Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
598,433 games: White 49.3% / Draw 5.8% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 207,238207K | ||
| 176,259176K | ||
| 55,11755K | ||
| 51,30051K | ||
| 34,67135K | ||
| 30,72431K | ||
| 13,83814K | ||
| 10,17110K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 Be7
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 46% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 55K | |
| 1400–1799 | 255K | |
| 1800–2199 | 311K | |
| 2200 and up | 127K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,866 |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
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: Janowski Variation (ECO D31, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 a6 (3 moves).
In 598,433 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 44.8% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 35% 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: Janowski Variation
4. cxd5 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 50.8% and Black 41.9% of 176K games. The most played answer, 4. Nf3, scores lowest: 51.1% in 207K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 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: Janowski Variation is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.034% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,591 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,431 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,913 |
| 2019 | 0.017% | 20,990 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 43,751 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 70,311 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 78,235 |
| 2023 | 0.026% | 97,272 |
| 2024 | 0.029% | 102,511 |
| 2025 | 0.034% | 116,253 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 33,846 |
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: Janowski Variation (D31)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-janowski-variation