Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation
35K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.2%.
Measured over 35K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 2.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 35K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 35K
- Best context
- 56.3% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 50.5% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Average game length
- 31 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.2%
- Draws
- 2.8%
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.
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 falls away as the rating rises: 59.3% at 0-999, 54.9% 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: 53.3% expected score (59 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 74.7% expected score (35 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (215 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (251 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 45.7% expected score (91 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.6% expected score (604 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (1,186 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (200 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (1,217 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (2,442 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (439 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (2,192 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (4,379 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.5% expected score (840 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (17 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (3,817 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (5,127 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (704 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 39.7% expected score (13 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (3,562 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (2,394 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (274 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 60.6% expected score (22 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (2,584 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (805 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 62.4% expected score (47 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.3% expected score (920 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.3% expected score (59 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation scores 52.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.3% and 53.2% — from 35K 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
- 35K+ 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: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation, White wins 51.3%, draws 2.8% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 35K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.4% (983 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 52.8% in Blitz (17K games) against 51.8% in Rapid (2.6K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation?
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation has a sharpness score of 97.2 (very decisive), meaning 97.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 31 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 58.1%, draws 4.2% and loses 37.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.2%. It rests on 106 Lichess games, which average 23 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 48.9%, draws 1.5% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 558 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 51.1%, draws 1.8% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.0%, draws 2.1% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.1%. It rests on 4.1K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.0%, draws 2.6% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 51.9%, draws 2.8% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 9.7K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.9%, draws 3.3% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 6.2K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 49.8%, draws 3.6% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 54.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 41.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 983 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 51.8%, draws 2.3% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 15K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.2%, draws 3.2% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 17K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.9%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.3% of its games and loses 45.8%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.