Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
6,487 games: White 49.3% / Draw 6.7% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,8523,852 | ||
| 835835 | ||
| 793793 | ||
| 654654 | ||
| 128128 | ||
| 5454 | ||
| 5252 | ||
| 4949 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Nbd7 10. f4 c5 11. O-O cxd4 12. exd4 Ne4 13. Qa4 Ndf6 14. Rae1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack (ECO D55, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Ne5.
In 6,487 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 44.0% and 6.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Nbd7, in 59% 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: Pillsbury Attack
9…c5 scores best for Black: 51.2%, with Black winning 47.4% and White 45.0% of 793 games. The most played, 9…Nbd7, scores 47.7% in 3,852 games, and 9…Ne4 scores lowest: 43.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Nbd7.
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: Pillsbury Attack (D55)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-pillsbury-attack