Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line
4.0K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.3%.
Measured over 4.0K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 7.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 4.0K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 4.0K
- Best context
- 51.9% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Worst context
- 48.9% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.2%
- Draws
- 7.8%
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.
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 falls away as the rating rises: 70.0% at 1000-1199, 50.1% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 65.3% expected score (28 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (41 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (155 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (20 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (217 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (707 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 60.6% expected score (60 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (6 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (516 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (1,515 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (120 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (319 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (258 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 47.7% expected score (20 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line scores 51.0% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.7% and 52.3% — from 4.0K 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
- 4.0K+ 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: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line, Black wins 47.1%, draws 7.8% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.0%. It rests on 4.0K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 50.8% (2.2K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 49.9% in Blitz (2.7K games) against 54.0% in Rapid (224 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line has a sharpness score of 92.2 (decisive), meaning 92.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 49.0%, draws 5.2% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 218 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 47.6%, draws 6.2% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 990 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 46.9%, draws 7.7% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.8%. It rests on 2.2K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 45.4%, draws 12.3% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 597 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 50.1%, draws 6.3% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.8%, draws 8.2% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 48.6%, draws 10.9% and loses 40.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.0%. It rests on 224 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 47.1% of its games and loses 45.1%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.