Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack
2.6K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.6%.
Measured over 2.6K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 5.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.6K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.6K
- Best context
- 54.7% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.1%
- Draws
- 5.9%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 0-999, 53.5% 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, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 60.4% expected score (13 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 62.9% expected score (14 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (27 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (45 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (91 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (148 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (33 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (166 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (409 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.5% expected score (66 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (203 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (558 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (99 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (247 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (298 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (49 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 57.1% expected score (62 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack scores 52.0% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.4% and 53.6% — from 2.6K 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
- 2.6K+ 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: Pillsbury Attack win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack, White wins 49.0%, draws 5.9% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 2.6K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack performs best for White at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 52.7% (861 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 53.3% in Blitz (1.5K games) against 52.1% in Rapid (267 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack has a sharpness score of 94.1 (decisive), meaning 94.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.8%, draws 4.5% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 276 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 48.3%, draws 4.3% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 644 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.1%, draws 7.2% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 861 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 48.5%, draws 7.6% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 595 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 47.3%, draws 4.5% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 818 Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.9%, draws 6.8% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.0%, draws 6.1% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 267 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 49.0% of its games and loses 45.1%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.