Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit
9.5K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
60.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 61.2%.
Measured over 9.5K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 9.5K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 9.5K
- Best context
- 65.8% at 2000-2199 Bullet
- Worst context
- 54.4% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 33 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.4%
- Draws
- 5.6%
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 · 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 0-999, 50.2% 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: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 42.6% expected score (12 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (33 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (24 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 58.6% expected score (92 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.9% expected score (114 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 59.3% expected score (20 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 60.3% expected score (242 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 62.4% expected score (418 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 69.2% expected score (69 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 61.6% expected score (388 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 63.1% expected score (1,292 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 59.2% expected score (228 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 59.7% expected score (14 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 65.8% expected score (872 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 62.0% expected score (1,924 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 63.4% expected score (319 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (12 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 61.2% expected score (1,188 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (1,461 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (137 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.9% expected score (562 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.8% expected score (79 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit scores 60.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 59.6% and 61.2% — from 9.5K 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
- 9.5K+ 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 Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate?
Playing the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit, Black wins 57.6%, draws 5.6% and loses 36.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.4%. It rests on 9.5K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit perform best?
The Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 63.3% (3.1K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 59.8% in Blitz (5.3K games) against 60.2% in Rapid (777 games).
How sharp is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit?
The Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit has a sharpness score of 94.4 (decisive), meaning 94.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 54.3%, draws 4.2% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 226 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 60.3%, draws 4.3% and loses 35.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.5%. It rests on 737 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 60.2%, draws 4.2% and loses 35.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.3%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 60.4%, draws 5.7% and loses 33.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.3%. It rests on 3.1K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 53.8%, draws 6.8% and loses 39.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.2%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 51.6%, draws 7.4% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 643 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 59.2%, draws 4.6% and loses 36.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.5%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 56.9%, draws 5.7% and loses 37.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.8%. It rests on 5.3K Lichess games.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 55.4%, draws 9.6% and loses 35.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.2%. It rests on 777 Lichess games.
Is the Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit a good opening?
The Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig Gambit is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 57.6% of its games and loses 36.8%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.