Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch
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Statistics from Lichess
1,423,694 games: White 51.8% / Draw 5.8% / Black 42.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 519,156519K | ||
| 360,000360K | ||
| 263,857264K | ||
| 102,744103K | ||
| 88,03788K | ||
| 37,96738K | ||
| 35,30335K | ||
| 6,4636,463 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.35 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. dxc5 Qxc5
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 47% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 37% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 338K | |
| 1400–1799 | 952K | |
| 1800–2199 | 723K | |
| 2200 and up | 175K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,375 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ding Liren – Artemiev, V.
- Ding Liren – Mamedov, R.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Van Foreest, J.
- Tabatabaei, M. – Nakamura, H.
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: Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch (ECO D30, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 (3 moves).
In 1,423,694 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.8%, Black 42.4% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. cxd5, in 36% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch Bishop Attack and Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense, Stoltz Variation.
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: Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch
The most played answer, 4. cxd5, also scores best for White: 56.7%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 40.1% of 519K games. Of the main answers, 4. dxc5 scores lowest: 52.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. 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: Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch peaked in 2019 at 0.062% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.05% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.058% | 20,709 |
| 2017 | 0.062% | 33,955 |
| 2018 | 0.062% | 48,494 |
| 2019 | 0.062% | 77,491 |
| 2020 | 0.058% | 170,200 |
| 2021 | 0.056% | 217,898 |
| 2022 | 0.056% | 210,097 |
| 2023 | 0.054% | 204,841 |
| 2024 | 0.052% | 186,260 |
| 2025 | 0.05% | 174,998 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.051% | 55,543 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense, Pseudo-Tarrasch (D30)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-tarrasch-defense-pseudo-tarrasch