Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense 7. e3 Ne4
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Statistics from Lichess
134,586 games: White 47.2% / Draw 8.7% / Black 44.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 122,281122K | ||
| 7,6077,607 | ||
| 3,1633,163 | ||
| 532532 | ||
| 519519 | ||
| 204204 | ||
| 9595 | ||
| 5151 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Qc2 Nd7 11. Be2 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 dxc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense (ECO D56, 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. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 Ne4 (7 moves).
In 134,586 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 44.1% and 8.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Bxe7, in 91% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Main Line.
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How to answer 7…Ne4
8. Bg3 scores best for White: 54.6%, with White winning 51.3% and Black 42.0% of 7,607 games. The most played answer, 8. Bxe7, scores lowest: 51.7% in 122K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. Bxe7.
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
Variations (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense (D56)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-lasker-defense-2