Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Henneberger Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
47,271 games: White 47.2% / Draw 7.1% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,81814K | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Swiss, Carlsbad Variation | 12,22312K | |
| 7,2217,221 | ||
| 4,3614,361 | ||
| 3,6723,672 | ||
| 1,8081,808 | ||
| 1,7221,722 | ||
| 1,0541,054 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 c6 10. O-O Re8 11. Bf4 Nf8 12. Ne5 Ne6
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, Henneberger Variation (ECO D63, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Main Line, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 a6 (7 moves).
In 47,271 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 45.6% and 7.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Bd3, in 29% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Swiss, Carlsbad Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Henneberger Variation
8. c5 scores best for White: 56.1%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 40.5% of 4,361 games. The most played answer, 8. Bd3, scores lowest: 46.5% in 14K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. 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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Henneberger Variation (D63)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-orthodox-defense-henneberger-variation