Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
12,139 games: White 45.1% / Draw 12.0% / Black 42.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,9415,941 | ||
| 1,6071,607 | ||
| 1,4021,402 | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation | 920920 | |
| 676676 | ||
| 482482 | ||
| 233233 | ||
| 198198 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 13. h3 exd4 14. exd4 Nb6 15. Re1 Qd8 16. Bb3 Nd5 17. Bxd5 Qxd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation (ECO D68, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Main Line, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3 12. Rxc3 e5 (12 moves).
In 12,139 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.1%, Black 42.9% and 12.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 13. dxe5, in 49% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
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: Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation
13. Bb3 scores best for White: 58.5%, with White winning 53.7% and Black 36.7% of 1,402 games. The most played, 13. dxe5, scores 48.4% in 5,941 games, and 13. Re1 scores lowest: 48.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 13. h3.
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: Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation (D68)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-orthodox-defense-classical-variation