The Queen's Gambit is 1. 2.: your c-pawn hits d5 to lure the opposing pawn away from the center. If they take with , they no longer cover e4; if they hold with , their c8 bishop is walled in by that pawn. You score 54.5% with it (N = 1,317,441 Lichess games at 900 to 1700, September 2026).
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
280 named lines in this family; 11 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 2., the most common reply at your level is to grab the pawn: shows up in 31 of every 100 games. Next come with 21, with 17 and with 15. Strong online players order it differently: in 47 of every 100, in 31 and in just 12. So expect the accepted gambit far more often than the games you study suggest. Against , 51 in 100 players at your level continue 3., the move 61 in 100 strong players choose.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.4% | 56.7% | 12.0% | 13.3% | |
| 21.3% | 53.4% | 47.0% | 59.9% | |
| 17.1% | 54.4% | 2.4% | no data | |
| 15.2% | 52.6% | 30.5% | 25.0% | |
| 4.4% | 54.0% | no data | no data | |
| 3.5% | 55.2% | 1.9% | 0.5% | |
| no data | no data | 3.5% | 0.6% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 0.7% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50.9% | 53.9% | 61.2% | 55.2% | |
| 15.6% | 53.8% | 30.1% | 43.5% | |
| 11.9% | 52.4% | 4.3% | 0.6% | |
| 9.9% | 53.4% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 4.2% | 53.5% | 0.2% | no data | |
| 3.5% | 52.3% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.6% | 0.7% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.9% | 52.8% | 56.7% | 56.0% | |
| 14.3% | 55.2% | no data | no data | |
| 12.4% | 57.6% | no data | no data | |
| 8.8% | 52.1% | 9.6% | 6.7% | |
| 8.5% | 53.2% | 11.8% | 10.5% | |
| 2.5% | 57.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 6.7% | 12.2% | |
| no data | no data | 5.1% | 4.1% | |
| no data | no data | 3.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | no data | 5.2% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.3% | 53.3% | 25.0% | 17.8% | |
| 28.0% | 53.0% | 22.0% | 11.2% | |
| 12.9% | 53.8% | 47.0% | 71.0% | |
| 10.1% | 51.9% | 2.6% | no data | |
| 7.1% | 52.9% | 2.0% | no data | |
| 5.0% | 53.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60.3% | 52.5% | 91.3% | 94.7% | |
| 37.6% | 55.5% | 8.6% | 5.3% | |
| 1.9% | 56.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.2% | 51.6% | 0.1% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.0% | no data |
With 2. your c-pawn attacks d5, which for now only the queen on d8 defends. Your opponent has to choose, and every answer costs something. Take with and their pawn leaves the center, so nothing of theirs covers e4, the square your e-pawn wants. Hold with and the c8 bishop loses its diagonal, blocked by that pawn. Hold with and the bishop's diagonal stays open all the way to h3.
The strong players' line is 3. 4. 5. 6.. It all revolves around d5: you attack it, trade off the pawn pressing it, then go after the piece that guards it.
3. is the second attacker on d5, alongside the c4 pawn. adds a third defender to the e6 pawn and the queen. With the tension balanced, 4. releases it, and strong players recapture in 91 of every 100 games. The trade has a price: with no pawn on e6, the c8 bishop gets its diagonal back as far as h3. In return, d5 loses the pawn that propped it up, and only the f6 knight and the queen defend it.
That is why 5. comes next. With e7 empty, the bishop pins the f6 knight to the queen on d8, and that knight is one of d5's two defenders. puts a pawn behind d5, and 6. opens your f1 bishop's diagonal toward d3.
At your level the move order slips early. After , 31 in 100 players bring out 4. before the trade and only 13 play 4.; among strong online players, 47 in 100 trade first. After , 90 in 100 strong players choose 5., against 43 in 100 at your level.
In the branches where your c-pawn gets traded and your e-pawn later disappears too, d4 ends up isolated, with no neighboring pawns. There the strong players' plan, in 50 of every 100 games, is to bring the f3 knight to e5, the square d4 supports. From e5 it eyes f7 and c6. The other option, pushing the pawn to d5, comes up in 13 of every 100 online games and 23 of every 100 over the board.
