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Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation

12K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score65.3%Range (90% confident): 64.6% – 66.0%Based on 12K games
0%65.3%100%
Range (90% confident): 64.6% – 66.0%
Outcome Distribution
63.4%3.8%32.8%
Win
Draw
Loss
2...c5
Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation
Analyzen=12K
Avg Length28 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate3.8%

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 65.3% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 64.6% and 66.0%), based on 12K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 16.1% · Classical best · Bullet worst

White Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 64% → 44%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 63.7% win rate (3,329 games)
  • 1000-1199: 68.4% win rate (1,953 games)
  • 1200-1399: 71.2% win rate (1,484 games)
  • 1400-1599: 66.1% win rate (1,855 games)
  • 1600-1799: 58.9% win rate (1,451 games)
  • 1800-1999: 55.4% win rate (1,243 games)
  • 2000-2199: 51.6% win rate (540 games)
  • 2200-2499: 53.3% win rate (292 games)
  • 2500+: 44.2% win rate (81 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (76%), worst in UltraBullet (59%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 58.7% win rate (30 games)
  • Bullet: 60.3% win rate (4,009 games)
  • Blitz: 62.7% win rate (5,341 games)
  • Rapid: 68.7% win rate (2,616 games)
  • Classical: 76.4% win rate (232 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: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 62.9% expected score (980 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 66.5% expected score (1,427 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 69.4% expected score (890 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 74.5% expected score (25 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 69.2% expected score (676 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (778 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 71.5% expected score (445 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 72.8% expected score (49 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 66.5% expected score (396 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 71.3% expected score (641 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 79.6% expected score (403 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 85.1% expected score (37 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 81.6% expected score (8 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 62.0% expected score (662 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 65.0% expected score (683 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 76.5% expected score (420 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 87.7% expected score (82 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 57.6% expected score (610 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 62.1% expected score (560 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 67.5% expected score (250 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 64.8% expected score (29 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (345 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 58.1% expected score (747 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (144 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (140 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (344 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 60.3% expected score (52 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (141 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (139 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 79.7% expected score (12 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (59 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 54.3% expected score (22 games)

Related Openings

Variations (1)
Zukertort Defense: Kingside Variation
48.6%
Analyze Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate?

The Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 63.4% (90% CI: 62.7%-64.1%) win rate for white, based on 12K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation perform best?

The Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation performs best at 1200-1399 Elo with a 71.2% win rate for white (1.5K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (76.4%) outperforms Bullet (60.3%) by 16.1%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation?

The Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 28 moves.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 63.7% (90% CI: 62.3%-65.1%) win rate for white, based on 3.3K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 68.4% (90% CI: 66.7%-70.1%) win rate for white, based on 2.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 71.2% (90% CI: 69.2%-73.1%) win rate for white, based on 1.5K Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 2.9% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 66.1% (90% CI: 64.3%-67.9%) win rate for white, based on 1.9K Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 3.0% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 58.9% (90% CI: 56.8%-61.0%) win rate for white, based on 1.5K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 4.6% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 55.4% (90% CI: 53.1%-57.7%) win rate for white, based on 1.2K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 2.5% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 51.6% (90% CI: 48.1%-55.1%) win rate for white, based on 540 Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 53.3% (90% CI: 48.5%-58.1%) win rate for white, based on 292 Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 60.3% (90% CI: 59.0%-61.5%) win rate for white (4.0K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.4%.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 62.7% (90% CI: 61.6%-63.7%) win rate for white (5.3K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.9%.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 68.7% (90% CI: 67.2%-70.2%) win rate for white (2.6K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.4%.

What is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation has a 76.4% (90% CI: 71.8%-80.9%) win rate for white (232 Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.9%.

Is the Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation a good opening?

The Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight Variation is statistically favors white with a 63.4% (90% CI: 62.7%-64.1%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1200-1399 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.