Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack
211K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.8%.
Measured over 211K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 211K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 211K
- Best context
- 59.8% at 1000-1199 Bullet
- Worst context
- 53.0% at 2000-2199 Rapid
- Average game length
- 30 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.3%
- Draws
- 4.7%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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 falls away as the rating rises: 53.2% at 0-999, 45.0% 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: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 57.3% expected score (543 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (340 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 53.8% expected score (117 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 59.8% expected score (1,738 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 57.3% expected score (1,441 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (490 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 57.1% expected score (3,938 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.8% expected score (4,846 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 55.1% expected score (1,389 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (26 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (7,559 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (13,756 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (3,858 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.7% expected score (148 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 64.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (9,176 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (25,390 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (8,401 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.8% expected score (406 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 69.4% expected score (14 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.5% expected score (9,682 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (30,811 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (10,478 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.4% expected score (694 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (8,442 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (27,489 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (7,981 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 52.8% expected score (301 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (9,317 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.1% expected score (15,032 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (2,759 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 49.2% expected score (63 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (3,247 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.7% expected score (1,248 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (106 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack scores 54.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.4% and 54.8% — from 211K 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
- 211K+ 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: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate?
Playing the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack, White wins 52.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 211K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack perform best?
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack performs best for White at 1000-1199, with an Expected Score of 57.9% (3.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 54.7% in Blitz (120K games) against 53.9% in Rapid (36K games).
How sharp is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack?
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack has a sharpness score of 95.3 (very decisive), meaning 95.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 30 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 53.7%, draws 2.4% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games, which average 22 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 56.8%, draws 2.2% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.9%. It rests on 3.7K Lichess games, which average 24 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 55.1%, draws 2.3% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.2%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 53.6%, draws 2.9% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.1%. It rests on 25K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.4%, draws 3.8% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 43K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 51.5%, draws 4.6% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 52K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.7%, draws 5.7% and loses 42.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.2%, draws 7.0% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.7%. It rests on 27K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.0%, draws 7.9% and loses 40.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 4.6K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 53.2%, draws 3.3% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 54K Lichess games.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.1%, draws 5.0% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.7%. It rests on 120K Lichess games.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.2%, draws 5.5% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 36K Lichess games.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 48.7%, draws 7.9% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games.
Is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack a good opening?
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 52.2% of its games and loses 43.1%. It performs best at 1000-1199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.