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King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit

2.7K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score63.0%Range (90% confident): 61.4% – 64.5%Based on 2.7K games
0%63.0%100%
Range (90% confident): 61.4% – 64.5%
Outcome Distribution
62.1%1.6%36.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
5.Nc3
King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit
Analyzen=2.7K
Avg Length26 moves
Sharpness98%
Draw Rate1.6%

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 63.0% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 61.4% and 64.5%), based on 2.7K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Gambit BreakpointWhite

Peak: +21.0% · Breakpoint: Never

Traps & Chaos

Complexity: 94.7 · Trap factor: +18.7 · n=2.7K

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 59% → 85%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 58.5% win rate (25 games)
  • 1000-1199: 66.4% win rate (67 games)
  • 1200-1399: 62.9% win rate (136 games)
  • 1400-1599: 60.8% win rate (325 games)
  • 1600-1799: 61.5% win rate (578 games)
  • 1800-1999: 62.3% win rate (828 games)
  • 2000-2199: 63.1% win rate (492 games)
  • 2200-2499: 59.1% win rate (199 games)
  • 2500+: 84.6% win rate (5 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (64%), worst in Classical (23%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 63.6% win rate (4 games)
  • Bullet: 62.6% win rate (983 games)
  • Blitz: 63.0% win rate (1,370 games)
  • Rapid: 56.9% win rate (293 games)
  • Classical: 23.1% win rate (5 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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

Parent
King's Gambit Accepted
43.1%
Variations (5)
King's Gambit Accepted: Abbazia Defense
46.9%
King's Gambit Accepted: Allgaier Gambit
55.5%
King's Gambit Accepted: Allgaier Gambit, Thorold Attack
59.1%
King's Gambit Accepted: Allgaier Gambit, Urusov Attack
55.2%
King's Gambit Accepted: Allgaier, Blackburne Gambit
57.5%
Analyze King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate?

The King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 62.1% (90% CI: 60.6%-63.7%) win rate for white, based 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 at 1800-1999 Elo with a 62.3% win rate for white (828 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit better in blitz or rapid?

Blitz (63.0%) outperforms Rapid (56.9%) by 6.1%. Choose your time control wisely.

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 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 62.9% (90% CI: 56.0%-69.6%) win rate for white, based on 136 Lichess games. Average game length is 22 moves with a 1.1% draw rate.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 60.8% (90% CI: 56.3%-65.2%) win rate for white, based on 325 Lichess games. Average game length is 23 moves with a 1.4% draw rate.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 61.5% (90% CI: 58.2%-64.8%) win rate for white, based on 578 Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 2.2% draw rate.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 62.3% (90% CI: 59.5%-65.0%) win rate for white, based on 828 Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 1.1% draw rate.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 63.1% (90% CI: 59.5%-66.7%) win rate for white, based on 492 Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 1.9% draw rate.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 59.1% (90% CI: 53.4%-64.7%) win rate for white, based on 199 Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 62.6% (90% CI: 60.1%-65.1%) win rate for white (983 Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.7%.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 63.0% (90% CI: 60.8%-65.1%) win rate for white (1.4K Lichess games). Draw rate is 1.4%.

What is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit has a 56.9% (90% CI: 52.1%-61.6%) win rate for white (293 Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.5%.

Is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit a good opening?

The King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit is statistically favors white with a 62.1% (90% CI: 60.6%-63.7%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1800-1999 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.