Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
899,347 games: White 50.7% / Draw 5.0% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 564,056564K | ||
| 251,756252K | ||
| Somov Gambit | 57,48057K | |
| 16,66217K | ||
| 3,2393,239 | ||
| 2,9502,950 | ||
| 2,2962,296 | ||
| 155155 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qb3 Qd7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 614K | |
| 1400–1799 | 857K | |
| 1800–2199 | 415K | |
| 2200 and up | 76K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,565 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Anand, V.
- So, W. – Aronian, L.
- Ding Liren – Yu Yangyi
- Ding Liren – Navara, D.
- Firouzja, A. – Praggnanandhaa, R.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense (ECO D20, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Saduleto Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 (3 moves).
In 899,347 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 44.3% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d5, in 63% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense, Somov Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense
4. Nf3 scores best for White: 57.0%, with White winning 54.1% and Black 40.1% of 252K games. The most played, 4. d5, scores 52.3% in 564K games, and 4. Bxc4 scores lowest: 48.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Nf3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense dipped to 0.031% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.036% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,915 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,345 |
| 2018 | 0.031% | 24,318 |
| 2019 | 0.032% | 39,495 |
| 2020 | 0.032% | 92,321 |
| 2021 | 0.034% | 132,203 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 132,722 |
| 2023 | 0.037% | 137,503 |
| 2024 | 0.036% | 127,441 |
| 2025 | 0.036% | 126,084 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.039% | 42,379 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense (D20)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-accepted-central-variation-mcdonnell-defense