Queen's Pawn Game 1…d5 2. e3
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
22,999,615 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.0% / Black 45.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 7,030,1357M | ||
| 4,367,3244.4M | ||
| 3,211,4583.2M | ||
| 3,139,4963.1M | ||
| 1,919,6101.9M | ||
| 1,714,6911.7M | ||
| 482,036482K | ||
| 353,969354K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.06 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... e6 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. Nf3 b6 5. O-O Bb7 6. c4 Bd6 7. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 51% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 24.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 25.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 10.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 455K | |
| Masters, over the board | 431 |
Master games
- Eljanov, P. – Kramnik, V.
- Dardha, D. – Maurizzi, M.
- Vescovi, G. P. – Tikkanen, H.
- Song, M. – Li Chao2
- Jussupow, A. – Bryzgalin, K.
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 26, 2026
Overview
Queen's Pawn Game (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. e3 (2 moves).
In 22,999,615 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 45.3% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nf6, in 31% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 2. e3
2…c5 scores best for Black: 49.5%, with Black winning 47.2% and White 48.2% of 1.7M games. The most played, 2…Nf6, scores 48.5% in 7M games, and 2…Nc6 scores lowest: 46.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…e6.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.88% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 1.2%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.2% | 413,753 |
| 2017 | 0.99% | 545,326 |
| 2018 | 0.84% | 660,336 |
| 2019 | 0.83% | 1,031,538 |
| 2020 | 0.85% | 2,487,338 |
| 2021 | 0.89% | 3,469,489 |
| 2022 | 0.91% | 3,423,673 |
| 2023 | 0.9% | 3,402,454 |
| 2024 | 0.88% | 3,163,409 |
| 2025 | 0.88% | 3,067,197 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.85% | 934,019 |
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)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game (D00)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-4