Queen's Gambit Accepted: Showalter Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,243,409 games: White 54.4% / Draw 4.9% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights, Vienna Variation | 395,806396K | |
| 184,583185K | ||
| 156,712157K | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Modern Gambit | 126,369126K | |
| 101,566102K | ||
| Slav Defense: Two Knights Attack | 94,51795K | |
| 62,17562K | ||
| 53,48353K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... a6 5. e4 b5 6. e5 Nd5 7. a4 e6 8. axb5 Bb4 9. Qc2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 58% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 573K | |
| 1400–1799 | 978K | |
| 1800–2199 | 634K | |
| 2200 and up | 108K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,114 |
Master games
- Grischuk, A. – Karjakin, S.
- Mamedyarov, S. – So, W.
- Kasparov, G. – Timman, J. H.
- Salem, A. – Aronian, L.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Kasimdzhanov, 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: Showalter Variation (ECO D24, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Queen's Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 (4 moves).
In 1,243,409 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.4%, Black 40.8% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…e6, in 32% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Queen's Gambit Accepted: Bogoljubow Defense and Queen's Gambit Accepted: Gunsberg Defense, Prianishenmo 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: Showalter Variation
4…a6 scores best for Black: 49.8%, with Black winning 46.9% and White 47.4% of 157K games. The most played, 4…e6, scores 42.2% in 396K games, and 4…Nc6 scores lowest: 37.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…a6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Showalter Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.052% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.044% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.051% | 18,271 |
| 2017 | 0.048% | 26,567 |
| 2018 | 0.048% | 37,633 |
| 2019 | 0.05% | 62,707 |
| 2020 | 0.052% | 152,953 |
| 2021 | 0.05% | 195,301 |
| 2022 | 0.049% | 185,494 |
| 2023 | 0.048% | 179,914 |
| 2024 | 0.046% | 163,271 |
| 2025 | 0.044% | 153,225 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.044% | 48,647 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Accepted: Showalter Variation (D24)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-accepted-showalter-variation