What is the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation expected score for White?
At all ratings, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 49.3% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 49.3% and 49.4%), based on 2.5M Lichess games.
2.5M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 49.3% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 49.3% and 49.4%), based on 2.5M Lichess games.
Improves with rating: 43% → 49%
Best in Blitz (47%), worst in Classical (44%)
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| 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
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 47.1%-47.2%) win rate for white, based on 2.5M rated games from Lichess.
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 49.8% win rate for white (369K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Blitz (47.4%) outperforms UltraBullet (46.2%) by 1.2%. Choose your time control wisely.
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
At 0-999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 43.4% (90% CI: 42.4%-44.4%) win rate for white, based on 6.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.2% draw rate.
At 1000-1199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 45.0% (90% CI: 44.6%-45.5%) win rate for white, based on 31K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.2% draw rate.
At 1200-1399 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 45.7% (90% CI: 45.4%-46.0%) win rate for white, based on 93K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.
At 1400-1599 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 45.8% (90% CI: 45.7%-46.0%) win rate for white, based on 234K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.2% draw rate.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 46.1% (90% CI: 46.0%-46.2%) win rate for white, based on 457K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 46.6% (90% CI: 46.5%-46.7%) win rate for white, based on 633K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 47.5% (90% CI: 47.4%-47.6%) win rate for white, based on 559K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.7% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 49.8% (90% CI: 49.6%-49.9%) win rate for white, based on 369K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.1% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 49.2% (90% CI: 48.9%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 85K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 10.2% draw rate.
In UltraBullet games, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 46.2% (90% CI: 40.6%-51.8%) win rate for white (214 Lichess games). Draw rate is 0.7%.
In Bullet games, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 46.7% (90% CI: 46.6%-46.8%) win rate for white (764K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.3%.
In Blitz games, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 47.4% (90% CI: 47.4%-47.5%) win rate for white (1.4M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.7%.
In Rapid games, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 46.9% (90% CI: 46.8%-47.1%) win rate for white (301K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.6%.
In Classical games, the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has a 44.3% (90% CI: 43.6%-44.9%) win rate for white (15K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.9%.
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation is statistically balanced with a 47.1% (90% CI: 47.1%-47.2%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.