8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

1. d4 d5 2. c4

Shown from White's side. ECO D06.

Opening guide · an opening for White

Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit starts 1. d4 d5 2. c4. White offers the c pawn to draw Black's d pawn away from the centre. It is not a true gambit, because White can usually win the pawn back. Black either takes it, the Queen's Gambit Accepted, or supports d5 with 2...e6, the Queen's Gambit Declined.

Games in our sample
115,481
White wins
52.3%
Draws
4.6%
Black wins
43.1%
Open this position on the analysis boardResults by rating

How the Queen's Gambit scores at each rating

Each row is one rating band. The share is how much of all the games in that band started with this opening.

RatingGamesShareWhite winsDrawsBlack wins
under 10004,0951.8%54.9%3.5%41.6%
1000 to 11999,1052.9%54.0%3.3%42.7%
1200 to 139915,2433.2%53.1%3.4%43.5%
1400 to 159922,5843.7%53.2%3.7%43.1%
1600 to 179926,3064.1%52.3%4.2%43.5%
1800 to 199921,8384.2%52.0%5.1%43.0%
2000 to 219910,8094.1%50.7%6.1%43.2%
2200 and over5,5014.9%46.1%12.2%41.7%
All ratings115,4813.7%52.3%4.6%43.1%

Counted from 3,156,949 rated blitz, rapid and classical games played on Lichess from 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-02 (the first 5,000,000 games of the month's public file; bullet and unrated games left out). The rating is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings. Source: the Lichess open database (public domain).

Main lines

The named lines of the Queen's Gambit that were played most in our sample, each with the position it reaches.

  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Queen's Gambit Declined

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6

    15,740 games · White 50.9% · draws 5.1% · Black 44.0%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Marshall Defense

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6

    15,558 games · White 52.8% · draws 3.6% · Black 43.6%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Queen's Gambit Accepted

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4

    8,675 games · White 53.7% · draws 3.8% · Black 42.5%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Old Variation

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3

    6,668 games · White 55.7% · draws 4.6% · Black 39.7%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Queen's Knight Variation

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3

    4,890 games · White 53.1% · draws 3.9% · Black 43.0%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Baltic Defense

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5

    4,081 games · White 54.1% · draws 4.0% · Black 41.9%

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Ideas for White

  • If Black takes on c4, play e3 or e4 and win the pawn back with the bishop.
  • In the Declined lines, put pressure on d5 with Nc3 and Bg5.

Ideas for Black

  • Do not try to hold the c4 pawn with ...b5: it usually costs more than it saves.
  • In the Declined, free the bishop on c8 in good time, since ...e6 shuts it in.

Questions

What are the moves of the Queen's Gambit?
1. d4 d5 2. c4. In the ECO classification it is filed under D06.
How does the Queen's Gambit score?
In 115,481 games with it in our sample, White won 52.3%, 4.6% were drawn and Black won 43.1%.
At which ratings is the Queen's Gambit played most?
Among players rated 2200 and over it is 4.9% of all games in our sample, its highest share. Its lowest share, 1.8%, is among players rated under 1000.
Which line of the Queen's Gambit is played most?
Queen's Gambit Declined (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6), with 15,740 games in our sample.

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