Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation
3.8K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
62.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 63.6%.
Measured over 3.8K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 3.8K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 3.8K
- Best context
- 64.3% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Worst context
- 61.9% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.2%
- Draws
- 4.8%
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: 70.0% at 1000-1199, 63.6% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 34.2% expected score (8 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (27 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (21 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 58.8% expected score (78 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (110 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 62.8% expected score (538 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 42.2% expected score (24 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 64.3% expected score (627 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 61.9% expected score (1,657 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.0% expected score (57 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 66.3% expected score (364 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 63.4% expected score (242 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation scores 62.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 61.0% and 63.6% — from 3.8K 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
- 3.8K+ 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: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate?
Playing the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation, White wins 59.9%, draws 4.8% and loses 35.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.3%. It rests on 3.8K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation perform best?
The Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 65.2% (609 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 62.2% in Blitz (2.5K games) against 51.5% in Rapid (97 games).
How sharp is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation?
The Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation has a sharpness score of 95.2 (very decisive), meaning 95.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 55.7%, draws 3.2% and loses 41.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.3%. It rests on 109 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 58.9%, draws 4.1% and loses 37.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.0%. It rests on 673 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 59.9%, draws 5.0% and loses 35.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.4%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 62.7%, draws 5.0% and loses 32.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 65.2%. It rests on 609 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 61.7%, draws 3.8% and loses 34.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.6%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 59.6%, draws 5.1% and loses 35.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.2%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games.
Is the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation a good opening?
The Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 59.9% of its games and loses 35.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.