Queen's Gambit Declined: Alekhine Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
78,719 games: White 46.4% / Draw 5.6% / Black 48.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 53,20153K | ||
| 9,3469,346 | ||
| 8,1048,104 | ||
| 3,7143,714 | ||
| 2,0032,003 | ||
| 1,2071,207 | ||
| 651651 | ||
| 123123 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... dxe4 7. Nxe4 h6 8. Nxf6+ Nxf6 9. Bf4 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Bb4 11. a3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Alekhine Variation (ECO D51, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation, Knight Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 c6 6. e4 (6 moves).
In 78,719 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.4%, Black 48.0% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…dxe4, in 68% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Queen's Gambit Declined: Alekhine Variation
The most played answer, 6…dxe4, also scores best for Black: 53.2%, with Black winning 50.2% and White 43.8% of 53K games. Of the main answers, 6…Be7 scores lowest: 43.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…dxe4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Alekhine Variation (D51)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-alekhine-variation