Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English
65K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.1%.
Measured over 65K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 65K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 65K
- Best context
- 56.8% at 2000-2199 Bullet
- Worst context
- 45.3% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.9%
- Draws
- 5.1%
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.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 58.9% at 0-999, 49.0% 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: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 58.8% expected score (50 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.9% expected score (37 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 40.5% expected score (9 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.6% expected score (331 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (240 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 58.4% expected score (40 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 56.5% expected score (1,255 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (1,241 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (164 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 58.7% expected score (10 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 56.1% expected score (2,622 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.3% expected score (5,094 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.1% expected score (777 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.5% expected score (98 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 56.6% expected score (3,506 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (12,135 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (1,942 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.5% expected score (185 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 56.8% expected score (4,719 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (12,279 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (2,345 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 47.1% expected score (84 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (4,929 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (6,797 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (1,043 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 34.6% expected score (31 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (1,708 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 45.3% expected score (1,215 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (188 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (28 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English scores 52.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.4% and 53.1% — from 65K 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
- 65K+ 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: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English, Black wins 50.2%, draws 5.1% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 65K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 55.6% (2.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 51.8% in Blitz (39K games) against 51.6% in Rapid (6.5K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English?
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English has a sharpness score of 94.9 (decisive), meaning 94.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 55.3%, draws 1.9% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 612 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 54.6%, draws 2.0% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 53.4%, draws 2.8% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 8.6K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 51.8%, draws 3.6% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 50.8%, draws 4.1% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 19K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 47.7%, draws 5.3% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 33.3%, draws 29.2% and loses 37.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 3.1K Lichess games, which average 48 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 52.7%, draws 4.9% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.2%. It rests on 19K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 49.3%, draws 4.9% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 39K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 48.3%, draws 6.4% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 42.1%, draws 11.5% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 437 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack, Anti-English is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 50.2% of its games and loses 44.7%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.