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Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation

218K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

48.1%

40%55%
Floor47.9%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.3%.

Measured over 218K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 5.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 218K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
218K
Best context
51.2% at 1400-1599 UltraBullet
Worst context
43.1% at 2500+ Blitz
Average game length
37 moves
Games that end decisively
94.7%
Draws
5.3%

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: 54.5% at 0-999, 35.2% at 2500+.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (254 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.3% expected score (292 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 42.0% expected score (86 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 35.2% expected score (12 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (932 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.1% expected score (787 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.8% expected score (191 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 58.4% expected score (250 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (2,449 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (2,082 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.6% expected score (523 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 34.6% expected score (18 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.2% expected score (1,114 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (6,037 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (4,781 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (1,301 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (80 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 49.6% expected score (1,939 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (12,854 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (11,192 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (2,576 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 49.2% expected score (187 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.7% expected score (1,035 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (22,670 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (19,437 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (4,502 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.3% expected score (350 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.6% expected score (264 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (27,965 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (22,555 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (3,888 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 41.3% expected score (205 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 46.6% expected score (71 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (25,655 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (22,959 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.1% expected score (2,125 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 40.9% expected score (48 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 20.6% expected score (7 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.6% expected score (9,974 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.1% expected score (3,900 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 38.3% expected score (211 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 28.3% expected score (10 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Queen's Gambit Declined
50.9%
Variations (5)
Queen's Gambit Declined: Marshall Defense
52.8%
Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation
52.8%
Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense
53.3%
Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense
52.3%
Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense
50.4%
Continuations (1)
Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation, Miladinovic Gambit
52.4%
Analyze Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation scores 48.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.9% and 48.3% — from 218K 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
218K+ 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 Declined: Charousek Variation win rate?

Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation, Black wins 45.4%, draws 5.3% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 218K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation perform best?

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 49.0% (13K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.9% in Blitz (88K games) against 48.5% in Rapid (15K games).

How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation?

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation has a sharpness score of 94.7 (decisive), meaning 94.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 47.3%, draws 3.1% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 636 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 46.5%, draws 2.1% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 46.8%, draws 2.5% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 5.3K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 47.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.9%, draws 3.6% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 29K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 46.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 48K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.9%, draws 5.4% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 55K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 44.1%, draws 6.8% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 51K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, Black wins 39.8%, draws 9.8% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 44 moves.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, Black wins 48.5%, draws 2.2% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 4.7K Lichess games.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 46.0%, draws 4.1% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 109K Lichess games.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 44.6%, draws 6.6% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 88K Lichess games.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 44.8%, draws 7.4% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.5%. It rests on 15K Lichess games.

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 40.9%, draws 11.3% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 906 Lichess games.

Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation a good opening?

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.4% of its games and loses 49.3%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.