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Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense

90K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

42.5%

35%55%
Floor42.3%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 42.8%.

Measured over 90K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 2.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 90K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
90K
Best context
47.4% at 0-999 Blitz
Worst context
39.5% at 1800-1999 Rapid
Average game length
30 moves
Games that end decisively
97.5%
Draws
2.5%

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 · Black score by rating × clock

Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 47.7% at 0-999, 43.6% at 2500+.

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: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (629 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (1,037 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.0% expected score (365 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (1,384 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.8% expected score (3,854 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (1,255 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 47.0% expected score (15 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 42.0% expected score (2,299 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 44.3% expected score (9,269 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 45.7% expected score (3,371 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.3% expected score (93 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 41.7% expected score (3,110 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 41.7% expected score (14,099 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 43.9% expected score (5,562 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 44.4% expected score (320 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 42.6% expected score (2,575 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 41.4% expected score (15,079 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (6,368 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 41.0% expected score (288 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (1,963 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 41.8% expected score (9,284 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 39.5% expected score (3,538 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 42.1% expected score (55 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (841 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 41.5% expected score (2,381 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 41.6% expected score (790 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.4% expected score (210 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 40.6% expected score (200 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 34.5% expected score (50 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 37.3% expected score (22 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Danish Gambit Accepted
56.1%
Variations (4)
Danish Gambit Accepted: Copenhagen Defense
56.5%
Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense
56.3%
Danish Gambit Accepted: Schlechter Defense
47.4%
Danish Gambit Accepted: Svenonius Defense
52.2%
Analyze Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense scores 42.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 42.3% and 42.8% — from 90K 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
90K+ 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 Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate?

Playing the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense, Black wins 41.3%, draws 2.5% and loses 56.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.5%. It rests on 90K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense perform best?

The Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 46.7% (2.0K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 42.4% in Blitz (55K games) against 42.7% in Rapid (21K games).

How sharp is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense?

The Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense has a sharpness score of 97.5 (very decisive), meaning 97.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 30 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 45.4%, draws 2.5% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 24 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 43.7%, draws 2.5% and loses 53.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 43.1%, draws 2.3% and loses 54.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.3%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 41.1%, draws 2.3% and loses 56.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.3%. It rests on 23K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 40.2%, draws 2.5% and loses 57.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.5%. It rests on 24K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 40.1%, draws 2.5% and loses 57.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.4%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 40.4%, draws 3.3% and loses 56.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.1%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 41.5%, draws 2.9% and loses 55.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.0%. It rests on 460 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 42.1%, draws 1.4% and loses 56.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.8%. It rests on 13K Lichess games.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 41.1%, draws 2.6% and loses 56.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.4%. It rests on 55K Lichess games.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 41.3%, draws 2.8% and loses 55.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.7%. It rests on 21K Lichess games.

What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 41.5%, draws 3.6% and loses 54.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.3%. It rests on 781 Lichess games.

Is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense a good opening?

The Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 41.3% of its games and loses 56.3%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.