Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
2,339,844 games: White 51.7% / Draw 5.1% / Black 43.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 663,588664K | ||
| 559,075559K | ||
| 453,328453K | ||
| 366,502367K | ||
| 258,059258K | ||
| 14,55115K | ||
| 9,8939,893 | ||
| 6,8046,804 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.53 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nc3 Qa5 6. Nxd4 Nf6 7. Nb3 Qc7
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 43% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.1M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 102K | |
| Masters, over the board | 385 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- So, W. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Caruana, F. – Nakamura, H.
- Ding Liren – Mamedyarov, S.
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 26, 2026
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense (ECO D06, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c5 (2 moves).
In 2,339,844 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 43.2% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. cxd5, in 28% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit and Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense, Gusev Countergambit. In all, 3 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 play against the Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense
The most played answer, 3. cxd5, also scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 40.8% of 664K games. Of the main answers, 3. dxc5 scores lowest: 53.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. cxd5.
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 Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.088% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.11%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.11% | 38,692 |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 55,080 |
| 2018 | 0.094% | 73,977 |
| 2019 | 0.093% | 116,480 |
| 2020 | 0.092% | 268,939 |
| 2021 | 0.093% | 363,033 |
| 2022 | 0.092% | 344,919 |
| 2023 | 0.087% | 327,973 |
| 2024 | 0.086% | 308,530 |
| 2025 | 0.088% | 304,779 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.087% | 95,915 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense (D06)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-austrian-defense