Semi-Slav Defense
44 variations · 9.1M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · Overall
46.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 9.1M games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the ranked list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 9.1M games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- #51 of 62
- Games in this context
- 9.1M
- Best context
- 48.4% at 0-999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 38.9% at 2200-2499 Classical
- Variations measured
- 44
- Average game length
- 36 moves
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: 46.7% at 0-999, 41.8% 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: 49.4% expected score (164 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (21,305 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (26,862 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (7,032 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 43.5% expected score (44 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.8% expected score (371 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (76,319 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (83,613 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 45.0% expected score (22,653 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 38.8% expected score (315 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 45.7% expected score (1,208 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.1% expected score (180,475 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (206,333 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (54,288 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 43.8% expected score (1,488 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 43.3% expected score (3,140 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (357,493 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (437,360 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.4% expected score (105,246 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 44.1% expected score (4,777 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 41.7% expected score (4,361 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (640,045 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (850,365 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (173,488 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (9,902 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 39.0% expected score (1,926 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (884,618 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (1,295,692 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.1% expected score (230,233 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.9% expected score (11,217 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 40.6% expected score (516 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (834,842 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (1,021,298 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (156,841 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.0% expected score (4,828 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 43.1% expected score (143 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (619,989 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 44.3% expected score (450,484 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.8% expected score (47,363 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (1,243 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.3% expected score (161,970 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.0% expected score (51,873 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 43.3% expected score (6,715 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 42.6% expected score (1,493 games)
44 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Semi-Slav Defense family scores 46.6% for Black — we are 90% confident it is 46.6% — from 9.1M Lichess games across 44 variations. 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
- 9.1M+ 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 Semi-Slav Defense win rate?
Across the Semi-Slav Defense's 44 variations, Black wins 44.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 9.1M rated games from Lichess.
How many Semi-Slav Defense variations are there?
44 Semi-Slav Defense variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Semi-Slav Defense perform best?
The Semi-Slav Defense family performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 47.5% (1.7M games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Semi-Slav Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Semi-Slav Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 46.6% in Blitz (4.4M games) against 46.4% in Rapid (804K games).
How sharp is the Semi-Slav Defense?
Semi-Slav Defense games are 95.3% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 36 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Semi-Slav Defense a good opening family?
The Semi-Slav Defense family is hard work for Black — it favours White overall. Across its games, Black wins 44.2% and loses 51.1%. Results differ between its 44 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.