Danish Gambit

9 variations · 6.0M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

3.c3

Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · Overall

55.4%

45%60%

Floor55.3%

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

Measured over 6.0M games at this level and clock.

Play Thiswins clearly more often than it loses at this level

A strong opening choice for White at this level and clock.

Outcomes for White

53.8%3.1%43.1%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 3.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 6.0M games

Rank among the families White can choose here: #1 of 56
Games in this context: 6.0M
Best context: 61.7% at 1200-1399 UltraBullet
Worst context: 51.0% at 0-999 Rapid
Variations measured: 9
Average game length: 31 moves

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.

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 gets better as the rating rises: 52.8% at 0-999, 59.7% 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: 55.8% expected score (120 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (49,861 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (68,725 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (24,556 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (198 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.7% expected score (230 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 56.5% expected score (108,432 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (213,003 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (59,637 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (692 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 61.7% expected score (512 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (191,622 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (485,150 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (149,308 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (3,004 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 60.0% expected score (1,447 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (256,625 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (735,874 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.4% expected score (245,873 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 53.3% expected score (9,983 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 58.7% expected score (787 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (281,859 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 55.9% expected score (881,449 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 55.6% expected score (285,539 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (11,429 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 56.6% expected score (256 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (258,493 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (717,310 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.1% expected score (199,163 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (5,607 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.6% expected score (124 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (172,523 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.3% expected score (295,772 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 55.7% expected score (71,493 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.6% expected score (994 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 44.8% expected score (84 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (101,106 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (51,210 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.8% expected score (8,042 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 62.2% expected score (122 games)
2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (16,768 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (1,500 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 66.0% expected score (61 games)
2500+ rating, Classical: 56.7% expected score (6 games)

9 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

Danish Gambit Accepted: Copenhagen Defense433K games

Winning57.9%Floor 57.7%

Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense288K games

Winning57.7%Floor 57.5%

Danish Gambit Accepted2.1M games

Winning57.6%Floor 57.5%

Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense90K games

Winning57.5%Floor 57.3%

Danish Gambit2.4M games

Winning54.2%Floor 54.2%

Danish Gambit Accepted: Svenonius Defense7.2K games

Winning53.9%Floor 52.9%

Danish Gambit Accepted: Schlechter Defense91K games

Balanced49.8%Floor 49.5%

Danish Gambit Declined: Sörensen Defense156K games

Balanced48.7%Floor 48.5%

Danish Gambit Declined: Sorensen Defense320K games

Balanced48.4%Floor 48.3%

Analyze Danish Gambit PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Danish Gambit family scores 55.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.3% and 55.4% — from 6.0M Lichess games across 9 variations. 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: 6.0M+ 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 Danish Gambit win rate?

Across the Danish Gambit's 9 variations, White wins 53.8%, draws 3.1% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 6.0M rated games from Lichess.

How many Danish Gambit variations are there?

9 Danish Gambit variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the Danish Gambit perform best?

The Danish Gambit family performs best for White at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 55.9% (1.5M games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Danish Gambit better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Danish Gambit scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 55.5% in Blitz (3.4M games) against 55.4% in Rapid (1.0M games).

How sharp is the Danish Gambit?

Danish Gambit games are 96.9% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 31 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Danish Gambit a good opening family?

The Danish Gambit family is good for White overall. Across its games, White wins 53.8% and loses 43.1%. Results differ between its 9 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.