King's Gambit Accepted win rate

White scored 53.0% (margin 0.9 points) in 12,768 rated games of the King's Gambit Accepted, ECO C34, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 32 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 0.8% of all games.

51.4%

45.4%

White wins 51.4%
Draws 3.2%
Black wins 45.4%

12,768 games

How often does White win in the King's Gambit Accepted?

White won 51.4% of the 12,768 games, 3.2% were drawn and Black won 45.4%. White's score of 53.0% is higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.2 points, more than the margin of 0.9 points.

Results of 12,768 King's Gambit Accepted games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	6,566	51.4%
Draws	407	3.2%
Black wins	5,795	45.4%

Does the King's Gambit Accepted score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 1200 to 1599 (55.3%) and lowest at 1600 to 1999 (51.6%). That spread of 3.8 points is larger than the two margins added together, so the score does differ between these rating bands.

Players rated 1600 to 1999 choose the King's Gambit Accepted most often relative to their other openings, in 1.0 percent of their games.

White's score in the King's Gambit Accepted by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
1200 to 1599	4,688	0.8%	55.3%	1.4
1600 to 1999	6,081	1.0%	51.6%	1.2

How does the King's Gambit Accepted do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the King's Gambit Accepted by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	9,663	53.1%	1.0
Rapid	3,024	52.5%	1.7

What are the most played lines of the King's Gambit Accepted?

The most played named line is the MacLeod Defense, with 2,774 games and a White score of 54.7%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the King's Gambit Accepted, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
MacLeod Defense	2,774	54.7%	1.8
King's Knight's Gambit	1,875	55.3%	2.2
Fischer Defense	1,759	55.1%	2.3
Modern Defense	1,103	51.4%	2.9
Schallopp Defense	908	56.8%	3.2
Cunningham Defense	746	45.8%	3.5
Becker Defense	469	52.7%	4.5
Abbazia Defense	301	46.7%	5.6
Main line and less played lines	2,833	50.6%	1.8

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the King's Gambit Accepted?

White won 51.4%, drew 3.2% and lost 45.4% of 12,768 games, a White score of 53.0% with a margin of 0.9 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the King's Gambit Accepted good for White?

At these ratings White's score was higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.2 points, more than the margin of 0.9 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the King's Gambit Accepted?

The MacLeod Defense was the most played named line, with 2,774 games, which is 21.7% of the King's Gambit Accepted games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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