Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense
288K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
42.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 42.5%.
Measured over 288K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 2.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 288K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 288K
- Best context
- 50.1% at 2000-2199 Rapid
- Worst context
- 39.3% at 1200-1399 Bullet
- Average game length
- 29 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.2%
- Draws
- 2.8%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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 gets better as the rating rises: 45.4% at 0-999, 51.2% 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: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 41.0% expected score (3,531 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 43.4% expected score (4,986 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (1,770 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 32.6% expected score (10 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 39.7% expected score (7,543 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 41.2% expected score (17,301 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.6% expected score (5,958 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 55.3% expected score (55 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 39.3% expected score (11,248 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 41.0% expected score (35,194 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (13,037 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 39.7% expected score (334 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 23.9% expected score (10 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 40.7% expected score (13,026 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 41.3% expected score (39,936 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 41.9% expected score (16,046 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 42.2% expected score (757 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 40.6% expected score (11,320 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 43.1% expected score (35,123 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (13,493 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 41.4% expected score (628 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 42.8% expected score (8,006 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 45.0% expected score (22,685 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (7,693 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (233 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (3,764 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (8,507 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (2,557 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (55 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (1,548 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (983 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.7% expected score (294 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 34.7% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (152 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (27 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense scores 42.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 42.2% and 42.5% — from 288K 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
- 288K+ 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: Classical Defense win rate?
Playing the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Black wins 41.0%, draws 2.8% and loses 56.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.4%. It rests on 288K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense perform best?
The Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 48.8% (2.8K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 42.5% in Blitz (165K games) against 43.1% in Rapid (61K games).
How sharp is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense?
The Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense has a sharpness score of 97.2 (very decisive), meaning 97.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 29 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 42.1%, draws 2.2% and loses 55.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.3%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 23 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 40.1%, draws 2.5% and loses 57.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.4%. It rests on 31K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 39.4%, draws 2.5% and loses 58.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.7%. It rests on 60K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 40.0%, draws 2.6% and loses 57.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.3%. It rests on 70K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 41.1%, draws 2.9% and loses 56.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.6%. It rests on 61K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 43.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 53.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 39K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 47.0%, draws 3.6% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 48.5%, draws 6.3% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 181 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 40.3%, draws 1.8% and loses 57.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.2%. It rests on 60K Lichess games.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 41.0%, draws 2.9% and loses 56.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.5%. It rests on 165K Lichess games.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 41.5%, draws 3.2% and loses 55.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.1%. It rests on 61K Lichess games.
What is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 41.9%, draws 3.1% and loses 55.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.5%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games.
Is the Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense a good opening?
The Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 41.0% of its games and loses 56.3%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.