Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack 8. Qc2 a6
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Statistics from Lichess
10,709 games: White 50.6% / Draw 6.7% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack | 2,9602,960 | |
| 2,5662,566 | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack | 1,8371,837 | |
| 1,3811,381 | ||
| 611611 | ||
| 424424 | ||
| 404404 | ||
| 357357 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bd3 h6 11. Bf4 b5 12. O-O Qb6 13. a4 bxa4
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, Rubinstein Attack (ECO D64, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Qc2 a6 (8 moves).
In 10,709 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.6%, Black 42.7% and 6.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. a3, in 28% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 8…a6
9. c5 scores best for White: 55.4%, with White winning 52.3% and Black 41.4% of 1,381 games. The most played, 9. a3, scores 55.1% in 2,960 games, and 9. Bd3 scores lowest: 51.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 9. 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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack (D64)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-orthodox-defense-rubinstein-attack-3