Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation
2.8K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
58.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 59.9%.
Measured over 2.8K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.8K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.8K
- Best context
- 58.5% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.8%
- Draws
- 6.2%
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: 30.0% at 1000-1199, 66.5% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 41.3% expected score (10 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 42.6% expected score (39 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 62.7% expected score (54 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (426 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (26 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 60.2% expected score (307 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 58.5% expected score (1,198 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 61.6% expected score (128 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 61.7% expected score (265 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 63.6% expected score (367 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 74.2% expected score (13 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation scores 58.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 56.8% and 59.9% — from 2.8K 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
- 2.8K+ 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: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation, White wins 55.3%, draws 6.2% and loses 38.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.4%. It rests on 2.8K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 63.1% (645 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 57.7% in Blitz (2.0K games) against 58.1% in Rapid (173 games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation?
The Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation has a sharpness score of 93.8 (decisive), meaning 93.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 50.0%, draws 5.0% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 508 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 55.9%, draws 6.2% and loses 37.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.0%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 59.5%, draws 7.2% and loses 33.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.1%. It rests on 645 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 58.0%, draws 5.6% and loses 36.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.8%. It rests on 636 Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 54.5%, draws 6.3% and loses 39.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.7%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 54.2%, draws 7.7% and loses 38.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.1%. It rests on 173 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Gurgenidze Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 55.3% of its games and loses 38.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.