Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
716,112 games: White 49.4% / Draw 6.0% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 352,452352K | ||
| 115,504116K | ||
| 108,001108K | ||
| 63,56564K | ||
| 38,83939K | ||
| 9,7519,751 | ||
| 9,2759,275 | ||
| 5,5185,518 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.28 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bg3 Bxg3 8. hxg3 a6 9. a4 b6
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 48% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 31K | |
| 1400–1799 | 215K | |
| 1800–2199 | 432K | |
| 2200 and up | 135K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,986 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Carlsen, M. – 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 27, 2026
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation (ECO D37, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 (4 moves).
In 716,112 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.4%, Black 44.5% and 6.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bg5, in 49% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Sämisch Variation and Queen's Gambit Declined: Knight Defense, Alekhine Gambit.
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: Barmen Variation
5. g3 scores best for White: 54.7%, with White winning 51.7% and Black 42.4% of 39K games. The most played, 5. Bg5, scores 51.7% in 352K games, and 5. e3 scores lowest: 51.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Bf4.
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: Barmen Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.025% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.033%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,804 |
| 2017 | 0.034% | 18,535 |
| 2018 | 0.036% | 28,253 |
| 2019 | 0.034% | 42,211 |
| 2020 | 0.031% | 90,370 |
| 2021 | 0.028% | 107,763 |
| 2022 | 0.025% | 94,845 |
| 2023 | 0.026% | 98,180 |
| 2024 | 0.026% | 92,904 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 88,355 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.026% | 29,015 |
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: Barmen Variation (D37)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-barmen-variation