Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense 3. Nc3 dxc4
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Statistics from Lichess
1,363,605 games: White 55.2% / Draw 4.2% / Black 40.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Janowski Variation | 417,332417K | |
| 378,666379K | ||
| 352,626353K | ||
| 143,185143K | ||
| 50,74351K | ||
| 7,8537,853 | ||
| 5,1235,123 | ||
| 2,3512,351 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.79 White is better
Best play: 4. d5 Nb8 5. e4 e5 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Be3 a6 8. a4 b6
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 43% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 35% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 554K | |
| 2200 and up | 32K | |
| Masters, over the board | 864 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Anand, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Morozevich, A.
- Beliavsky, A. G. – Morozevich, A.
- Shirov, A. – Morozevich, 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: 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 dxc4 (3 moves).
In 1,363,605 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.2%, Black 40.5% and 4.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 31% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Janowski Variation. In all, 2 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…dxc4
4. d5 scores best for White: 61.5%, with White winning 59.5% and Black 36.6% of 379K games. The most played, 4. Nf3, scores 58.6% in 417K games, and 4. e4 scores lowest: 45.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d5.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.047% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.058%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.058% | 20,829 |
| 2017 | 0.048% | 26,168 |
| 2018 | 0.043% | 34,152 |
| 2019 | 0.05% | 62,222 |
| 2020 | 0.056% | 164,843 |
| 2021 | 0.059% | 230,243 |
| 2022 | 0.057% | 214,460 |
| 2023 | 0.053% | 197,624 |
| 2024 | 0.05% | 177,734 |
| 2025 | 0.047% | 164,765 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.045% | 49,574 |
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 (1)
All 2 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-3