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Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open

1.2M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
Black Expected Score50.2%Range (90% confident): 50.1% – 50.2%Based on 1.2M games
0%50.2%100%
Range (90% confident): 50.1% – 50.2%
Outcome Distribution
48.4%3.5%48.1%
Win
Draw
Loss
3...cxd4
Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open
Analyzen=1.2M
Avg Length33 moves
Sharpness97%
Draw Rate3.5%

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 50.2% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 50.1% and 50.2%), based on 1.2M Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 52% → 38%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 51.5% win rate (13,370 games)
  • 1000-1199: 50.6% win rate (46,652 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.8% win rate (124,729 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.8% win rate (244,543 games)
  • 1600-1799: 48.7% win rate (309,281 games)
  • 1800-1999: 47.6% win rate (261,230 games)
  • 2000-2199: 46.5% win rate (138,714 games)
  • 2200-2499: 44.3% win rate (62,022 games)
  • 2500+: 37.5% win rate (15,896 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Similar across time controls (~49%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 49.0% win rate (1,689 games)
  • Bullet: 49.2% win rate (435,466 games)
  • Blitz: 48.0% win rate (624,553 games)
  • Rapid: 47.8% win rate (149,100 games)
  • Classical: 47.2% win rate (5,629 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 36.8% expected score (25 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 53.6% expected score (5,599 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (5,911 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (1,820 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 37.9% expected score (15 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (98 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (17,145 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (23,408 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (5,911 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 62.6% expected score (90 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.2% expected score (248 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.3% expected score (36,991 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (69,510 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.2% expected score (17,596 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 52.4% expected score (384 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 53.9% expected score (449 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (69,268 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (137,110 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.8% expected score (36,218 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 52.3% expected score (1,498 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.7% expected score (446 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (87,109 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (172,884 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (46,463 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.9% expected score (2,379 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 41.7% expected score (233 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (89,757 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (139,512 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (30,640 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.1% expected score (1,088 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.5% expected score (126 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (72,286 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (57,040 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (9,113 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.0% expected score (149 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 47.8% expected score (64 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (43,960 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 43.7% expected score (16,695 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.0% expected score (1,283 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 45.4% expected score (20 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 40.3% expected score (13,351 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 40.3% expected score (2,483 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 37.8% expected score (56 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 56.7% expected score (6 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Sicilian Defense
48.5%
Variations (5)
Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack
47.2%
Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian
48.5%
Sicilian Defense: Closed
49.8%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation
50.2%
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack
48.6%
Analyze Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate?

The Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 48.1% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.2%) win rate for white, based on 1.2M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open perform best?

The Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 56.9% win rate for white (16K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (48.3%) outperforms Classical (47.4%) by 0.9%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open?

The Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a sharpness score of 96.5 (very decisive), meaning 96.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 46.2% (90% CI: 45.5%-46.9%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 46.9% (90% CI: 46.6%-47.3%) win rate for white, based on 47K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 2.5% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 46.5% (90% CI: 46.3%-46.7%) win rate for white, based on 125K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 47.2% (90% CI: 47.0%-47.4%) win rate for white, based on 245K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.0% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 47.8% (90% CI: 47.7%-48.0%) win rate for white, based on 309K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.4%-48.7%) win rate for white, based on 261K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 49.4% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 139K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 51.2% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.5%) win rate for white, based on 62K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 56.9% (90% CI: 56.3%-57.6%) win rate for white, based on 16K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 49.5% (90% CI: 47.5%-51.5%) win rate for white (1.7K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.6%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 48.3% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.4%) win rate for white (435K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.6%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 48.1% (90% CI: 48.0%-48.2%) win rate for white (625K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.9%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 47.7% (90% CI: 47.5%-47.9%) win rate for white (149K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.5%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open has a 47.4% (90% CI: 46.3%-48.5%) win rate for white (5.6K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.4%.

Is the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open a good opening?

The Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open is statistically balanced with a 48.1% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.