1.4K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 49.6% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 47.4% and 51.8%), based on 1.4K Lichess games.
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Improves with rating: 9% → 48%
Best in Bullet (49%), worst in Classical (20%)
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: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 47.2% (90% CI: 45.0%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 1.4K rated games from Lichess.
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation performs best at 2000-2199 Elo with a 50.8% win rate for white (297 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Rapid (54.7%) outperforms Bullet (45.9%) by 8.8%. Choose your time control wisely.
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a sharpness score of 93.6 (decisive), meaning 93.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 39 moves.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 50.8% (90% CI: 46.0%-55.5%) win rate for white, based on 297 Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 47.5% (90% CI: 44.4%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 679 Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 6.7% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 42.7% (90% CI: 37.6%-48.0%) win rate for white, based on 243 Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 9.2% draw rate.
In Bullet games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 45.9% (90% CI: 41.0%-50.9%) win rate for white (274 Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.6%.
In Blitz games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 46.6% (90% CI: 43.9%-49.2%) win rate for white (966 Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.3%.
In Rapid games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation has a 54.7% (90% CI: 46.9%-62.3%) win rate for white (111 Lichess games). Draw rate is 9.3%.
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation is statistically balanced with a 47.2% (90% CI: 45.0%-49.5%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2000-2199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.