Queen's Gambit Declined: Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
409,050 games: White 52.4% / Draw 5.7% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 102,982103K | ||
| 87,54288K | ||
| 66,15366K | ||
| 61,91962K | ||
| 22,75723K | ||
| 17,36417K | ||
| 12,55213K | ||
| 10,82011K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O Nc6 10. d5
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 White: White scores 57% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 114K | |
| 1400–1799 | 257K | |
| 1800–2199 | 210K | |
| 2200 and up | 58K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,299 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Kramnik, V. – Topalov, 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: Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation (ECO D37, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights, Vienna Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 (5 moves).
In 409,050 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.4%, Black 41.8% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Bb4, in 25% 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: Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation
5…a6 scores best for Black: 50.9%, with Black winning 47.2% and White 45.4% of 88K games. The most played, 5…Bb4, scores 39.6% in 103K games, and 5…Nc6 scores lowest: 39.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…a6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.017%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 6,185 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 9,953 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,776 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,433 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 54,439 |
| 2021 | 0.016% | 63,353 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 58,917 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 58,367 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 51,345 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 47,505 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,409 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Declined: Vienna Variation, Quiet Variation (D37)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-declined-vienna-variation-quiet-variation