Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit
212 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 58.9%.
Measured over 212 games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 24.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 212 games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 212
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 40 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 75.9%
- Draws
- 24.1%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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 1600-1799, 57.1% 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
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (17 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 23.9% expected score (10 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (74 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 64.3% expected score (30 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.4% expected score (58 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit scores 53.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.1% and 58.9% — from 212 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
- 212+ 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: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit win rate?
Playing the Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit, White wins 41.5%, draws 24.1% and loses 34.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 212 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit perform best?
The Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 60.2% (97 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
How sharp is the Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit?
The Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit has a sharpness score of 75.9 (drawish), meaning 75.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 40 moves.
What is the Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 45.6%, draws 15.9% and loses 38.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 153 Lichess games.
Is the Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit a good opening?
The Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 41.5% of its games and loses 34.4%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.