Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Pillsbury Variation
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Pillsbury Variation is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO D63 in the Closed & Semi-Closed Games group. The defining idea is the early concession of material to seize the initiative and unbalance the position.
The Closed & Semi-Closed Games group covers closed and semi-closed games — 1.d4 systems characterised by long strategic manoeuvring rather than early tactics.
Play reaches this position via 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3, after 17 plies of opening development.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- D63
- Group
- Closed & Semi-Closed Games (D)
- Plies
- 17
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Statistics from Lichess
12,379 games · White 52.2% / Draw 6.1% / Black 41.7%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bb7 | 8,985 | |
| c5 | 2,170 | |
| h6 | 676 | |
| a6 | 222 | |
| Re8 | 115 | |
| c6 | 108 | |
| a5 | 57 | |
| Ne4 | 25 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:17:17
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.