Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line
38K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.1%.
Measured over 38K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 13.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 38K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 38K
- Best context
- 54.3% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 44.3% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 86.9%
- Draws
- 13.1%
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: 46.3% at 0-999, 43.2% 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: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (9 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (13 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 56.7% expected score (51 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (29 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (25 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 44.4% expected score (69 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (128 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (31 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.5% expected score (200 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (347 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 56.6% expected score (97 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (475 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (964 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (262 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (26 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (744 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (2,644 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.3% expected score (556 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 58.0% expected score (49 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (1,578 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (5,533 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (766 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (94 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (3,249 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (11,151 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (1,024 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (67 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (2,830 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.3% expected score (4,291 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 45.6% expected score (395 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 36.1% expected score (56 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line scores 48.7% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.3% and 49.1% — from 38K 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
- 38K+ 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, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line, Black wins 42.1%, draws 13.1% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 38K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 52.6% (1.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 48.5% in Blitz (25K games) against 49.1% in Rapid (3.2K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line has a sharpness score of 86.9 (moderately decisive), meaning 86.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 42 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 52.1%, draws 3.3% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 105 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 48.4%, draws 4.9% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 233 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 49.0%, draws 4.5% and loses 46.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 649 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 49.7%, draws 5.8% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 47.3%, draws 8.5% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 46.1%, draws 9.5% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 8.0K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.1%, draws 11.5% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 32.4%, draws 25.6% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.3%. It rests on 7.6K Lichess games, which average 50 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 43.1%, draws 11.7% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 9.2K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 42.1%, draws 12.8% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.5%. It rests on 25K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 39.7%, draws 18.9% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 38.4%, draws 22.9% and loses 38.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 302 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 42.1% of its games and loses 44.8%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.