Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack
69K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.7%.
Measured over 69K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 69K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 69K
- Best context
- 59.1% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Worst context
- 52.1% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.2%
- Draws
- 4.8%
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 holds about the same all the way up, near 57.1%.
| 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: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (19 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 86.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (115 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.5% expected score (100 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 40.3% expected score (19 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (367 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (559 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (62 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (789 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 56.4% expected score (2,259 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (308 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (23 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (1,816 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (8,458 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (1,301 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 63.7% expected score (79 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (3,836 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (15,901 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 56.8% expected score (3,165 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 61.9% expected score (133 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (5,414 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (15,760 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 59.1% expected score (2,464 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 61.9% expected score (49 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.1% expected score (3,215 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.2% expected score (2,328 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 62.9% expected score (76 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack scores 55.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.1% and 55.7% — from 69K 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
- 69K+ 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, Freak Attack win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack, White wins 52.9%, draws 4.8% and loses 42.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 69K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 57.0% (5.6K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 55.4% in Blitz (45K games) against 57.1% in Rapid (7.4K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack?
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack has a sharpness score of 95.2 (very decisive), meaning 95.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.6%, draws 1.1% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 235 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 51.2%, draws 2.5% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 996 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 54.0%, draws 2.9% and loses 43.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 53.3%, draws 3.4% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.0%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 52.6%, draws 4.4% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 23K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.9%, draws 5.7% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 24K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 53.2%, draws 7.6% and loses 39.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.0%. It rests on 5.6K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 52.4%, draws 3.7% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 16K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.9%, draws 5.0% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 45K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 54.1%, draws 5.9% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.1%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 56.5%, draws 8.6% and loses 34.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.8%. It rests on 295 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Freak Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 52.9% of its games and loses 42.2%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.