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Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation

393K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
Black Expected Score52.0%Range (90% confident): 51.9% – 52.2%Based on 393K games
0%52.0%100%
Range (90% confident): 51.9% – 52.2%
Outcome Distribution
49.7%4.6%45.7%
Win
Draw
Loss
7.Be2
Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation
Analyzen=393K
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness95%
Draw Rate4.6%

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 52.0% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 51.9% and 52.2%), based on 393K Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 54% → 42%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 53.9% win rate (906 games)
  • 1000-1199: 53.6% win rate (3,968 games)
  • 1200-1399: 52.7% win rate (12,861 games)
  • 1400-1599: 51.6% win rate (31,444 games)
  • 1600-1799: 51.5% win rate (60,344 games)
  • 1800-1999: 51.4% win rate (87,162 games)
  • 2000-2199: 50.4% win rate (89,403 games)
  • 2200-2499: 46.7% win rate (85,130 games)
  • 2500+: 42.1% win rate (21,975 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (51%), worst in UltraBullet (46%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 45.9% win rate (54 games)
  • Bullet: 50.6% win rate (140,166 games)
  • Blitz: 49.3% win rate (216,652 games)
  • Rapid: 49.2% win rate (34,920 games)
  • Classical: 50.4% win rate (1,401 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (541 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (298 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 70.3% expected score (65 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (2,148 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (1,496 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 57.1% expected score (316 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 64.3% expected score (9 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.5% expected score (5,791 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (6,126 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (907 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 60.2% expected score (28 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (11,137 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.8% expected score (17,398 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (2,805 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 59.9% expected score (95 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 42.6% expected score (12 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (18,245 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (35,246 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (6,563 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 55.4% expected score (278 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (25,010 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (50,980 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.7% expected score (10,632 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.1% expected score (526 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (27,428 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (52,760 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.7% expected score (8,851 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (362 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (35,100 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (45,493 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 47.7% expected score (4,440 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 48.0% expected score (95 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (14,766 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 41.8% expected score (6,855 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 41.1% expected score (341 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 39.7% expected score (13 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Sicilian Defense
48.5%
Variations (5)
Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack
47.2%
Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian
48.5%
Sicilian Defense: Closed
49.8%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation
50.2%
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack
48.6%
Continuations (2)
Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation, English Attack
46.8%
Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation, Ponomariov Gambit
59.0%
Analyze Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate?

The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 45.7% (90% CI: 45.5%-45.8%) win rate for white, based on 393K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation perform best?

The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 50.2% win rate for white (22K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (46.0%) outperforms Classical (40.7%) by 5.3%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation?

The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a sharpness score of 95.4 (very decisive), meaning 95.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 44.0% (90% CI: 41.3%-46.7%) win rate for white, based on 906 Lichess games. Average game length is 24 moves with a 2.0% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 44.4% (90% CI: 43.1%-45.6%) win rate for white, based on 4.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.0% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 45.1% (90% CI: 44.3%-45.8%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.2% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 45.6% (90% CI: 45.1%-46.1%) win rate for white, based on 31K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.8% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 45.1% (90% CI: 44.7%-45.4%) win rate for white, based on 60K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 44.5% (90% CI: 44.2%-44.8%) win rate for white, based on 87K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 44.8% (90% CI: 44.5%-45.1%) win rate for white, based on 89K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 46.9%-47.4%) win rate for white, based on 85K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 6.1% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 50.2% (90% CI: 49.7%-50.8%) win rate for white, based on 22K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 7.7% draw rate.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 46.0% (90% CI: 45.8%-46.2%) win rate for white (140K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.4%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 45.6% (90% CI: 45.4%-45.8%) win rate for white (217K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.1%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 44.9% (90% CI: 44.4%-45.3%) win rate for white (35K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.0%.

What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation has a 40.7% (90% CI: 38.5%-42.8%) win rate for white (1.4K Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.9%.

Is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation a good opening?

The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation is slightly favors black with a 45.7% (90% CI: 45.5%-45.8%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.