Source Lichess
White wins at least 10.6 more of every 100 games than it loses
how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident
At All Ratings, Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Polugaevsky Gambit keeps White's wins running +10.6% ahead of its losses at worst, 90% confident, from 12K Lichess games. This gambit is effective. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
| Rating | Edge at worst | White Win | Draw | White Loss | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1600-1799 | +10.2% | 61.3% | 5.8% | 32.9% | 76 |
| 1800-1999 | −3.8% | 49.8% | 4.4% | 45.8% | 441 |
| 2000-2199 | +4.5% | 51.6% | 5.1% | 43.4% | 2.0K |
| 2200-2499 | +9.2% | 52.6% | 6.0% | 41.4% | 6.6K |
| 2500+ | +14.5% | 55.7% | 6.0% | 38.2% | 2.9K |
At some ratings. White comes out ahead at 1600-1799 and 2000+; at the other ratings we can see, the games do not show it paying. Where it pays changes with the clock, so set yours above and look again.
White wins 53.2% of Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Polugaevsky Gambit games, draws 5.8% and loses 41.1%. That rests on 12K games from Lichess.
2500+. There White wins at least 14.5 more of every 100 games than it loses (90% confident), its highest Edge at worst.
Blitz. For White, the Edge at worst — how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident — is +8.6% in Blitz (7.6K games) and +2.0% in Rapid (540 games).
Yes. The first rating where the games do not show White coming out ahead is 1800-1999 in Bullet, 1800-1999 in Blitz and 2000-2199 in Rapid.
The Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Polugaevsky Gambit is very sharp: 5.8% of its games are drawn, so 94.2% end with a winner.
At 1600-1799 and 2000+, where White comes out ahead. At the other ratings we can see, the games do not show it paying. Where it pays changes with the clock, so set yours above and look again.
As Black, take the material, then develop fast, castle early, and trade pieces. Give the material back when doing so kills the attack. At 1600-1799 and 2000+, White still comes out ahead in these games; at the other ratings we can see, the games do not show the gambit paying.
This rests on 12K games from Lichess. Every figure carries the range it is in, 90% confident, and the table above shows how many games sit behind each rating and each clock — the fewer there are, the wider that range.