Sicilian Alapin Variation: Win Rate by Lichess Rating

Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation · 1.e4 c5 2.c3 · CC0 name list

At 1500–1799 (Lichess rating), White scored 52.0% in 10,189 Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation games (±1.0; games from Oct 2025–Sep 2026).

White won 50.2% of them, Black won 46.3%, and 3.5% were drawn.

White scores above 50% at this level (outside the margin)

In games from Oct 2025–Sep 2026, White scored 52.0% (±1.0) with the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation in sampled Lichess games at the 1500–1799 Lichess rating level (10,189 games). Observed results, not causation.

Data period: games from 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026 (sample of the Lichess open database) · Page updated: 9 Oct 2026

0.9%

of rated games at Lichess rating 1800–2099 reached the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation · 11,794 of 1,329,701 games, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 sample

Under 1200: 0.2%. At 1800–2099: 0.9%. 5.7× as common at 1800–2099 as under 1200.

Position after 1.e4 c5 2.c3. 34,006 games in this sample reached it — 49 of them by a different move order.

At a glance

In this sample, White's score ranged from 50.5% (Under 1200) to 53.3% (2100+).
That spread is within the approximate margin of error, so this sample shows no clear difference between levels.
It appeared most often in the 1800–2099 group (0.9% of that group's games).
Draws were most common in the 2100+ group (6.1%).

These are observed results for the selected games (rated, players within 200 rating points of each other). They describe what happened — they do not prove the opening caused the result.

Results by Lichess rating level

Each row shows how the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation games at one rating level ended: White wins, draws and Black wins, across all time controls combined. Rating level is the average Lichess rating of both players.

White won drawn Black won. Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation — results by Lichess rating level, all time controls combined (minimum 300 games per row).

Under 12001,270 gamesCompared with

White wins 49.5% · draws 1.9% · Black wins 48.6% · White's score 50.5% ±2.7 · how common 0.2%
1200–14994,500 games

White wins 50.8% · draws 3.0% · Black wins 46.3% · White's score 52.2% ±1.4 · how common 0.4%
1500–179910,189 games

White wins 50.2% · draws 3.5% · Black wins 46.3% · White's score 52.0% ±1.0 · how common 0.6%
1800–209911,794 gamesIn the headline

White wins 49.7% · draws 4.8% · Black wins 45.5% · White's score 52.1% ±0.9 · how common 0.9%
2100+6,253 games

White wins 50.3% · draws 6.1% · Black wins 43.6% · White's score 53.3% ±1.2 · how common 0.9%

"White's score" = wins + half of draws. "±" is an approximate 95% margin based only on the number of games. It does not cover sampling bias or related games (the same players appear many times), so real uncertainty is larger. "How common" = share of all sampled games at that level that reached this position. Ratings are Lichess ratings; they are not interchangeable with Chess.com or FIDE ratings.

Compare it with another choice from the same position, at the Lichess level and time control you choose: Compare in Find Your Opening (the comparison needs JavaScript)

Results by time control

Each row shows how the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation games ended in one Lichess time control, across all rating levels combined.

Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation — results by time control, all rating levels combined (minimum 300 games per row)
Time control	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	White's score
Bullet	10,803	50.1%	3.0%	46.8%	51.6%
Blitz	17,825	50.1%	4.7%	45.1%	52.5%
Rapid	5,184	49.7%	5.4%	44.9%	52.4%
Classical	194	Not enough games in this sample

This table and the rating rows are separate summaries: rating levels are not split by time control here, and time controls are not split by rating. Observed results only; approximate uncertainty applies as above.

Most played replies for Black at each level

Top replies with at least 150 games. "Score" is Black's score after that reply (wins + half of draws). These comparisons alone can't show that one reply is reliably better — the margins are approximate and stronger or weaker players may prefer different replies.

Replies to 1.e4 c5 2.c3 by Lichess rating level, all time controls combined
Rating level	Reply · share · games · score
Under 1200	2...Nc6 ·40.4% · 512 · 48.3% ±4.3 2...d6 ·18.9% · 239 · 48.3% ±6.2 2...e6 ·14.0% · 177 · 53.7% ±7.2
1200–1499	2...Nc6 ·40.7% · 1,827 · 48.5% ±2.3 2...d6 ·16.5% · 743 · 43.3% ±3.5 2...e6 ·16.2% · 729 · 46.9% ±3.6
1500–1799	2...Nc6 ·36.6% · 3,728 · 48.4% ±1.6 2...d6 ·16.1% · 1,644 · 45.8% ±2.4 2...e6 ·16.1% · 1,640 · 48.2% ±2.4
1800–2099	2...Nc6 ·28.7% · 3,381 · 47.0% ±1.6 2...d5 ·19.7% · 2,320 · 48.5% ±2.0 2...e6 ·15.7% · 1,852 · 49.5% ±2.2
2100+	2...d5 ·22.3% · 1,393 · 46.0% ±2.5 2...Nf6 ·19.6% · 1,223 · 46.4% ±2.7 2...Nc6 ·18.5% · 1,154 · 45.0% ±2.8

Up next: related positions with a page

Earlier position: Sicilian Defense 1.e4 c5
Related line: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 (Sicilian Defense: Open)
Related line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 (King's Knight Opening)
Related line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 (Italian Game)

Other choices from the same position for White: each one's own level and score, as on its page
Opening	Lichess rating level	Games	White's score
vs Sicilian Defense: Closed 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3	1500–1799	14,594	51.6% ±0.8
vs Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit 1.e4 c5 2.d4	1500–1799	13,694	51.5% ±0.8
vs Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack 1.e4 c5 2.Bc4	1500–1799	17,399	48.4% ±0.7

Each row is a separate page with its own games. A difference smaller than the two margins combined is no clear difference. Observed results, not causation.

Download these numbers: Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation (CSV), released under CC0. For move-by-move exploration with your own filters, see the free Lichess opening explorer. This independent page lists each rating level and each time control in its own row for comparison.