Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit
16K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
58.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 58.8%.
Measured over 16K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 16K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 16K
- Best context
- 61.8% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 55.8% at 2000-2199 Rapid
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.6%
- Draws
- 4.4%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 45.3% at 1000-1199, 58.3% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (25 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (28 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 64.1% expected score (123 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 62.4% expected score (225 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 70.8% expected score (25 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 57.2% expected score (393 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 61.4% expected score (905 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 64.2% expected score (200 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (21 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 61.8% expected score (543 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 56.6% expected score (2,435 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 58.2% expected score (1,003 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.4% expected score (73 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 58.2% expected score (783 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.5% expected score (3,234 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 55.8% expected score (1,269 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.0% expected score (56 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.7% expected score (1,194 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 58.3% expected score (2,597 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 59.4% expected score (549 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 71.1% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 60.6% expected score (476 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 66.6% expected score (183 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 76.1% expected score (10 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit scores 58.2% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 57.6% and 58.8% — from 16K 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
- 16K+ 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 Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit, White wins 55.9%, draws 4.4% and loses 39.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.2%. It rests on 16K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 63.7% (376 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 58.1% in Blitz (9.6K games) against 58.0% in Rapid (3.1K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit?
The Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 62.4%, draws 2.5% and loses 35.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.7%. It rests on 376 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 59.4%, draws 2.3% and loses 38.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.6%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 55.8%, draws 3.6% and loses 40.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.6%. It rests on 4.1K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 54.9%, draws 4.5% and loses 40.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.2%. It rests on 5.3K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 55.0%, draws 6.1% and loses 38.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.1%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 59.6%, draws 5.6% and loses 34.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.4%. It rests on 670 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 57.1%, draws 3.0% and loses 39.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.6%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 55.7%, draws 4.7% and loses 39.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.1%. It rests on 9.6K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 55.3%, draws 5.3% and loses 39.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.0%. It rests on 3.1K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 52.3%, draws 5.8% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.2%. It rests on 162 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Double Gambit is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 55.9% of its games and loses 39.6%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.