Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
243,216 games: White 54.1% / Draw 5.4% / Black 40.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 240,466240K | ||
| 1,4301,430 | ||
| 887887 | ||
| 184184 | ||
| 125125 | ||
| 9090 | ||
| 2121 | ||
| 1212 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Bd2 Bf8 9. a3 e5 10. dxe5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 51% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 53K | |
| 1400–1799 | 113K | |
| 1800–2199 | 121K | |
| 2200 and up | 66K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,542 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation (ECO D38, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ (5 moves).
In 243,216 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.1%, Black 40.5% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nc6, in 99% of those games.
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Popularity by year
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.009% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0055% (its peak: 0.01% in 2022).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0055% | 1,969 |
| 2017 | 0.006% | 3,310 |
| 2018 | 0.0076% | 5,997 |
| 2019 | 0.0088% | 10,971 |
| 2020 | 0.0094% | 27,653 |
| 2021 | 0.0095% | 37,093 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 39,326 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 38,975 |
| 2024 | 0.009% | 32,442 |
| 2025 | 0.009% | 31,224 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0096% | 10,581 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation (D38)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-ragozin-defense-alekhine-variation