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Sicilian Defense win rate

White scored 50.7% (margin 0.2 points) in 163,245 rated games of the Sicilian Defense, ECO B20, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 1 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 10.1% of all games.

48.6%
47.1%
  • White wins 48.6%
  • Draws 4.3%
  • Black wins 47.1%

163,245 games

How often does White win in the Sicilian Defense?

White won 48.6% of the 163,245 games, 4.3% were drawn and Black won 47.1%. White's score of 50.7% is lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.1 points, more than the margin of 0.2 points.

Results of 163,245 Sicilian Defense games, 1 September 2026.
ResultGamesShare
White wins79,33548.6%
Draws6,9954.3%
Black wins76,91547.1%

Does the Sicilian Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 2000 and above (51.7%) and lowest at under 1200 (49.5%). That spread of 2.2 points is larger than the two margins added together, so the score does differ between these rating bands.

Players rated 2000 and above choose the Sicilian Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 16.7 percent of their games.

White's score in the Sicilian Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating bandGamesShare of the bandWhite scoreMargin (points)
under 120012,4714.5%49.5%0.9
1200 to 159947,2518.1%50.3%0.4
1600 to 199977,42112.8%50.9%0.3
2000 and above26,10216.7%51.7%0.6

How does the Sicilian Defense do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Sicilian Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time controlGamesWhite scoreMargin (points)
Blitz126,32750.9%0.3
Rapid35,76450.2%0.5

What are the most played lines of the Sicilian Defense?

The most played named line is the Bowdler Attack, with 16,178 games and a White score of 49.1%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Sicilian Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
LineGamesWhite scoreMargin (points)
Bowdler Attack16,17849.1%0.8
Old Sicilian15,70850.6%0.8
Closed7,83752.4%1.1
Alapin Variation7,73252.8%1.1
McDonnell Attack7,67350.3%1.1
Modern Variations6,82050.2%1.2
Smith-Morra Gambit5,96250.3%1.2
French Variation5,48049.3%1.3
Open4,88352.6%1.4
Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack4,04452.2%1.5
Main line and less played lines25,21350.5%0.6

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Sicilian Defense?

White won 48.6%, drew 4.3% and lost 47.1% of 163,245 games, a White score of 50.7% with a margin of 0.2 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Sicilian Defense good for White?

At these ratings White's score was lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.1 points, more than the margin of 0.2 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Sicilian Defense?

The Bowdler Attack was the most played named line, with 16,178 games, which is 9.9% of the Sicilian Defense games.

Sources

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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