Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation
172K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.6%.
Measured over 172K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 172K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 172K
- Best context
- 60.5% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 53.1% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.9%
- Draws
- 4.1%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 45.7% at 0-999, 49.1% 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: 43.8% expected score (127 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (90 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 37.3% expected score (30 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.3% expected score (452 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (341 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 64.5% expected score (64 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 56.1% expected score (1,738 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (1,456 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (271 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (6 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (4,885 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (6,229 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (956 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (52 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (9,620 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (18,907 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 55.7% expected score (3,172 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 49.4% expected score (170 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (12,857 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (33,674 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (6,533 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.0% expected score (315 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (12,600 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (25,683 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (5,164 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.5% expected score (154 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (8,782 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.3% expected score (12,330 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (1,464 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (23 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 60.5% expected score (2,383 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.2% expected score (1,170 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (40 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation scores 54.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.2% and 54.6% — from 172K 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
- 172K+ 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: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation, White wins 52.3%, draws 4.1% and loses 43.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 172K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 59.5% (3.6K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 54.4% in Blitz (100K games) against 54.7% in Rapid (18K games).
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation?
The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation has a sharpness score of 95.9 (very decisive), meaning 95.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 46.9%, draws 1.0% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 247 Lichess games, which average 21 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 53.7%, draws 1.3% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 861 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 54.5%, draws 2.1% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.9%, draws 2.3% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 32K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 52.0%, draws 4.0% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 53K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.7%, draws 4.6% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.0%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.9%, draws 5.8% and loses 41.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 23K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 55.6%, draws 7.8% and loses 36.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.5%. It rests on 3.6K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 52.7%, draws 2.7% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 53K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.1%, draws 4.6% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 100K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.8%, draws 5.9% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.7%. It rests on 18K Lichess games.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 46.7%, draws 8.3% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 729 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 52.3% of its games and loses 43.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.