Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
713,882 games: White 49.3% / Draw 5.8% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 263,248263K | ||
| 220,354220K | ||
| 107,460107K | ||
| 40,45540K | ||
| 35,73436K | ||
| 30,01630K | ||
| 5,2045,204 | ||
| 3,5873,587 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.06 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... cxd4 6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Bxf6 gxf6 8. Qh4 dxc4 9. Rd1 Bd7 10. Qxc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 87K | |
| 1400–1799 | 485K | |
| 1800–2199 | 386K | |
| 2200 and up | 28K | |
| Masters, over the board | 40 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – So, W.
- Dubov, D. – Radjabov, T.
- Fedoseev, V. – Firouzja, A.
- Dubov, D. – Giri, A.
- Vitiugov, N. – Lysyj, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation (ECO D40, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 5. Bg5 (5 moves).
In 713,882 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 44.9% and 5.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Be7, in 37% 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: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation
5…cxd4 scores best for Black: 50.3%, with Black winning 47.2% and White 46.6% of 220K games. The most played, 5…Be7, scores 46.9% in 263K games, and 5…h6 scores lowest: 43.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…cxd4.
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
Popularity by year
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.029% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.025% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.023% | 8,311 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 13,371 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 21,147 |
| 2019 | 0.029% | 36,370 |
| 2020 | 0.028% | 82,937 |
| 2021 | 0.029% | 111,935 |
| 2022 | 0.029% | 109,202 |
| 2023 | 0.029% | 108,297 |
| 2024 | 0.027% | 96,903 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 87,954 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,155 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation (D40)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-semi-tarrasch-defense-pillsbury-variation