Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense
The Semi-Tarrasch Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
2,194,020 games: White 49.3% / Draw 6.4% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| D41 | 674,533675K | |
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation | 653,699654K | |
| 543,871544K | ||
| 149,181149K | ||
| 93,28993K | ||
| 47,36547K | ||
| 8,5288,528 | ||
| 5,3275,327 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 Nc6 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 245K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 229K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,405 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Semi-Tarrasch Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5. This page reaches it by the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5. Unlike the regular Tarrasch Defense, where Black plays ...c5 on move three, Black does not have to accept an isolated queen's pawn, because after the usual 5.cxd5 Black can take back with the knight. In return Black cedes a spatial advantage to White. Its ECO codes are D40 to D42.
Main lines
- 5.cxd5 Nxd5, the main line. White chooses between 6.e4 and 6.e3, which lead to different kinds of middlegame. 6.e4 is the most common and usually continues 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 O-O. The position is similar to the Exchange Variation of the Grünfeld Defense, but Black has exchanged the dark-squared bishop instead of fianchettoing it. This line is more drawish than 6.e3.
- 5.cxd5 cxd4, advocated by Wesley So, has become more popular over time. The most common continuation is 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.e4 dxe4 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Ng5 Be6 10.Nxe6+ fxe6, an endgame in which Black has doubled isolated pawns.
- 5.cxd5 exd5 is rarer. The usual continuation is 6.Bg5 Be6. White can also play 6.g3, which transposes to the main line of the Tarrasch after the usual 6...Nc6.
- 5.e3, the Symmetrical Variation (D40). White keeps the tension for now, and 5...Nc6 is the normal reply. White can then give Black an isolated pawn, accept one in return for active piece play, or play 6.a3, planning dxc5, b4 and Bb2 to make use of the extra tempo if Black keeps the symmetry. The answer 6...Ne4 was chosen by Bobby Fischer in his 1971 Candidates match against Tigran Petrosian.
Who plays it
Ding Liren played the Symmetrical Variation against Hikaru Nakamura in the last round of the 2022 Candidates Tournament and won. The victory helped him qualify for the 2023 World Championship, which he went on to win.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 49.3% of the 2.2 million games and Black 44.3%. Under 1400 it is exactly even, 48.1% each. From 2200 up White wins 46.0% and Black 43.6%, with 10.5% draws. Over the board masters draw a lot: in 5,405 games 57.9% were drawn, White won 28.5% and Black 13.6%.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense
The most played answer, 5. cxd5, also scores best for White: 53.7%, with White winning 49.9% and Black 42.5% of 675K games. Of the main answers, 5. dxc5 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. 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
Popularity by year
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense peaked in 2019 at 0.093% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.078% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.077% | 27,453 |
| 2017 | 0.083% | 45,695 |
| 2018 | 0.089% | 69,793 |
| 2019 | 0.093% | 115,423 |
| 2020 | 0.089% | 260,083 |
| 2021 | 0.084% | 328,252 |
| 2022 | 0.088% | 331,485 |
| 2023 | 0.088% | 331,222 |
| 2024 | 0.083% | 296,353 |
| 2025 | 0.078% | 269,263 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.076% | 83,694 |
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
Variations (1)
Transpositions
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Semi-Tarrasch Defense, version of 19 August 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense (D40)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-semi-tarrasch-defense