Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense
32K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
45.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 46.2%.
Measured over 32K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 32K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 32K
- Best context
- 48.6% at 1400-1599 Bullet
- Worst context
- 41.4% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
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 · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 39.5% at 0-999, 34.4% 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: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 35.9% expected score (62 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (20 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (194 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 35.6% expected score (130 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 42.6% expected score (12 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.6% expected score (704 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 45.3% expected score (881 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.5% expected score (80 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (1,560 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 45.9% expected score (3,441 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 41.4% expected score (542 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 41.6% expected score (28 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (2,372 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (6,916 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 42.0% expected score (1,307 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 41.9% expected score (54 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (1,830 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (6,082 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (1,287 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 45.4% expected score (52 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.6% expected score (1,600 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (1,884 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 41.7% expected score (280 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.3% expected score (250 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 32.0% expected score (29 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense scores 45.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.3% and 46.2% — from 32K 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
- 32K+ 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, Finegold Defense win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense, Black wins 43.8%, draws 3.9% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 32K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 46.5% (11K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 46.5% in Blitz (19K games) against 42.3% in Rapid (3.5K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense?
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 41.6%, draws 1.0% and loses 57.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.2%. It rests on 336 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.4%, draws 2.5% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 43.7%, draws 3.0% and loses 53.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.2%. It rests on 5.6K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 44.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 51.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.5%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 43.5%, draws 4.6% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 9.3K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.6%, draws 4.3% and loses 53.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.8%. It rests on 3.8K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 39.0%, draws 5.5% and loses 55.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.7%. It rests on 282 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 44.4%, draws 2.3% and loses 53.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 8.6K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.3%, draws 4.3% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.5%. It rests on 19K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 39.7%, draws 5.1% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.3%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 37.5%, draws 8.1% and loses 54.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.6%. It rests on 141 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 43.8% of its games and loses 52.3%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.