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Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense

2.8M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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2...Bc5
Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

48.5%

45%55%
Floor48.5%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.

Measured over 2.8M games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 3.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.8M games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
2.8M
Best context
56.1% at 0-999 UltraBullet
Worst context
40.4% at 1800-1999 UltraBullet
Average game length
31 moves
Games that end decisively
96.7%
Draws
3.3%

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.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

How to Beat This (Move 3)

Best: 3...Bxf2+ · Black wins: 49.6% · 1.2M games

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: 52.5% at 0-999, 48.3% at 2500+.

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: 56.1% expected score (691 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (52,323 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (126,342 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (90,905 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 55.6% expected score (812 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 53.4% expected score (2,157 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (84,713 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (163,828 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (80,073 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.2% expected score (2,283 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.7% expected score (5,742 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (124,764 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (248,983 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (95,703 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.5% expected score (4,076 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 49.9% expected score (7,859 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (160,705 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (318,428 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (118,696 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 49.7% expected score (5,930 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 45.2% expected score (5,892 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (176,969 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (297,230 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (99,533 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (4,107 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 40.4% expected score (2,535 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (135,342 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (182,498 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (53,152 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 42.2% expected score (1,607 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 33.8% expected score (445 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (64,619 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 45.9% expected score (56,538 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 44.5% expected score (13,002 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 39.0% expected score (280 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 31.4% expected score (36 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (24,892 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (11,909 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.6% expected score (1,560 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 40.2% expected score (29 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (3,476 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.9% expected score (658 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 35.4% expected score (19 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Vienna Game
51.4%
Variations (5)
Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense
50.3%
Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit
57.4%
Vienna Game: Stanley Variation
51.0%
Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation
48.2%
Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation
50.1%
Analyze Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense scores 48.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.5% and 48.6% — from 2.8M 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
2.8M+ 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 Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate?

Playing the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense, Black wins 46.8%, draws 3.3% and loses 49.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.5%. It rests on 2.8M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense perform best?

The Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 50.4% (271K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 48.3% in Blitz (1.4M games) against 48.6% in Rapid (553K games).

How sharp is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense?

The Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense has a sharpness score of 96.7 (very decisive), meaning 96.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 31 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 48.6%, draws 3.6% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 271K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 47.1%, draws 3.0% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 333K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 47.1%, draws 3.0% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 479K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 47.4%, draws 3.1% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 612K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.7%, draws 3.4% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 584K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 375K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 44.5%, draws 4.1% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 135K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.7%, draws 4.9% and loses 52.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.2%. It rests on 38K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, Black wins 41.2%, draws 6.7% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 4.2K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, Black wins 47.6%, draws 1.2% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 25K Lichess games.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 47.7%, draws 2.3% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 828K Lichess games.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 46.4%, draws 3.7% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 1.4M Lichess games.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 46.5%, draws 4.1% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 553K Lichess games.

What is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 46.7%, draws 4.4% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 19K Lichess games.

Is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense a good opening?

The Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.8% of its games and loses 49.8%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.