Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense
304 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.1%.
Measured over 304 games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 6.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 304 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 304
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 33 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.3%
- Draws
- 6.7%
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: 70.0% at 1400-1599, 37.4% 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
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 39.7% expected score (13 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (53 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 42.6% expected score (12 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (165 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 38.1% expected score (32 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense scores 49.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 44.7% and 54.1% — from 304 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
- 304+ 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: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense win rate?
Playing the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense, Black wins 46.0%, draws 6.7% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 304 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense perform best?
The Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 57.9% (68 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
How sharp is the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense?
The Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense has a sharpness score of 93.3 (decisive), meaning 93.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 44.7%, draws 8.5% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 181 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.5%, draws 7.7% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 265 Lichess games.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense a good opening?
The Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Romanian Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.0% of its games and loses 47.3%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.