138K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 52.0% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.7% and 52.2%), based on 138K Lichess games.
Stable across ratings (~51%)
Similar across time controls (~51%)
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 has a 49.7% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.9%) win rate for white, based on 138K rated games from Lichess.
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation performs best at 2000-2199 Elo with a 50.2% win rate for white (31K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Rapid (50.9%) outperforms Classical (50.4%) by 0.5%. Choose your time control wisely.
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a sharpness score of 95.5 (very decisive), meaning 95.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
At 0-999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 50.8% (90% CI: 46.3%-55.3%) win rate for white, based on 332 Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 1.9% draw rate.
At 1000-1199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.9% (90% CI: 47.8%-52.0%) win rate for white, based on 1.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 1.3% draw rate.
At 1200-1399 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.7% (90% CI: 48.5%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 4.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 2.5% draw rate.
At 1400-1599 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.4% (90% CI: 48.7%-50.2%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.9% draw rate.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.1% (90% CI: 48.6%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 23K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.1% (90% CI: 48.6%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 31K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 50.2% (90% CI: 49.7%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 31K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 50.1% (90% CI: 49.6%-50.6%) win rate for white, based on 26K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 49.4%-51.4%) win rate for white, based on 7.2K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 9.6% draw rate.
In Bullet games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.3% (90% CI: 48.9%-49.7%) win rate for white (43K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.3%.
In Blitz games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 49.6% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.9%) win rate for white (80K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.9%.
In Rapid games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.2%-51.6%) win rate for white (14K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.0%.
In Classical games, the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 47.2%-53.7%) win rate for white (632 Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.6%.
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation is statistically balanced with a 49.7% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.9%) 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.