Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation 8…h6 9. Bh4
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Statistics from Lichess
290,264 games: White 53.7% / Draw 6.5% / Black 39.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 92,13092K | ||
| 78,89279K | ||
| 47,57048K | ||
| 15,24015K | ||
| 13,54714K | ||
| 7,5847,584 | ||
| 7,1857,185 | ||
| 6,4586,458 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Re8 10. Nge2 Nbd7 11. h3 a5 12. O-O b5 13. a3 Ba6 14. Rfc1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 550 | |
| 1400–1799 | 19K | |
| 1800–2199 | 179K | |
| 2200 and up | 95K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,147 |
Master games
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Kramnik, V.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
- Giri, A. – Ding Liren
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – 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, Reshevsky Variation (ECO D36, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 Be7 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bh4 (9 moves).
In 290,264 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.7%, Black 39.9% and 6.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Nbd7, in 32% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 9. Bh4
9…Re8 scores best for Black: 45.4%, with Black winning 41.6% and White 50.8% of 79K games. The most played answer, 9…Nbd7, scores lowest: 41.8% in 92K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 9…Re8.
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 peaked in 2018 at 0.015% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.012% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.01% | 3,707 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,003 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,456 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 15,404 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 33,265 |
| 2021 | 0.0089% | 34,972 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 39,488 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 43,157 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 41,803 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 41,427 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,630 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Reshevsky Variation (D36)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-exchange-variation-reshevsky-variation-4