Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense 2…Nc6 3. Nc3
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Statistics from Lichess
1,367,781 games: White 52.9% / Draw 4.5% / Black 42.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 567,036567K | ||
| 438,158438K | ||
| 205,881206K | ||
| Tartakower Gambit | 89,84290K | |
| 45,42645K | ||
| 5,1695,169 | ||
| 3,6473,647 | ||
| 2,9122,912 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.53 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... e6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 Ne4 7. Bxe7 Nxe7 8. cxd5
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 57% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 65% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 532K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 686K | |
| 2200 and up | 75K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,444 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Anand, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Morozevich, A.
- Aronian, L. – Rapport, R.
- Yu Yangyi – Rapport, R.
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: Chigorin Defense (ECO D07, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 (3 moves).
In 1,367,781 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.9%, Black 42.6% and 4.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…dxc4, in 41% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Tartakower Gambit. 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 answer 3. Nc3
3…e5 (Tartakower Gambit) scores best for Black: 48.0%, with Black winning 45.5% and White 49.5% of 90K games. The most played, 3…dxc4, scores 45.1% in 567K games, and 3…e6 scores lowest: 43.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…e6.
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
Popularity by year
This line has stayed between 0.05% and 0.055% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.053% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.055% | 19,600 |
| 2017 | 0.05% | 27,393 |
| 2018 | 0.052% | 41,096 |
| 2019 | 0.052% | 64,940 |
| 2020 | 0.051% | 149,763 |
| 2021 | 0.053% | 205,687 |
| 2022 | 0.055% | 204,980 |
| 2023 | 0.053% | 200,570 |
| 2024 | 0.053% | 189,745 |
| 2025 | 0.053% | 183,755 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.052% | 57,438 |
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)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense (D07)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-chigorin-defense-2