Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
646,482 games: White 50.8% / Draw 5.4% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 205,608206K | ||
| 174,274174K | ||
| 159,860160K | ||
| 33,04333K | ||
| 15,53016K | ||
| 13,80714K | ||
| 12,35212K | ||
| 11,03811K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.80 White is better
Best play: 4. cxd5 Bxf3 5. gxf3 Qxd5 6. e3 Qd7 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. d5 Nd8
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, 49% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 97K | |
| 1400–1799 | 316K | |
| 1800–2199 | 337K | |
| 2200 and up | 126K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,945 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Gelfand, B. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Nakamura, H. – 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, Main Line (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. Nf3 Bg4 (3 moves).
In 646,482 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 43.8% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. e3, in 32% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Main Line, Alekhine Variation.
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, Main Line
4. Nc3 scores best for White: 55.2%, with White winning 52.5% and Black 42.1% of 160K games. The most played, 4. e3, scores 52.4% in 206K games, and 4. Ne5 scores lowest: 52.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. 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: Chigorin Defense, Main Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.025% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.03%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.03% | 10,685 |
| 2017 | 0.03% | 16,440 |
| 2018 | 0.031% | 24,263 |
| 2019 | 0.028% | 35,204 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 75,217 |
| 2021 | 0.023% | 90,919 |
| 2022 | 0.024% | 91,391 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 90,501 |
| 2024 | 0.024% | 87,659 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 85,300 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,198 |
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, Main Line (D07)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-chigorin-defense-main-line