Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line
21K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
44.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 45.1%.
Measured over 21K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 8.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 21K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 21K
- Best context
- 49.3% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Worst context
- 41.8% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 91.2%
- Draws
- 8.8%
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: 41.6% at 0-999, 37.0% 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: 38.0% expected score (11 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 45.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 40.3% expected score (50 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 62.1% expected score (40 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.6% expected score (13 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (173 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 44.9% expected score (146 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (39 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.1% expected score (382 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (405 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.8% expected score (66 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (644 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (1,097 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (196 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 36.2% expected score (13 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (1,101 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.3% expected score (1,912 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (375 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 47.7% expected score (41 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (1,084 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (3,005 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 45.0% expected score (481 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 27.4% expected score (36 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 42.6% expected score (1,516 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 41.8% expected score (5,060 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 41.9% expected score (504 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (18 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (1,416 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.9% expected score (1,446 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 33.7% expected score (81 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 28.4% expected score (17 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line scores 44.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 44.0% and 45.1% — from 21K 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
- 21K+ 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: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line, Black wins 40.2%, draws 8.8% and loses 51.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 21K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 48.1% (3.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 44.7% in Blitz (13K games) against 43.2% in Rapid (1.8K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line has a sharpness score of 91.2 (decisive), meaning 91.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 48.3%, draws 2.4% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 103 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 43.5%, draws 2.4% and loses 54.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 358 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 46.1%, draws 3.2% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 859 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 43.4%, draws 5.1% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 44.9%, draws 6.4% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 41.4%, draws 9.0% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.9%. It rests on 4.6K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 37.4%, draws 9.2% and loses 53.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.0%. It rests on 7.1K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 34.9%, draws 15.4% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.6%. It rests on 3.0K Lichess games, which average 44 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 41.5%, draws 6.8% and loses 51.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.9%. It rests on 6.4K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 40.0%, draws 9.3% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 13K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 37.6%, draws 11.2% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.2%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 29.8%, draws 17.7% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 38.7%. It rests on 131 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 40.2% of its games and loses 51.0%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.