Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line
7.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 56.5%.
Measured over 7.3K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 5.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 7.3K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 7.3K
- Best context
- 54.7% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Worst context
- 54.0% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 35 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: 59.3% at 0-999, 61.5% 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, Bullet: 71.1% expected score (8 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 61.1% expected score (62 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (47 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 61.8% expected score (7 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 59.4% expected score (165 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (202 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (24 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 55.4% expected score (275 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (569 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 62.4% expected score (95 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 58.4% expected score (418 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (751 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 58.7% expected score (171 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 28.3% expected score (10 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 56.8% expected score (410 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (611 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.6% expected score (234 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 35.2% expected score (12 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 56.8% expected score (317 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (490 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 45.5% expected score (110 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 58.2% expected score (446 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (1,168 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 58.9% expected score (72 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.4% expected score (269 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (366 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line scores 55.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.6% and 56.5% — from 7.3K 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
- 7.3K+ 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: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line, White wins 52.6%, draws 5.9% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 7.3K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line performs best for White at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 56.1% (1.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 54.6% in Blitz (4.2K games) against 55.6% in Rapid (717 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line has a sharpness score of 94.1 (decisive), meaning 94.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 54.9%, draws 3.8% and loses 41.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.8%. It rests on 116 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 53.5%, draws 3.7% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 392 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 54.0%, draws 3.2% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 940 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 54.0%, draws 4.3% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.1%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 52.4%, draws 5.2% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.0%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 52.2%, draws 5.0% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 922 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.1%, draws 8.5% and loses 40.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 51.1%, draws 10.9% and loses 38.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.6%. It rests on 639 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 55.3%, draws 4.2% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.4%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.2%, draws 6.8% and loses 42.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 4.2K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 53.0%, draws 5.2% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 717 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 52.6% of its games and loses 41.5%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.