Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights, Vienna Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,449,918 games: White 53.5% / Draw 5.3% / Black 41.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit Accepted | 571,769572K | |
| 387,179387K | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation | 300,424300K | |
| 51,50552K | ||
| 44,71845K | ||
| 43,02943K | ||
| 22,62023K | ||
| 14,49514K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.26 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qa5 9. Bd2 Qc5
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 42% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 324K | |
| 1400–1799 | 855K | |
| 1800–2199 | 771K | |
| 2200 and up | 186K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,547 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
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: Three Knights, Vienna Variation (ECO D37, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 (4 moves).
In 1,449,918 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.5%, Black 41.2% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. e4, in 39% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Vienna Variation, Quiet 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: Three Knights, Vienna Variation
The most played answer, 5. e4 (Queen's Gambit Accepted), also scores best for White: 57.1%, with White winning 54.7% and Black 40.5% of 572K games. Of the main answers, 5. e3 scores lowest: 55.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. e4.
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: Three Knights, Vienna Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.061% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.051% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.052% | 18,438 |
| 2017 | 0.053% | 29,034 |
| 2018 | 0.058% | 45,849 |
| 2019 | 0.061% | 75,491 |
| 2020 | 0.06% | 177,099 |
| 2021 | 0.058% | 225,550 |
| 2022 | 0.058% | 217,867 |
| 2023 | 0.057% | 213,281 |
| 2024 | 0.054% | 191,847 |
| 2025 | 0.051% | 177,571 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.051% | 56,042 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights, Vienna Variation (D37)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-three-knights-vienna-variation