Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
705,423 games: White 51.1% / Draw 4.9% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 401,831402K | ||
| 207,987208K | ||
| 93,24193K | ||
| 843843 | ||
| 576576 | ||
| 271271 | ||
| 234234 | ||
| 149149 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.45 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. e3 e5 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 Nf6 8. c4 Qd8
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 47% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 283K | |
| 1400–1799 | 525K | |
| 1800–2199 | 361K | |
| 2200 and up | 64K | |
| Masters, over the board | 943 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Ding Liren – Ivanchuk, V.
- Topalov, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Eljanov, P. – Moiseenko, A.
- Wojtaszek, R. – 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, Exchange Variation (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. cxd5 Qxd5 (3 moves).
In 705,423 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.1%, Black 44.0% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 57% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Exchange Variation, Costa's Line.
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: Chigorin Defense, Exchange Variation
4. e3 scores best for White: 56.2%, with White winning 53.6% and Black 41.3% of 208K games. The most played, 4. Nf3, scores 55.3% in 402K games, and 4. Nc3 scores lowest: 40.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. e3.
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: Chigorin Defense, Exchange Variation has stayed between 0.025% and 0.029% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.029% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.026% | 9,293 |
| 2017 | 0.025% | 13,816 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 21,389 |
| 2019 | 0.026% | 32,840 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 74,993 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 102,119 |
| 2022 | 0.027% | 102,956 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 103,199 |
| 2024 | 0.028% | 100,963 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 99,975 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.029% | 31,568 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Exchange Variation (D07)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-chigorin-defense-exchange-variation