Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line
8.2K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.2%.
Measured over 8.2K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 8.2K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 8.2K
- Best context
- 53.4% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 47.2% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.6%
- Draws
- 7.4%
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: 48.3% at 0-999, 52.9% 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: 48.0% expected score (23 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (58 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (67 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (122 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (51 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (100 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (218 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (103 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (182 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (429 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (152 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 63.1% expected score (10 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (295 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (677 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.7% expected score (220 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (18 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (327 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (926 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (289 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 62.9% expected score (14 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (411 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (1,105 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (221 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.4% expected score (10 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (491 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (1,161 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (150 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (220 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (161 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (12 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line scores 51.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.4% and 52.2% — from 8.2K 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
- 8.2K+ 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, Normal Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line, White wins 47.6%, draws 7.4% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 8.2K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 53.4% (774 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 51.9% in Blitz (4.9K games) against 53.6% in Rapid (1.2K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line has a sharpness score of 92.6 (decisive), meaning 92.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 51.6%, draws 2.3% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 240 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.1%, draws 3.9% and loses 44.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 422 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 51.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 774 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.8%, draws 5.4% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 45.6%, draws 7.0% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 46.6%, draws 8.7% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 47.1%, draws 9.5% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 44.4%, draws 14.0% and loses 41.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 394 Lichess games, which average 46 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 45.6%, draws 5.9% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 47.9%, draws 7.9% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 4.9K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.6%, draws 7.9% and loses 42.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Normal Line is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 47.6% of its games and loses 45.0%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.