Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
386,958 games: White 53.7% / Draw 5.1% / Black 41.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bg4 Line | 150,957151K | |
| 88,82589K | ||
| Be6 Line | 60,52161K | |
| 32,17332K | ||
| Bf5 Line | 25,75126K | |
| 11,22711K | ||
| 10,10610K | ||
| 1,6551,655 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.56 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... Nge7 6. Bg2 Ng6 7. O-O Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Na3 Be7 10. Nb5
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, 54% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,291 | |
| 1400–1799 | 90K | |
| 1800–2199 | 256K | |
| 2200 and up | 64K | |
| Masters, over the board | 612 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Gelfand, B. – Morozevich, A.
- Van Wely, L. – Morozevich, A.
- Khenkin, I. – Morozevich, A.
- Dreev, A. – Nakamura, H.
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: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation (ECO D09, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit, Normal Line, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. g3 (5 moves).
In 386,958 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.7%, Black 41.2% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Bg4, in 39% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation, Bg4 Line and Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation, Be6 Line.
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 Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation
5…Be6 (Be6 Line) scores best for Black: 48.2%, with Black winning 45.8% and White 49.4% of 61K games. The most played, 5…Bg4, scores 42.7% in 151K games, and 5…Bb4+ scores lowest: 39.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Nge7.
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 Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.013% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.02% (its peak: 0.024% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,030 |
| 2017 | 0.022% | 12,070 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 18,631 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 24,535 |
| 2020 | 0.016% | 47,508 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 55,966 |
| 2022 | 0.014% | 54,097 |
| 2023 | 0.015% | 54,656 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 47,308 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 43,844 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,391 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation (D09)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-albin-countergambit-fianchetto-variation