Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation
44K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
46.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 46.7%.
Measured over 44K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 44K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 44K
- Best context
- 49.5% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Worst context
- 39.7% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.1%
- Draws
- 5.9%
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 holds about the same all the way up, near 41.0%.
| 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: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 64.9% expected score (49 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (21 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (180 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 37.0% expected score (144 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (20 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (450 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 42.9% expected score (593 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 20.7% expected score (89 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 34.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (883 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 44.2% expected score (1,762 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 36.5% expected score (320 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 30.4% expected score (24 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (1,488 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (4,531 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 39.7% expected score (759 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (74 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (2,523 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (8,288 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 43.2% expected score (1,317 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.5% expected score (55 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (3,848 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (9,647 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 41.9% expected score (1,204 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 42.8% expected score (40 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.6% expected score (2,877 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (2,817 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.4% expected score (164 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 40.9% expected score (15 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation scores 46.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.9% and 46.7% — from 44K 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
- 44K+ 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: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation, Black wins 43.3%, draws 5.9% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.3%. It rests on 44K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation performs best for Black at 1000-1199, with an Expected Score of 58.2% (78 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 46.4% in Blitz (28K games) against 40.5% in Rapid (3.9K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation?
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation has a sharpness score of 94.1 (decisive), meaning 94.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 42.1%, draws 2.2% and loses 55.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.2%. It rests on 344 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 40.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 55.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.5%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 42.5%, draws 4.6% and loses 52.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.8%. It rests on 3.0K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 43.5%, draws 4.6% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 6.9K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 43.5%, draws 5.1% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.1%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.9%, draws 6.0% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.9%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 41.9%, draws 10.4% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 5.9K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.6%, draws 4.3% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 12K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 43.2%, draws 6.4% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.4%. It rests on 28K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 36.7%, draws 7.6% and loses 55.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.5%. It rests on 3.9K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 36.1%, draws 12.5% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.3%. It rests on 219 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 43.3% of its games and loses 50.8%. It performs best at 1000-1199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.