Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Pillsbury Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
12,379 games: White 52.2% / Draw 6.1% / Black 41.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,9858,985 | ||
| 2,1702,170 | ||
| 676676 | ||
| 222222 | ||
| 115115 | ||
| 108108 | ||
| 5757 | ||
| 2525 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 9... Bb7 10. Bf5 Re8 11. O-O Ne4 12. Bxe7 Rxe7 13. b4 Nd6 14. Bxd7
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, Pillsbury Variation (ECO D63, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit that starts 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.
In 12,379 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.2%, Black 41.7% and 6.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Bb7, in 73% 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: Orthodox Defense, Pillsbury Variation
The most played answer, 9…Bb7, also scores best for Black: 45.6%, with Black winning 42.5% and White 51.3% of 8,985 games. Of the main answers, 9…h6 scores lowest: 39.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9…Bb7.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Pillsbury Variation (D63)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-orthodox-defense-pillsbury-variation