Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation
32K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.6%.
Measured over 32K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 32K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 32K
- Best context
- 60.6% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Worst context
- 48.4% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 30 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.9%
- Draws
- 4.1%
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: 63.3% at 0-999, 50.0% 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
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 59.3% expected score (47 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 58.2% expected score (17 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 72.3% expected score (12 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 61.8% expected score (185 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (70 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 66.5% expected score (41 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (317 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 57.8% expected score (255 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 59.2% expected score (96 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 57.7% expected score (632 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 56.5% expected score (1,031 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 71.0% expected score (228 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 69.0% expected score (17 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (1,004 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 56.6% expected score (2,900 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 60.6% expected score (683 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 72.0% expected score (35 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (1,291 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.6% expected score (4,651 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 57.4% expected score (1,400 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 67.5% expected score (93 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (1,427 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (6,037 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (1,629 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 51.5% expected score (67 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (1,840 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (4,270 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (710 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 39.8% expected score (18 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (701 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.3% expected score (355 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.9% expected score (13 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation scores 53.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.7% and 53.6% — from 32K 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
- 32K+ 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 Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate?
Playing the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation, Black wins 51.1%, draws 4.1% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.1%. It rests on 32K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation perform best?
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 58.7% (1.9K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 52.7% in Blitz (20K games) against 56.0% in Rapid (4.8K games).
How sharp is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation?
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation has a sharpness score of 95.9 (very decisive), meaning 95.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 30 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 59.5%, draws 2.5% and loses 38.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.8%. It rests on 297 Lichess games, which average 22 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 55.2%, draws 1.9% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.2%. It rests on 671 Lichess games, which average 24 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 57.7%, draws 2.0% and loses 40.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.7%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 55.5%, draws 2.7% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.9%. It rests on 4.6K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 53.3%, draws 3.4% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.0%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 49.5%, draws 4.7% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 9.2K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 46.0%, draws 5.5% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 6.8K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 44.8%, draws 5.1% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 50.8%, draws 3.0% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 50.5%, draws 4.3% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 20K Lichess games.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 53.6%, draws 4.7% and loses 41.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 4.8K Lichess games.
What is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 58.8%, draws 6.2% and loses 35.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.9%. It rests on 234 Lichess games.
Is the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation a good opening?
The Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 51.1% of its games and loses 44.9%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.