% expected score (10 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 62.7% expected score (46 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (4,904 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (4,913 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (737 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (29 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.2% expected score (45 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (7,752 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (11,805 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (1,942 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.3% expected score (83 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 55.8% expected score (59 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (12,097 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (20,047 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (3,123 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (156 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 33.0% expected score (60 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (13,518 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (23,660 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (2,665 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 48.6% expected score (67 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 48.1% expected score (75 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (12,041 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (18,365 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (977 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 27.2% expected score (16 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (4,181 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 40.6% expected score (1,880 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (51 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation scores 49.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.9% and 49.3% — from 151K 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
- 151K+ 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: Richter Variation win rate?
Playing the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation, Black wins 46.5%, draws 5.1% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 151K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation perform best?
The Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 54.3% (429 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 48.8% in Blitz (83K games) against 47.3% in Rapid (9.9K games).
How sharp is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation?
The Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation has a sharpness score of 94.9 (decisive), meaning 94.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 53.5%, draws 1.5% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 429 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 50.0%, draws 2.2% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 50.0%, draws 2.6% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 48.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 47.8%, draws 3.8% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 22K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 47.3%, draws 4.7% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 35K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 46.5%, draws 5.6% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 40K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 44.4%, draws 6.6% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 31K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 40.0%, draws 7.5% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.8%. It rests on 6.1K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, Black wins 47.8%, draws 4.1% and loses 48.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 303 Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 47.7%, draws 3.7% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 58K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.9%, draws 5.8% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 83K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 43.9%, draws 6.8% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 9.9K Lichess games.
What is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 42.7%, draws 9.7% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 365 Lichess games.
Is the Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation a good opening?
The Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.5% of its games and loses 48.4%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.