Does Queen's Gambit Declined work for White at All Ratings?
Snapshot
At All Ratings, Queen's Gambit Declined gives White a +6.2% minimum advantage (90% confidence). This gambit is effective.
Queen's Gambit Declined
White GambitSource Lichess
View As
Play This+6%All Ratings
Minimum Advantage+6.2%
White wins at least 6.2% more often than loses
Rating TrendPeak: +11.8% at 2500+
Win%50.9%
Games9.7M
Breakpoint (Overall)Never
4...Be7
Queen's Gambit DeclinedWhite Gambit
Rating
Time Control
| Rating | Min Adv | White Win | Draw | White Loss | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | +2.2% | 49.7% | 3.0% | 47.2% | 210K |
| 1000-1199 | +5.6% | 51.4% | 3.0% | 45.6% | 542K |
| 1200-1399 | +6.0% | 51.5% | 3.2% | 45.3% | 1.1M |
| 1400-1599 | +5.8% | 51.2% | 3.6% | 45.2% | 1.7M |
| 1600-1799 | +5.7% | 50.8% | 4.2% | 45.0% | 2.2M |
| 1800-1999 | +5.6% | 50.4% | 5.0% | 44.6% | 2.1M |
| 2000-2199 | +7.1% | 50.8% | 5.6% | 43.6% | 1.2M |
| 2200-2499 | +10.0% | 51.9% | 6.5% | 41.7% | 556K |
| 2500+ | +11.8% | 51.1% | 10.0% | 38.8% | 93K |
Full Opening StatsSee rating/time-control breakdowns for White on the opening stats page
Analyze Queen's Gambit Declined PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined sound?
The Queen's Gambit Declined has no overall breakpoint in Lichess data, meaning White wins more than loses even at the highest rating brackets across all time controls. This is a statistically sound gambit at all levels analyzed.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined win rate?
The Queen's Gambit Declined has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.9%-50.9%) win rate for White overall, with a 4.4% draw rate and 44.6% loss rate. This is based on 9.7M games from Lichess.
What is the best rating to play the Queen's Gambit Declined?
The Queen's Gambit Declined performs best at 2500+, where White has a minimum advantage of +11.8%. This means we're 90% confident White wins at least 11.8 percentage points more than they lose at this rating.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined better in blitz or rapid?
Bullet (+6.7% edge) outperforms Classical (+4.2% edge) by 2.5 percentage points. Faster time controls typically favor gambits because opponents have less time to find accurate defenses.
Does the Queen's Gambit Declined breakpoint vary by time control?
Yes, significantly. Breakpoints by time control: Bullet: Never, Blitz: Never, Rapid: Never, Classical: 0-999. "Never" means the gambit remains viable through all rating brackets in that time control. Faster time controls typically extend viability.
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined?
The Queen's Gambit Declined is extremely sharp with only 4.4% draws—95.6% of games end decisively. This makes it an excellent choice when you need to play for a win rather than accept a draw.
Should I play the Queen's Gambit Declined?
The Queen's Gambit Declined is viable at all rating levels in Lichess data. White maintains a statistical edge throughout. It's an excellent choice if you enjoy sharp, initiative-based play.
How do I defend against the Queen's Gambit Declined?
The Queen's Gambit Declined is statistically challenging to defend at all levels. As Black, focus on quick development, early castling, and piece trades. Don't get greedy with extra material. Consider declining the gambit or finding a transposition if you're uncomfortable with sharp positions.
How reliable is the Queen's Gambit Declined data?
This analysis is based on 9.7M games from Lichess. All statistics include 90% confidence intervals. Generally, 300+ games provide statistically meaningful results. Rating-specific and time-control-specific breakdowns have their own sample sizes shown in the table above.