Queen's Gambit Declined 5…Nbd7 6. e3
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Statistics from Lichess
1,494,532 games: White 48.6% / Draw 6.0% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Springs Defense | 609,580610K | |
| 394,995395K | ||
| 219,287219K | ||
| 108,670109K | ||
| 76,49776K | ||
| 25,66126K | ||
| 22,56823K | ||
| 13,82814K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Qa5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qd2 Bb4 9. Rc1 h6 10. Bh4 b6 11. Bd3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 33K | |
| 1400–1799 | 351K | |
| 1800–2199 | 981K | |
| 2200 and up | 256K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,851 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Giri, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Gelfand, B. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
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 Declined (ECO D52, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Semi-Slav Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 (6 moves).
In 1,494,532 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 45.4% and 6.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Qa5, in 41% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Defense. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6. e3
The most played answer, 6…Qa5 (Cambridge Springs Defense), also scores best for Black: 50.9%, with Black winning 47.7% and White 46.0% of 610K games. Of the main answers, 6…h6 scores lowest: 44.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Qa5.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.052% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.065% (its peak: 0.077% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.065% | 23,078 |
| 2017 | 0.068% | 37,438 |
| 2018 | 0.077% | 60,151 |
| 2019 | 0.066% | 82,903 |
| 2020 | 0.064% | 187,470 |
| 2021 | 0.056% | 220,788 |
| 2022 | 0.056% | 211,820 |
| 2023 | 0.056% | 209,824 |
| 2024 | 0.055% | 195,506 |
| 2025 | 0.052% | 182,074 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.052% | 57,262 |
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)
Transpositions
All 5 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined (D52)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-4