Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation
8.2K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
47.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.5%.
Measured over 8.2K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 8.2K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 8.2K
- Best context
- 48.5% at 1600-1799 Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.6% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.2%
- Draws
- 3.8%
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: 43.1% at 0-999, 34.3% 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: 40.3% expected score (70 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (151 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 42.8% expected score (88 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (146 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (300 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (133 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (6 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (267 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (490 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (197 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 39.8% expected score (18 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (377 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (665 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (240 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 52.1% expected score (22 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (424 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (860 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (267 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 46.9% expected score (31 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (474 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (1,033 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (255 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 72.9% expected score (16 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 45.1% expected score (360 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (621 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (181 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.3% expected score (8 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (250 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 42.7% expected score (148 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 47.1% expected score (33 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 31.4% expected score (20 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation scores 47.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.7% and 48.5% — from 8.2K 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
- 8.2K+ 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, Symmetrical Variation win rate?
Playing the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation, Black wins 45.7%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 8.2K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation perform best?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation performs best for Black at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 50.0% (972 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 47.3% in Blitz (4.3K games) against 48.5% in Rapid (1.4K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 42.7%, draws 2.1% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.8%. It rests on 309 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.7% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 585 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 48.7%, draws 2.4% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 972 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 46.8%, draws 3.0% and loses 50.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.7%, draws 3.7% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.6%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 44.5%, draws 4.4% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 43.7%, draws 5.6% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.5%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 45.4%, draws 4.5% and loses 50.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 434 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 46.4%, draws 2.3% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.3%, draws 4.0% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 45.7%, draws 5.6% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.5%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 46.0%, draws 10.0% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.0%. It rests on 104 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation a good opening?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.7% of its games and loses 50.5%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.