Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
354,356 games: White 44.9% / Draw 7.9% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 139,222139K | ||
| 81,37881K | ||
| 41,01241K | ||
| 34,65435K | ||
| 14,54315K | ||
| 14,10014K | ||
| 10,41310K | ||
| 5,3855,385 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Be2 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Qc2 c5 12. Rfd1 a6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 53% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,849 | |
| 1400–1799 | 66K | |
| 1800–2199 | 217K | |
| 2200 and up | 88K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,157 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – So, W.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Topalov, V. – Kasparov, G.
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: Tartakower Defense (ECO D58, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Neo-Orthodox Variation, Main Line, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 (7 moves).
In 354,356 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.9%, Black 47.1% and 7.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. cxd5, in 39% 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: Tartakower Defense
8. Rc1 scores best for White: 50.4%, with White winning 46.1% and Black 45.3% of 41K games. The most played, 8. cxd5, scores 49.5% in 139K games, and 8. Bd3 scores lowest: 47.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. Be2.
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: Tartakower Defense peaked in 2018 at 0.016% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.014% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,421 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,588 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,952 |
| 2019 | 0.016% | 19,553 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 42,564 |
| 2021 | 0.013% | 51,421 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 46,561 |
| 2023 | 0.013% | 47,984 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 49,620 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 49,349 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,186 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense (D58)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-tartakower-defense