Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit
831 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 57.5%.
Measured over 831 games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 831 games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 831
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.0%
- Draws
- 7.0%
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: 30.0% at 1000-1199, 51.2% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 64.0% expected score (20 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 60.3% expected score (18 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (62 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 67.0% expected score (25 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 67.9% expected score (32 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (109 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 61.0% expected score (53 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 83.4% expected score (9 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.6% expected score (52 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.9% expected score (177 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (20 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (128 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 40.3% expected score (101 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit scores 54.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.8% and 57.5% — from 831 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
- 831+ 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: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit, White wins 51.1%, draws 7.0% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 831 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit performs best for White at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 60.3% (203 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 52.7% in Blitz (473 games) against 61.3% in Rapid (109 games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit has a sharpness score of 93.0 (decisive), meaning 93.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 53.8%, draws 7.7% and loses 38.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.7%. It rests on 109 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 58.4%, draws 3.7% and loses 37.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.3%. It rests on 203 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.9%, draws 5.4% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 249 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 38.9%, draws 12.7% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.3%. It rests on 231 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 48.2%, draws 11.6% and loses 40.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.0%. It rests on 236 Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.8%, draws 5.8% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 473 Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 59.3%, draws 4.1% and loses 36.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.3%. It rests on 109 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 51.1% of its games and loses 41.9%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.