Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
249,428 games: White 47.2% / Draw 4.2% / Black 48.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 158,734159K | ||
| 53,44653K | ||
| 17,80418K | ||
| 5,0655,065 | ||
| 4,8414,841 | ||
| 2,6222,622 | ||
| 1,6221,622 | ||
| 1,4481,448 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.35 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. b4 a5 5. b5 e5 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. e3 Bxc5 8. exd4 exd4
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 51% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 48K | |
| 1400–1799 | 169K | |
| 1800–2199 | 136K | |
| 2200 and up | 9,985 | |
| Masters, over the board | 15 |
Master games
- Van Wely, L. – Smeets, J.
- Nakamura, H. – Glek, I. V.
- Socko, B. – Smith, A.
- Georgiev, V. – Zaitsev, M.
- Moiseenko, V. – Ulibin, 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: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit (ECO D06, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c5 3. dxc5 d4 (3 moves).
In 249,428 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 48.6% and 4.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 64% of those games.
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: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit
4. b4 scores best for White: 51.0%, with White winning 49.3% and Black 47.3% of 18K games. The most played answer, 4. Nf3, scores lowest: 49.3% in 159K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. b4.
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 Declined: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.0093% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,506 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 6,951 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,551 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,305 |
| 2020 | 0.0093% | 27,369 |
| 2021 | 0.0093% | 36,441 |
| 2022 | 0.0095% | 35,705 |
| 2023 | 0.0094% | 35,509 |
| 2024 | 0.0091% | 32,491 |
| 2025 | 0.0093% | 32,329 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0094% | 10,260 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit (D06)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-austrian-attack-salvio-countergambit