Tree path 4 levels Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation › Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense › Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense › Pillsbury Variation
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation belongs to the gambit family of chess openings (ECO D41, Closed & Semi-Closed Games). It trades material for attacking chances — a classic trade-off that has fascinated players from the Romantic era to modern correspondence chess.
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 is reached after 11 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3.
The line refines Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, which traces back to the root opening Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation.
It continues primarily into one named line, Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line.
Explore the position on the interactive board, study its real-world results from Lichess, and challenge the engine when you are ready.
- ECO code
- D41
- Group
- Closed & Semi-Closed Games (D)
- Plies
- 11
- Direct variations
- 1
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
108,335 games · White 48.1% / Draw 7.7% / Black 44.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| cxd4 | 43,311 | |
| Nc6 | 36,965 | |
| Nxc3 | 16,697 | |
| Be7 | 4,627 | |
| a6 | 2,053 | |
| Qa5 | 1,041 | |
| Nf6 | 1,024 | |
| b6 | 926 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:32:31
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