French Defense: Queen's Knight
6.4M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 6.4M games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 6.4M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 6.4M
- Best context
- 61.0% at 2200-2499 UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 41.5% at 0-999 UltraBullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.3%
- Draws
- 3.7%
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: 47.9% at 0-999, 55.8% 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: 41.5% expected score (865 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (68,485 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (148,316 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (77,121 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 49.4% expected score (736 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 47.5% expected score (3,205 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (154,536 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (204,899 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (89,645 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2,612 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.8% expected score (10,515 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (294,768 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (321,208 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (103,824 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 49.5% expected score (5,232 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 49.3% expected score (21,372 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (473,050 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (457,108 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (124,479 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 46.3% expected score (7,729 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.6% expected score (30,222 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (641,993 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (517,927 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.5% expected score (116,962 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.8% expected score (5,304 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.9% expected score (22,785 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (747,461 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (434,567 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (73,983 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 52.5% expected score (2,209 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (8,029 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (603,233 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (188,399 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (22,196 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.5% expected score (352 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 61.0% expected score (1,964 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (353,095 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (44,882 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (3,217 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 43.1% expected score (13 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 64.1% expected score (215 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (53,769 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.2% expected score (1,690 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (63 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Queen's Knight scores 50.4% for White — we are 90% confident it is 50.4% — from 6.4M 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
- 6.4M+ 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 French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate?
Playing the French Defense: Queen's Knight, White wins 48.5%, draws 3.7% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 6.4M rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: Queen's Knight perform best?
The French Defense: Queen's Knight performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.0% (56K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: Queen's Knight better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the French Defense: Queen's Knight scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 50.6% in Blitz (2.3M games) against 50.4% in Rapid (611K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: Queen's Knight?
The French Defense: Queen's Knight has a sharpness score of 96.3 (very decisive), meaning 96.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 47.7%, draws 3.8% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 296K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 48.7%, draws 3.2% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 455K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.0% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 736K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.1%, draws 3.2% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 1.1M Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.6% and loses 48.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 1.3M Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 1.3M Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.8%, draws 4.3% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 822K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 50.0%, draws 4.8% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 403K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.9%, draws 6.1% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 56K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 50.4%, draws 1.8% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 99K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 48.6%, draws 3.0% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 3.4M Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 48.4%, draws 4.4% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 2.3M Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 48.0%, draws 4.8% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 611K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Queen's Knight win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 46.3%, draws 5.0% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 24K Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: Queen's Knight a good opening?
The French Defense: Queen's Knight is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.5% of its games and loses 47.8%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.