Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation
1.4K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.8%.
Measured over 1.4K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 6.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.4K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.4K
- Best context
- 49.9% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 39 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.6%
- Draws
- 6.4%
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 · 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 gets better as the rating rises: 13.7% at 1200-1399, 52.3% 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
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 65.4% expected score (18 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 61.2% expected score (21 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (61 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 45.7% expected score (33 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (214 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 36.4% expected score (50 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (122 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (512 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.3% expected score (42 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (88 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (148 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation scores 49.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.4% and 51.8% — from 1.4K 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
- 1.4K+ 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, Ivanov Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation, Black wins 46.4%, draws 6.4% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 1.4K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation performs best for Black at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 52.7% (243 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 50.3% in Blitz (966 games) against 40.7% in Rapid (111 games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation?
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.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 44.4%, draws 4.9% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 297 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 45.8%, draws 6.7% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 679 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 48.1%, draws 9.2% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 243 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 48.5%, draws 5.6% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 274 Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 47.2%, draws 6.3% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 966 Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 36.0%, draws 9.3% and loses 54.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.7%. It rests on 111 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.4% of its games and loses 47.2%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.