King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit
2.7K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
63.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 64.5%.
Measured over 2.7K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 1.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.7K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.7K
- Best context
- 63.4% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 26 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 98.4%
- Draws
- 1.6%
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 · 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: 48.8% at 0-999, 78.2% 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, Bullet: 79.7% expected score (12 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 68.5% expected score (39 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 68.4% expected score (23 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 65.5% expected score (76 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 62.7% expected score (50 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 63.5% expected score (150 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 58.2% expected score (139 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 65.5% expected score (34 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 61.0% expected score (162 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 65.3% expected score (342 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 55.0% expected score (69 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 61.6% expected score (197 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 63.4% expected score (533 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 61.7% expected score (97 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 64.6% expected score (198 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 64.7% expected score (224 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 60.5% expected score (70 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 61.3% expected score (145 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 65.2% expected score (48 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 86.4% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit scores 63.0% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 61.4% and 64.5% — from 2.7K 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
- 2.7K+ 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 King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate?
Playing the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit, White wins 62.1%, draws 1.6% and loses 36.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.0%. It rests on 2.7K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit perform best?
The King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit performs best for White at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 64.1% (492 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 63.7% in Blitz (1.4K games) against 58.2% in Rapid (293 games).
How sharp is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit?
The King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a sharpness score of 98.4 (very decisive), meaning 98.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 26 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 62.9%, draws 1.1% and loses 36.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.5%. It rests on 136 Lichess games, which average 22 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 60.8%, draws 1.4% and loses 37.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.5%. It rests on 325 Lichess games, which average 23 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 61.5%, draws 2.2% and loses 36.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.6%. It rests on 578 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 62.3%, draws 1.1% and loses 36.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.9%. It rests on 828 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 63.1%, draws 1.9% and loses 35.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 64.1%. It rests on 492 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 59.1%, draws 4.2% and loses 36.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.2%. It rests on 199 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 62.6%, draws 1.7% and loses 35.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.5%. It rests on 983 Lichess games.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 63.0%, draws 1.4% and loses 35.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.7%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games.
What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 56.9%, draws 2.5% and loses 40.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.2%. It rests on 293 Lichess games.
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit a good opening?
The King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 62.1% of its games and loses 36.2%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.