Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation
6.5K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.5%.
Measured over 6.5K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 6.5K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 6.5K
- Best context
- 55.8% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 48.9% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 33 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
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: 50.1% 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: 34.6% expected score (18 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (37 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (60 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.8% expected score (123 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.4% expected score (21 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.2% expected score (103 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 41.9% expected score (221 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 43.1% expected score (71 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (152 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 44.5% expected score (331 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.5% expected score (125 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (302 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (570 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (116 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (509 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (750 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 57.9% expected score (252 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 13.0% expected score (12 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (506 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (826 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (128 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 34.7% expected score (5 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (340 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (515 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 45.5% expected score (43 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (213 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (139 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation scores 50.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.5% and 51.5% — from 6.5K 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
- 6.5K+ 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: Linares Variation win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation, Black wins 48.5%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 6.5K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 54.6% (1.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 50.1% in Blitz (3.5K games) against 51.2% in Rapid (763 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 47.9%, draws 4.1% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 204 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 42.1%, draws 1.9% and loses 56.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.1%. It rests on 396 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 44.5%, draws 3.5% and loses 52.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.3%. It rests on 611 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 47.7%, draws 3.3% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 999 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 52.7%, draws 3.8% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 47.5%, draws 3.6% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 49.9%, draws 6.2% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 899 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 47.5%, draws 5.2% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 355 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 50.1%, draws 2.2% and loses 47.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 2.2K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 47.6%, draws 4.9% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 48.9%, draws 4.5% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 763 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 48.5% of its games and loses 47.6%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.