Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack
45K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.9%.
Measured over 45K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 5.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 45K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 45K
- Best context
- 59.6% at 2000-2199 Rapid
- Worst context
- 52.0% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.4%
- Draws
- 5.6%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 74.4% at 0-999, 59.6% 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: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (19 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (21 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (53 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 56.3% expected score (70 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 57.9% expected score (189 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 60.6% expected score (304 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 65.6% expected score (88 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 64.9% expected score (12 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (517 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 58.9% expected score (1,094 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 62.4% expected score (241 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (27 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (1,247 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 56.2% expected score (4,036 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 59.1% expected score (641 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 63.8% expected score (60 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.6% expected score (2,780 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (9,026 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 59.6% expected score (1,038 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 63.6% expected score (61 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (4,506 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (12,644 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 58.6% expected score (1,302 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 62.0% expected score (36 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (2,459 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.8% expected score (2,242 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 66.7% expected score (163 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (13 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack scores 55.5% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.1% and 55.9% — from 45K 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
- 45K+ 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, Keres Attack win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack, White wins 52.7%, draws 5.6% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.5%. It rests on 45K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 60.7% (593 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 55.6% in Blitz (29K games) against 59.9% in Rapid (3.5K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack has a sharpness score of 94.4 (decisive), meaning 94.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 53.0%, draws 5.3% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 141 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 58.6%, draws 4.1% and loses 37.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.7%. It rests on 593 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 55.8%, draws 3.1% and loses 41.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.4%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 54.5%, draws 4.0% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.5%. It rests on 6.0K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 52.8%, draws 4.6% and loses 42.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.1%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.6%, draws 6.0% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.6%, draws 10.2% and loses 37.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.8%. It rests on 4.9K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 51.5%, draws 4.9% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 12K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.9%, draws 5.5% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 29K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 55.3%, draws 9.2% and loses 35.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.9%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 54.4%, draws 14.4% and loses 31.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.6%. It rests on 211 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 52.7% of its games and loses 41.7%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.