Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack
8.5K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
59.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 60.7%.
Measured over 8.5K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 8.5K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 8.5K
- Best context
- 64.9% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 59.2% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.2%
- Draws
- 7.8%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 54.4% at 0-999, 66.8% 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: 57.5% expected score (12 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 43.6% expected score (14 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 62.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (19 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (40 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 33.1% expected score (31 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (87 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.4% expected score (40 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 59.2% expected score (53 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (108 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 43.6% expected score (53 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 57.7% expected score (70 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 56.8% expected score (316 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 41.3% expected score (102 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 73.4% expected score (22 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 57.5% expected score (113 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 61.9% expected score (522 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (199 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (15 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 56.7% expected score (192 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 59.2% expected score (1,408 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (378 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 63.0% expected score (429 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 61.4% expected score (2,231 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (273 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 67.3% expected score (423 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 64.9% expected score (1,305 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack scores 59.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 58.9% and 60.7% — from 8.5K 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
- 8.5K+ 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: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack, White wins 55.9%, draws 7.8% and loses 36.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.8%. It rests on 8.5K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 65.5% (1.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 61.1% in Blitz (6.0K games) against 50.6% in Rapid (1.1K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack?
The Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack has a sharpness score of 92.2 (decisive), meaning 92.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 45.8%, draws 2.8% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 159 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 49.4%, draws 3.4% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 216 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.1%, draws 5.0% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 510 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 55.8%, draws 4.8% and loses 39.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.2%. It rests on 849 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 53.9%, draws 7.2% and loses 38.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.5%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 56.7%, draws 8.6% and loses 34.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.0%. It rests on 2.9K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 60.0%, draws 10.9% and loses 29.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 65.5%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 58.8%, draws 5.6% and loses 35.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.7%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 57.0%, draws 8.1% and loses 34.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.1%. It rests on 6.0K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 46.3%, draws 8.6% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 55.9% of its games and loses 36.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.