Slav Defense
40 variations · 22M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · Overall
47.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 22M games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the ranked list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 22M games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- #48 of 62
- Games in this context
- 22M
- Best context
- 50.3% at 1000-1199 UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 39.6% at 2500+ Rapid
- Variations measured
- 40
- Average game length
- 35 moves
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.
What to play from here
Black · OverallThese are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
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: 50.2% at 0-999, 39.4% 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, UltraBullet: 54.6% expected score (418 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (95,036 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (144,903 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (43,018 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.9% expected score (225 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.3% expected score (1,303 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (276,280 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (388,622 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (121,948 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 47.7% expected score (1,542 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 48.6% expected score (3,506 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (571,575 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (806,871 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (253,605 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.6% expected score (7,385 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 49.3% expected score (10,075 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (963,603 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (1,437,735 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (435,168 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.3% expected score (20,034 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.5% expected score (14,101 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (1,465,441 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.6% expected score (2,236,576 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (580,457 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (32,149 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.1% expected score (9,003 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (1,850,846 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (2,641,967 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (602,581 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.9% expected score (29,629 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 48.2% expected score (4,798 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (1,716,686 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (1,806,663 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 45.5% expected score (305,426 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 42.9% expected score (9,022 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 43.6% expected score (2,372 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (1,431,556 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.0% expected score (871,972 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.8% expected score (82,535 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 39.7% expected score (1,694 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 33.0% expected score (163 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (365,341 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 41.7% expected score (97,393 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 39.6% expected score (4,461 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 39.0% expected score (307 games)
40 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Slav Defense family scores 47.0% for Black — we are 90% confident it is 47.0% — from 22M Lichess games across 40 variations. 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
- 22M+ 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 Slav Defense win rate?
Across the Slav Defense's 40 variations, Black wins 44.7%, draws 4.6% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 22M rated games from Lichess.
How many Slav Defense variations are there?
40 Slav Defense variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Slav Defense perform best?
The Slav Defense family performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 48.5% (284K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Slav Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Slav Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 46.9% in Blitz (10M games) against 46.8% in Rapid (2.4M games).
How sharp is the Slav Defense?
Slav Defense games are 95.4% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Slav Defense a good opening family?
The Slav Defense family is hard work for Black — it favours White overall. Across its games, Black wins 44.7% and loses 50.7%. Results differ between its 40 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.