Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Chigorin
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Statistics from Lichess
187,263 games: White 47.0% / Draw 4.5% / Black 48.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 42,10942K | ||
| 34,77335K | ||
| 32,95133K | ||
| 30,46030K | ||
| 24,12824K | ||
| 7,5237,523 | ||
| 6,8016,801 | ||
| 2,3172,317 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.36 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 Bd6 7. Nxd5 Be4 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Nc3 Bxf3
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 | 38K | |
| 1400–1799 | 120K | |
| 1800–2199 | 98K | |
| 2200 and up | 20K | |
| Masters, over the board | 273 |
Master games
- Radjabov, T. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Giri, A. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Giri, A. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Li Chao2
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: Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Chigorin (ECO D06, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5 3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 Nc6 (4 moves).
In 187,263 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.0%, Black 48.5% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bf4, in 22% 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: Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Chigorin
5. a3 scores best for White: 54.2%, with White winning 51.4% and Black 43.0% of 24K games. The most played, 5. Bf4, scores 53.1% in 42K games, and 5. e3 scores lowest: 38.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. 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: Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Chigorin peaked in 2018 at 0.008% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0068% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0063% | 2,238 |
| 2017 | 0.0069% | 3,821 |
| 2018 | 0.008% | 6,246 |
| 2019 | 0.0078% | 9,724 |
| 2020 | 0.0073% | 21,359 |
| 2021 | 0.0072% | 28,133 |
| 2022 | 0.0074% | 27,727 |
| 2023 | 0.0075% | 28,241 |
| 2024 | 0.0073% | 26,046 |
| 2025 | 0.0068% | 23,624 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0069% | 7,617 |
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: Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Chigorin (D06)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-baltic-defense-pseudo-chigorin