Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2
56K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.9%.
Measured over 56K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 56K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 56K
- Best context
- 54.6% at 1200-1399 Blitz
- Worst context
- 48.3% at 2000-2199 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.2%
- Draws
- 3.8%
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 holds about the same all the way up, near 48.6%.
| 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: 53.8% expected score (38 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 62.0% expected score (11 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (236 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 39.6% expected score (80 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 63.8% expected score (13 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (744 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.6% expected score (536 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 58.9% expected score (83 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (2,029 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (2,197 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (427 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 58.2% expected score (23 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (3,541 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (6,126 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (1,017 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.7% expected score (76 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (5,124 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (10,374 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (1,814 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.4% expected score (107 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (5,560 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (7,444 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (1,345 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 56.6% expected score (29 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (3,526 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.9% expected score (2,060 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 60.6% expected score (244 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (977 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (180 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (43 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 scores 50.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.2% and 50.9% — from 56K 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
- 56K+ 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 Qd2 win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2, White wins 48.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 56K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 performs best for White at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 52.9% (1.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 51.3% in Blitz (29K games) against 53.6% in Rapid (5.0K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 44.6%, draws 1.7% and loses 53.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.5%. It rests on 329 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 51.7%, draws 2.4% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 49.5%, draws 2.2% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 4.7K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.5%, draws 2.9% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 49.2%, draws 3.4% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 17K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.3%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 48.8%, draws 4.0% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 5.8K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 38.4%, draws 25.9% and loses 35.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games, which average 47 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 47.1%, draws 3.5% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 22K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.3%, draws 3.9% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 29K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.3%, draws 4.6% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 5.0K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 46.4%, draws 6.5% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 252 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.6% of its games and loses 47.5%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.