Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation
857K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.7%.
Measured over 857K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 5.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 857K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 857K
- Best context
- 57.9% at 2500+ Rapid
- Worst context
- 45.4% at 1400-1599 Classical
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.8%
- Draws
- 5.2%
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: 45.0% at 0-999, 54.4% 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, UltraBullet: 39.9% expected score (28 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (3,378 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (3,365 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (2,180 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (43 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.2% expected score (57 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (9,284 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (10,971 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (3,517 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 48.3% expected score (114 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 51.8% expected score (83 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (17,269 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (29,534 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (8,039 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.7% expected score (285 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.7% expected score (117 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (26,281 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (54,397 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (16,837 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 45.4% expected score (1,048 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.8% expected score (27 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (33,484 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (75,966 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (23,581 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.6% expected score (1,641 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 55.3% expected score (46 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (34,892 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (104,975 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (27,365 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (1,933 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (33,708 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (107,936 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (21,017 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (798 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (46,516 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (99,957 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.4% expected score (10,486 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 59.4% expected score (216 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (25,520 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (19,212 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.9% expected score (780 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 52.7% expected score (17 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation scores 51.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.5% and 51.7% — from 857K 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
- 857K+ 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: Moscow Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, White wins 49.0%, draws 5.2% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 857K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.7% (46K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 51.6% in Blitz (506K games) against 51.5% in Rapid (114K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation?
The Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation has a sharpness score of 94.8 (decisive), meaning 94.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 45.4%, draws 3.1% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 9.0K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 47.2%, draws 2.8% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 24K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 47.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 55K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.2%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 99K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.5%, draws 4.4% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 135K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 48.8%, draws 5.1% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 169K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.1%, draws 5.7% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 163K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 50.2%, draws 6.8% and loses 43.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 157K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 51.8%, draws 7.7% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 46K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 50.1%, draws 1.2% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 379 Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 230K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 48.7%, draws 5.7% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 506K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 48.4%, draws 6.1% and loses 45.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 114K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 45.8%, draws 7.5% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 6.1K Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 49.0% of its games and loses 45.8%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.