Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack 8…a6 9. cxd5
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Statistics from Lichess
1,836 games: White 51.7% / Draw 6.5% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,2821,282 | ||
| 387387 | ||
| 166166 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... cxd5 10. Bd3 h6 11. Bf4 Nh5 12. O-O Nxf4 13. exf4 Bd6 14. g3
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 D65, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Qc2 a6 9. cxd5 (9 moves).
In 1,836 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 41.8% and 6.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…exd5, in 70% 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 9. cxd5
9…cxd5 scores best for Black: 48.8%, with Black winning 45.2% and White 47.5% of 387 games. The most played, 9…exd5, scores 45.2% in 1,282 games, and 9…Nxd5 scores lowest: 34.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9…cxd5.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Attack (D65)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-orthodox-defense-rubinstein-attack-5