Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation 5. Bg5 c6
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Statistics from Lichess
1,262,637 games: White 50.2% / Draw 6.4% / Black 43.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 832,719833K | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation | 233,178233K | |
| 121,989122K | ||
| 33,33633K | ||
| 15,86616K | ||
| 5,6075,607 | ||
| 4,3514,351 | ||
| 4,3404,340 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. h4 h5
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 Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 31K | |
| 1400–1799 | 222K | |
| 1800–2199 | 731K | |
| 2200 and up | 373K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,137 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Kramnik, V.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Kramnik, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Kramnik, V.
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: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation (ECO D35, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 (5 moves).
In 1,262,637 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.2%, Black 43.3% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. e3, in 66% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation. 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 5…c6
6. Qc2 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation) scores best for White: 56.0%, with White winning 52.9% and Black 40.9% of 233K games. The most played, 6. e3, scores 54.1% in 833K games, and 6. Nf3 scores lowest: 48.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. 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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.054% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.038%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.038% | 13,397 |
| 2017 | 0.046% | 25,324 |
| 2018 | 0.055% | 43,058 |
| 2019 | 0.05% | 62,363 |
| 2020 | 0.049% | 144,048 |
| 2021 | 0.042% | 162,793 |
| 2022 | 0.046% | 172,108 |
| 2023 | 0.049% | 185,932 |
| 2024 | 0.051% | 183,038 |
| 2025 | 0.054% | 186,379 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.057% | 62,139 |
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 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation (D35)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-exchange-variation-positional-variation-2