Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit
115 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 63.0%.
Measured over 115 games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 14.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 115 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 115
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 40 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 85.8%
- Draws
- 14.2%
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: 70.0% at 1600-1799, 63.0% 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
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.1% expected score (67 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 61.8% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit scores 55.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.1% and 63.0% — from 115 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
- 115+ 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: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit, Black wins 48.5%, draws 14.2% and loses 37.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 115 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 53.4% (86 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit has a sharpness score of 85.8 (moderately decisive), meaning 85.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 40 moves.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation, Mar del Plata Gambit is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 48.5% of its games and loses 37.3%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.