Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
229,398 games: White 48.8% / Draw 6.9% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 84,02184K | ||
| 57,99558K | ||
| 25,33125K | ||
| 20,40620K | ||
| 14,39114K | ||
| 9,3659,365 | ||
| 8,5688,568 | ||
| 2,3392,339 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. Be2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bb7 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Rc1 c5 11. Qe2 a6
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, 45% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3,987 | |
| 1400–1799 | 40K | |
| 1800–2199 | 134K | |
| 2200 and up | 66K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,814 |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Karjakin, S.
- Ding Liren – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Giri, A. – Caruana, F.
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: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense (ECO D37, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 (6 moves).
In 229,398 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.8%, Black 44.4% and 6.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. cxd5, in 37% of those games.
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: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense
The most played answer, 7. cxd5, also scores best for White: 54.4%, with White winning 50.7% and Black 42.0% of 84K games. Of the main answers, 7. h3 scores lowest: 50.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Be2.
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: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.0088% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0056% (its peak: 0.01% in 2019).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0056% | 1,986 |
| 2017 | 0.0077% | 4,254 |
| 2018 | 0.01% | 7,942 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 12,712 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 29,697 |
| 2021 | 0.0091% | 35,438 |
| 2022 | 0.0087% | 32,538 |
| 2023 | 0.0082% | 31,004 |
| 2024 | 0.0082% | 29,529 |
| 2025 | 0.0088% | 30,549 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0094% | 10,349 |
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: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense (D37)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-harrwitz-attack-fianchetto-defense