Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3
246K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.5%.
Measured over 246K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 5.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 246K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 246K
- Best context
- 59.9% at 1400-1599 Rapid
- Worst context
- 49.2% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.8%
- Draws
- 5.2%
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 · 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: 51.9% at 0-999, 56.5% 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
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (62 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (11 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (414 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (138 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.4% expected score (26 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (1,607 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 56.9% expected score (969 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (153 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (5,261 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (5,149 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 59.9% expected score (797 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 64.6% expected score (43 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (10,678 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (21,773 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.3% expected score (3,046 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.2% expected score (268 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (16,890 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (48,303 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (8,521 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 52.3% expected score (694 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (19,226 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (42,965 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (8,822 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (365 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (16,657 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (19,734 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.7% expected score (3,008 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 65.2% expected score (94 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (7,176 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (2,849 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 64.5% expected score (302 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 54.1% expected score (23 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 scores 52.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.1% and 52.5% — from 246K 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
- 246K+ 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, English Attack, with f3 win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3, White wins 49.7%, draws 5.2% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 246K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 53.8% (11K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.0% in Blitz (142K games) against 54.8% in Rapid (25K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 has a sharpness score of 94.8 (decisive), meaning 94.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 53.7%, draws 1.1% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 580 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.1%, draws 1.5% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.7%, draws 2.2% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 51.2%, draws 2.9% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 36K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 50.3%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 74K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.6%, draws 4.3% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 71K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 50.1%, draws 4.8% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 39K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 35.8%, draws 35.6% and loses 28.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 47 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 47.3%, draws 5.9% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 78K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.6%, draws 4.7% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 142K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 52.0%, draws 5.5% and loses 42.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 25K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 49.8%, draws 8.5% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 49.7% of its games and loses 45.1%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.