Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation
30K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
57.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 57.8%.
Measured over 30K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 30K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 30K
- Best context
- 60.4% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 53.2% at 1600-1799 Blitz
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.5%
- Draws
- 4.5%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 34.6% at 0-999, 62.9% 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, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (45 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 60.8% expected score (31 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.8% expected score (81 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (123 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (28 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (192 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (284 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (83 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.2% expected score (503 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (701 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (118 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 56.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 58.3% expected score (1,267 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (2,142 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (211 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 42.4% expected score (18 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 56.1% expected score (2,185 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.6% expected score (5,931 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (749 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.1% expected score (57 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 59.1% expected score (4,512 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (7,621 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 58.5% expected score (678 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 62.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 60.4% expected score (1,521 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (838 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.7% expected score (42 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation scores 57.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 56.8% and 57.8% — from 30K 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
- 30K+ 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: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation, White wins 55.0%, draws 4.5% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.3%. It rests on 30K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 59.7% (2.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 57.0% in Blitz (18K games) against 56.3% in Rapid (1.9K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation?
The Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation has a sharpness score of 95.5 (very decisive), meaning 95.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 49.0%, draws 4.1% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 232 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.6%, draws 2.7% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 563 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.3%, draws 2.6% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 54.0%, draws 3.3% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 3.6K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 54.9%, draws 4.4% and loses 40.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.1%. It rests on 8.9K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 55.7%, draws 5.1% and loses 39.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.3%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 56.8%, draws 5.8% and loses 37.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.7%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 56.4%, draws 3.1% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.0%. It rests on 10K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 54.4%, draws 5.2% and loses 40.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.0%. It rests on 18K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 53.3%, draws 6.0% and loses 40.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack, Schofman Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 55.0% of its games and loses 40.5%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.