Prep a Baltic antidote
Pick one line against 2...Bf5 built around Qb3 and b7, and play it in your next 10 Baltics. At about 40% over 20 games it is your worst QG sub-line.
← chickentendie5 / Openings
Queen's Gambit
You come out better and then leak it slowly into the endgame.
Score51%+3% vs your average
Win chance after move 1252%+5% vs your average
Blunders per game0.83−0.08 vs your average
Clock left at move 109:36−2s vs your average
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h1. d4 d5 2. Nf3
What it says about you
You play 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and c4 and have 157 games in the Queen's Gambit, making it your main weapon as White. You like classical, principled positions where the advantage comes from structure and piece play rather than cheap tricks. The data suggests the opening part of that plan works. The problems start later.
How you play it
You score 51.3% (73-69-15), a little above your 48.3% overall, but only 47.1% over the last 35 games. Out of the opening you are genuinely better: your win chance is 51.8 at move 12 and 51.1 at move 20, against baselines of 47.3 and 45.7. That makes this your most reliable source of good middlegames. Of 61 losses with a decisive phase, only 3 were decided in the opening, 41 in the middlegame, and 17 in the endgame, the highest endgame count of any opening you play. Games are long (44 moves on average), and 10 losses came on time, so your lead drains away slowly as the clock does.
Last 90 days: 35 games, 47% score.
What you're missing
- 01
Tactics in positions that are already winning. 27.Bxh6 dropped you from 91% to 50% when 27.Ng6+ was there, and 30.Qg3+ went from 98% to 63% when 30.Qxb7 simply won. You convert 67 of 92 winning positions.
- 02
Endgame technique. 17 losses were decided in the endgame and 9 were labelled endgame technique errors. For a player who reaches good middlegames, that is too many.
- 03
The Baltic Defence (2...Bf5). Across its two tags it scores 45.5% over 11 games and 33.3% over 9, about 40% over 20 games, well below what you score against the Chigorin (68.75%) or Queen's Knight lines (62.5%).
- 04
Clock management in long games. 10 timeout losses, and mistakes like 35.Rd3 (49% down to 27%, missing 35.Rxa6), show quality dropping once the clock is under five minutes.
How to improve it
- 01
Against the Baltic, go straight for its weak points: the b7 pawn and the bishop on f5. Qb3 hitting b7 and d5 is the key idea, as is cxd5 followed by Qa4+ if Black grabs on b1. Aim to finish the opening with the bishop pair and a clean centre.
- 02
In the Semi-Tarrasch Pillsbury structures (50% over 9 games), learn the isolated-queen-pawn plans for both sides. Decide early whether you want the IQP attack with Bd3, Qe2 and Rd1, or a symmetrical endgame where your better pieces tell.
- 03
Practise simplification when you are ahead. From a 91% or 98% position, look for the forcing line that wins material or trades queens. Here that means Ng6+ and Qxb7, not the most active-looking move.
- 04
Spend some study time on rook endgames and minor-piece endgames with the Carlsbad pawn structure. Your QG games regularly get there, and that is where 17 losses were decided.
Where it goes wrong
Your losses in this opening, by where and how the decisive mistake happened.
Phase of the decisive mistake
What the mistake was
Variations you reach
| Declined Baltic | 11 | 45% |
| Declined Semi Tarrasch Pillsbury Variation | 9 | 50% |
| Declined Baltic Defense | 9 | 33% |
| Declined Chigorin Defense | 8 | 69% |
| Declined Queen's Knight | 8 | 63% |
| Declined Baltic Pseudo Slav Defense | 7 | 64% |
Winning positions converted here: 73% (67 of 92).
Recent mistakes in this opening
Your move in red, Stockfish's in black.
8
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vs iamkira221 (2108) · 28-09-26 →
8
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2a1
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vs iamkira221 (2108) · 28-09-26 →
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765
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a1bc
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vs AlwaysWorseOnMove1 (2166) · 28-09-26 →
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a1b
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de
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vs AlwaysWorseOnMove1 (2166) · 28-09-26 →
Next steps
Drill forcing moves when winning
When you are 85%+, list every check and capture before you move. Two recent 90%+ positions were thrown away by skipping this.
Study rook endgames weekly
Spend 30 minutes a week on basic rook endgames. The endgame was the decisive phase in 17 of your QG losses.
Drill it
Puzzles built from your own mistakes in the Queen's Gambit, and every game you've played in it.