Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
16,468 games: White 50.8% / Draw 4.8% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,3043,304 | ||
| 3,1173,117 | ||
| 2,2542,254 | ||
| 2,2432,243 | ||
| 1,2881,288 | ||
| 1,1691,169 | ||
| 902902 | ||
| 525525 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.26 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. h3 Re8 11. b3 Ne4 12. Bb2 Bf5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical 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. e3 Nc6 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O (7 moves).
In 16,468 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 44.4% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. a3, in 20% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Levenfish Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation
8. b3 scores best for White: 55.5%, with White winning 53.3% and Black 42.2% of 2,254 games. The most played, 8. a3, scores 54.8% in 3,304 games, and 8. cxd5 scores lowest: 51.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. dxc5.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Symmetrical Variation (D40)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-semi-tarrasch-defense-symmetrical-variation