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Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation

2.6M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score53.4%Range (90% confident): 53.3% – 53.4%Based on 2.6M games
0%53.4%100%
Range (90% confident): 53.3% – 53.4%
Outcome Distribution
51.1%4.4%44.4%
Win
Draw
Loss
4.Nc3
Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation
Analyzen=2.6M
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate4.4%

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 53.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 53.3% and 53.4%), based on 2.6M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 51% → 55%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 50.6% win rate (18,134 games)
  • 1000-1199: 50.8% win rate (65,562 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.7% win rate (158,565 games)
  • 1400-1599: 50.4% win rate (309,027 games)
  • 1600-1799: 50.3% win rate (538,016 games)
  • 1800-1999: 50.7% win rate (725,451 games)
  • 2000-2199: 52.1% win rate (550,618 games)
  • 2200-2499: 53.1% win rate (252,579 games)
  • 2500+: 54.9% win rate (32,029 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Similar across time controls (~53%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 52.3% win rate (1,979 games)
  • Bullet: 51.3% win rate (1,135,495 games)
  • Blitz: 50.9% win rate (1,249,180 games)
  • Rapid: 51.5% win rate (252,957 games)
  • Classical: 52.7% win rate (10,370 games)

White% 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: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (6,726 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (8,891 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (2,491 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (12 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 39.4% expected score (36 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (25,153 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (30,917 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (9,348 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (108 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 56.5% expected score (122 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (58,786 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (75,837 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (23,272 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 51.4% expected score (548 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (441 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (109,792 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (151,129 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (45,767 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 53.4% expected score (1,898 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 53.2% expected score (713 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (199,730 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (272,661 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.3% expected score (61,348 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.0% expected score (3,564 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 56.0% expected score (446 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (275,651 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (378,519 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (67,587 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.5% expected score (3,248 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 51.7% expected score (144 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (255,515 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (257,846 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 56.8% expected score (36,240 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 64.8% expected score (873 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.8% expected score (63 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (174,784 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 57.9% expected score (70,776 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 62.8% expected score (6,838 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 71.8% expected score (118 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 58.1% expected score (29,358 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 60.4% expected score (2,604 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 65.6% expected score (66 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Slav Defense
50.8%
Variations (5)
Slav Defense: Alapin Variation
53.2%
Slav Defense: Alekhine Variation
51.7%
Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit
49.7%
Slav Defense: Breyer Variation
50.3%
Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation
49.1%
Analyze Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate?

The Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 51.1% (90% CI: 51.1%-51.2%) win rate for white, based on 2.6M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation perform best?

The Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 54.9% win rate for white (32K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (52.7%) outperforms UltraBullet (52.3%) by 0.4%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation?

The Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.6% (90% CI: 50.0%-51.2%) win rate for white, based on 18K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.8% (90% CI: 50.5%-51.1%) win rate for white, based on 66K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 159K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.1% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.5%) win rate for white, based on 309K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.3% (90% CI: 50.1%-50.4%) win rate for white, based on 538K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 4.0% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.6%-50.8%) win rate for white, based on 725K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.6% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.1% (90% CI: 52.0%-52.2%) win rate for white, based on 551K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.1% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 53.1% (90% CI: 52.9%-53.2%) win rate for white, based on 253K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 54.9% (90% CI: 54.4%-55.3%) win rate for white, based on 32K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 6.8% draw rate.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.3% (90% CI: 50.4%-54.1%) win rate for white (2.0K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.6%.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 51.3% (90% CI: 51.2%-51.4%) win rate for white (1.1M Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.3%.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.8%-51.0%) win rate for white (1.2M Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.2%.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 51.5% (90% CI: 51.3%-51.7%) win rate for white (253K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.6%.

What is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.7% (90% CI: 51.9%-53.5%) win rate for white (10K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.6%.

Is the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation a good opening?

The Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation is statistically favors white with a 51.1% (90% CI: 51.1%-51.2%) 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.