Queen's Gambit Declined win rate
White scored 53.4% (margin 0.5 points) in 43,053 rated games of the Queen's Gambit Declined, ECO D06, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 10 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 2.7% of all games.
- White wins 51.1%
- Draws 4.6%
- Black wins 44.3%
43,053 games
How often does White win in the Queen's Gambit Declined?
White won 51.1% of the 43,053 games, 4.7% were drawn and Black won 44.3%. White's score of 53.4% is higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.5 points, more than the margin of 0.5 points.
| Result | Games | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White wins | 21,995 | 51.1% |
| Draws | 2,002 | 4.7% |
| Black wins | 19,056 | 44.3% |
Does the Queen's Gambit Declined score differently at different ratings?
White's score is highest at 1200 to 1599 (53.8%) and lowest at 2000 and above (53.0%). That spread of 0.8 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.
Players rated 2000 and above choose the Queen's Gambit Declined most often relative to their other openings, in 3.6 percent of their games.
| Rating band | Games | Share of the band | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 1200 | 3,994 | 1.5% | 53.0% | 1.5 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 14,089 | 2.4% | 53.8% | 0.8 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 19,317 | 3.2% | 53.4% | 0.7 |
| 2000 and above | 5,653 | 3.6% | 53.0% | 1.3 |
How does the Queen's Gambit Declined 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.
| Time control | Games | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blitz | 33,331 | 53.4% | 0.5 |
| Rapid | 9,435 | 53.5% | 1.0 |
What are the most played lines of the Queen's Gambit Declined?
The most played named line is the Marshall Defense, with 8,098 games and a White score of 54.6%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.
| Line | Games | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Defense | 8,098 | 54.6% | 1.1 |
| Queen's Knight Variation | 2,525 | 55.3% | 1.9 |
| Baltic Defense | 2,194 | 55.2% | 2.0 |
| Chigorin Defense | 1,715 | 53.8% | 2.3 |
| Normal Defense | 1,630 | 50.7% | 2.4 |
| Ragozin Defense | 1,498 | 53.0% | 2.5 |
| Albin Countergambit | 1,484 | 52.0% | 2.5 |
| Three Knights Variation | 1,285 | 51.9% | 2.6 |
| Exchange Variation, Positional Variation | 1,264 | 55.3% | 2.7 |
| Austrian Defense | 1,069 | 54.4% | 2.9 |
| Main line and less played lines | 12,694 | 52.5% | 0.8 |
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 Queen's Gambit Declined?
White won 51.1%, drew 4.7% and lost 44.3% of 43,053 games, a White score of 53.4% with a margin of 0.5 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined good for White?
At these ratings White's score was higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.5 points, more than the margin of 0.5 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 Queen's Gambit Declined?
The Marshall Defense was the most played named line, with 8,098 games, which is 18.8% of the Queen's Gambit Declined games.
Sources
Related guides and tools
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- Chess opening statistics for players rated under 1200
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- Chess opening statistics for players rated 1600 to 1999
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 2000 and above
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- Book your first lesson
Last updated 2026-10-22.
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