Tree path 4 levels Queen's Pawn Game › Queen's Gambit › Queen's Gambit Declined › Queen's Knight Variation
- Chess Codex
- Queen's Pawn Game D00
- Queen's Gambit D06
- Queen's Gambit Declined D30
- Queen's Knight Variation D31 you are here
Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO D31 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.
It begins with 5 plies and takes 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 to reach the canonical position.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Queen's Gambit Declined, part of the broader Queen's Pawn Game system.
5 named variations grow from this line, including Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense, and others.
Counted recursively, this branch covers 89 sub-variations at all depths.
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
- D31
- Group
- Closed & Semi-Closed Games (D)
- Plies
- 5
- Parent
- Queen's Gambit Declined
- Direct variations
- 5
- Total in subtree
- 89
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
31,026,954 games · White 51.1% / Draw 5.5% / Black 43.5%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 18,241,129 | |
| c6 | 4,108,610 | |
| Bb4 | 2,438,122 | |
| c5 | 1,907,536 | |
| dxc4 | 1,633,314 | |
| f5 | 730,310 | |
| a6 | 581,141 | |
| Be7 | 556,545 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:14:49
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Variations (5)
Show all 89 sub-variations (full subtree)
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