Plan played in 50% of the 198 over-the-board games rated 2300+ with this structure.
Online, 2200+: 50.2% of 7,184. Over the board, 2300+: 50.0% of 198; the alternative, : 13.2% and 22.7%.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 78,165 | 47.4% | |
| 42,635 | 61.0% | |
| 28,138 | 56.6% | |
| 23,720 | 47.9% | |
| 11,326 | 91.4% | |
| 11,429 | 89.8% | |
| 10,154 | 47.6% | |
| 4,829 | 84.5% |
A mistake your level doesn't punish: you score 55.6 with it and 54.9 with 4.. After 3. , 4. stops pressing e5 and e4 stays undefended. Play goes 5. 6. 7., and e4 is gone. Better is 4., hitting e5 a second time. At your level, 63 in 100 players choose 4..
63 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 55.6%; scores 54.9%.
A mistake. After , 3. pins nothing, since the e7 pawn screens the queen, and the bishop is left undefended against . After 4. 5. you've given up your bishop for a knight and lost the c4 pawn; 6. opens the f1 bishop's path to c4. Better is 3.. You score 53.6, against 57.4.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.6%; scores 57.4%.
An inaccuracy. After , 3. stops attacking d5 and the tension is gone. Your opponent answers , hitting d4, the base of your c5–d4 chain, while only your queen guards it. In the line 4. 5. 6. you spend moves holding d4 and c5, and the d7 knight hits c5. Better is 3.. You score 50, against 53.1.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.0%; scores 53.1%.
A mistake. After , 3. gives up the pressure on d5 and allows , hitting a d4 pawn only your queen guards. After 4. their pawn takes d3 and f3 from you, and with 5. 6. you hold c5 against the b6 pawn and the f8 bishop. Better is 3.. You score 51.5, against 57.4.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.5%; scores 57.4%.
An inaccuracy. After , 3. stops attacking d5, and only d4 protects your c5 pawn. attacks it with the pawn and the f8 bishop. After 4. 5. 6., the a8 rook has an open a-file down to a2. Better is 3.. You score 52.3, against 53.8.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.3%; scores 53.8%.
An inaccuracy your level doesn't punish: you score 53.8 with it and 52.2 with 3.. After , that pawn is undefended, and 3. leaves it alone. Then 4. 5. : the e-file is open between the kings and the bishop pins your c3 knight; 6. guards c4. At your level, 14 in 100 players choose it.
14 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.8%; scores 52.2%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 676,002 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 174,778 |
| Not castled | 158,179 | |
| Not castled | 140,772 | |
| 66,291 | ||
| 41,710 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2,553 | ||
| Not castled | 305 | |
| Not castled | 227 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 214 |
| 149 | ||
| 85 |
1. 2.
684,723 amateur games · 2,306 over the board
holds d5 with a pawn but leaves the c8 bishop stuck behind it.
1. 2.
329,767 amateur games · 432 over the board
takes your c-pawn and leaves e4 free for your e-pawn.
1. 2.
225,773 amateur games · 521 over the board
holds d5 with a pawn without closing the c8 bishop's diagonal.
1. 2. 3. 4.
58,838 amateur games · 442 over the board
After 3. 4. , two pawns support d5.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · D44
232 amateur games · White's score: 53.7%
You're the one offering it, so what matters is how your opponents answer. At 900 to 1700, 31 in 100 opponents accept with , and you score 56.7 of every 100 points against it, more than the 53.4 you score against . Strong online players accept in only 12 of every 100 games and decline with in 47.
It's 1. 2.. Your c-pawn attacks d5, which only the queen defends, and offers itself: if your opponent takes with , their pawn leaves the center and e4 is free for your e-pawn. It appears in 4 of every 100 games at 900 to 1700, and you score 54.5 of every 100 points with it.
After 1. , play 2. and keep the pressure on d5. Against , 3. attacks it a second time; then come 4. and 5., pinning the knight that defends d5. If they accept with , e4 is free for your e-pawn. Avoid 3.: it stops attacking d5 and hands them the break.