Caissa Codex
D51

Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation, Anti-Cambridge Springs Variation

Chess diagram: Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation, Anti-Cambridge Springs Variation after 6. a3

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Statistics from Lichess

26,990 games: White 49.5% / Draw 5.9% / Black 44.6%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
11,47711K
4,2374,237
3,7913,791
2,5942,594
1,6161,616
893893
771771
670670

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.27 The position is about equal

Best play: 6... Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Qc2 b6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. O-O

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation, Anti-Cambridge Springs Variation (ECO D51, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation, Knight Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 c6 6. a3 (6 moves).

In 26,990 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.5%, Black 44.6% and 5.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Be7, in 43% of those games.

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How to play against the Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation, Anti-Cambridge Springs Variation

6…dxc4 scores best for Black: 51.1%, with Black winning 47.8% and White 45.7% of 1,616 games. The most played, 6…Be7, scores 47.4% in 11K games, and 6…h6 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…Be7.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 6. a3, the position after Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation, Knight Defense also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation, Anti-Cambridge Springs Variation (D51)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-capablanca-variation-anti-cambridge-springs-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-capablanca-variation-anti-cambridge-springs-variation