Queen's Gambit Declined: Been-Koomen Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
272,351 games: White 48.7% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 100,833101K | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation | 79,33479K | |
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation | 41,97742K | |
| 29,58730K | ||
| 11,61812K | ||
| 6,7466,746 | ||
| 562562 | ||
| 418418 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 Be7 7. e4 exd5 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Bb5+ Nc6
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 49% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 42K | |
| 1400–1799 | 212K | |
| 1800–2199 | 136K | |
| 2200 and up | 9,364 | |
| Masters, over the board | 158 |
Master games
- Artemiev, V. – Le Quang Liem
- Grandelius, N. – Naiditsch, A.
- Del Rio de Angelis, S. G. – Gustafsson, J.
- Demidov, M. – Rakhmanov, A.
- Savchenko, B. – Bezgodov, A.
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: Been-Koomen Variation (ECO D50, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c5 (4 moves).
In 272,351 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 46.1% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. e3, in 37% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Queen's Gambit Declined: Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation and Queen's Gambit Declined: Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation, Primitive Pillsbury Variation. In all, 4 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: Been-Koomen Variation
5. cxd5 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation) scores best for White: 52.9%, with White winning 50.3% and Black 44.5% of 79K games. The most played, 5. e3, scores 52.7% in 101K games, and 5. dxc5 scores lowest: 46.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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: Been-Koomen Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.012% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0095% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,763 |
| 2017 | 0.011% | 5,948 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,886 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 14,499 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,354 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 42,420 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 40,494 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 41,221 |
| 2024 | 0.01% | 35,839 |
| 2025 | 0.0095% | 32,803 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0091% | 10,023 |
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 (3)
Transpositions
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Been-Koomen Variation (D50)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-been-koomen-variation