Skip to content
TrueEloPlay what wins.
Score a position

Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation

343K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
h8
g
f
e
d
c
b
a
3...a6
Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

47.8%

40%55%
Floor47.7%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.0%.

Measured over 343K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 5.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 343K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
343K
Best context
49.7% at 1800-1999 Classical
Worst context
43.1% at 2500+ Blitz
Average game length
35 moves
Games that end decisively
94.9%
Draws
5.1%

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: 51.5% at 0-999, 47.0% 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: 62.4% expected score (43 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (769 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (812 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (201 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (76 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.4% expected score (3,048 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (3,381 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 44.4% expected score (792 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 39.8% expected score (23 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (6,149 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 45.6% expected score (10,192 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (2,512 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 32.8% expected score (71 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 34.9% expected score (15 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (11,068 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (22,913 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.6% expected score (5,854 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 43.1% expected score (244 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (14,671 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.0% expected score (39,067 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.2% expected score (10,700 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.8% expected score (597 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (14,508 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (46,509 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (14,602 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.7% expected score (759 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (15,421 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (41,676 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (9,143 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 49.6% expected score (339 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (15,372 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (34,526 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (4,084 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 40.0% expected score (83 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (6,345 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.1% expected score (6,244 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 39.4% expected score (285 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 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%
Analyze Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation scores 47.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.7% and 48.0% — from 343K 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
343K+ 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: Janowski Variation win rate?

Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation, Black wins 45.3%, draws 5.1% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 343K rated games from Lichess.

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

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 48.7% (67K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

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

For Black, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.9% in Blitz (205K games) against 47.3% in Rapid (48K games).

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

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation has a sharpness score of 94.9 (decisive), meaning 94.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

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

At 0-999, Black wins 46.8%, draws 2.0% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.

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

At 1000-1199, Black wins 45.9%, draws 2.2% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 7.3K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

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

At 1200-1399, Black wins 44.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 52.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 19K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

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

At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.7%, draws 3.2% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 40K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

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

At 1600-1799, Black wins 45.7%, draws 4.1% and loses 50.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 65K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

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

At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.8%, draws 4.8% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 76K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

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

At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.8%, draws 5.8% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 67K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

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

At 2200-2499, Black wins 44.4%, draws 7.4% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 54K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

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

At 2500+, Black wins 40.7%, draws 9.4% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.4%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.

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

In UltraBullet, Black wins 49.3%, draws 0.3% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 170 Lichess games.

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

In Bullet, Black wins 46.4%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 87K Lichess games.

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

In Blitz, Black wins 45.1%, draws 5.5% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 205K Lichess games.

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

In Rapid, Black wins 44.2%, draws 6.1% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 48K Lichess games.

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

In Classical, Black wins 42.4%, draws 8.8% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games.

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

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.3% of its games and loses 49.7%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.