Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit
11K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
41.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 41.8%.
Measured over 11K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 11K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 11K
- Best context
- 42.8% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Worst context
- 36.9% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.4%
- Draws
- 3.6%
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 · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 45.5%.
| 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: 54.3% expected score (57 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 41.4% expected score (103 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 40.9% expected score (15 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (179 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (476 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 35.1% expected score (116 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 40.2% expected score (262 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 42.2% expected score (958 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 38.2% expected score (345 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (290 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (1,346 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 41.5% expected score (543 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 25.5% expected score (23 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 39.3% expected score (366 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 41.1% expected score (1,813 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 39.5% expected score (628 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 33.1% expected score (34 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 42.5% expected score (266 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 41.9% expected score (1,628 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 39.8% expected score (510 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 37.8% expected score (23 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 36.9% expected score (185 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 36.9% expected score (650 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 36.8% expected score (172 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 32.6% expected score (10 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 42.6% expected score (93 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 35.7% expected score (138 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 17.5% expected score (20 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 34.2% expected score (27 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 29.0% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit scores 41.0% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 40.3% and 41.8% — from 11K 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
- 11K+ 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 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit, Black wins 39.2%, draws 3.6% and loses 57.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.0%. It rests on 11K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 43.2% (2.2K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 41.3% in Blitz (7.1K games) against 39.2% in Rapid (2.4K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit has a sharpness score of 96.4 (very decisive), meaning 96.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 45.0%, draws 0.8% and loses 54.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.5%. It rests on 175 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 40.8%, draws 3.8% and loses 55.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.8%. It rests on 771 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 39.0%, draws 3.6% and loses 57.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.8%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 41.5%, draws 3.3% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.2%. It rests on 2.2K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 38.6%, draws 3.6% and loses 57.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.4%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 39.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 56.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.5%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 34.6%, draws 4.3% and loses 61.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.8%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 33.9%, draws 5.3% and loses 60.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.6%. It rests on 251 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 41.6%, draws 2.5% and loses 56.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.8%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 39.4%, draws 3.8% and loses 56.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.3%. It rests on 7.1K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 37.3%, draws 3.8% and loses 58.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 39.2%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 39.2% of its games and loses 57.2%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.