Queen's Pawn Game 2. e3 Nf6
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Statistics from Lichess
9,630,288 games: White 48.8% / Draw 5.1% / Black 46.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Stonewall Attack | 2,801,2102.8M | |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System | 2,484,8602.5M | |
| 1,634,4611.6M | ||
| 1,066,8411.1M | ||
| 309,910310K | ||
| 288,297288K | ||
| 248,053248K | ||
| 211,305211K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. Nf3 e6 4. Bd3 b6 5. O-O Bd6 6. b3 O-O 7. c4 Bb7
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 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 6.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 8.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.9M | |
| 2200 and up | 324K | |
| Masters, over the board | 402 |
Master games
- Eljanov, P. – Kramnik, V.
- Dardha, D. – Maurizzi, M.
- Song, M. – Li Chao2
- Jussupow, A. – Bryzgalin, K.
- Kovacevic, V. – Morovic Fernandez, I.
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 Nf6 (2 moves).
In 9,630,288 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.8%, Black 46.1% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Bd3, in 29% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Pawn Game: Stonewall Attack.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…Nf6
3. f4 scores best for White: 54.7%, with White winning 51.9% and Black 42.5% of 1.1M games. The most played, 3. Bd3, scores 53.3% in 2.8M games, and 3. c4 scores lowest: 50.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nf3.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.38% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.46%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.46% | 165,149 |
| 2017 | 0.42% | 230,415 |
| 2018 | 0.37% | 291,269 |
| 2019 | 0.36% | 444,276 |
| 2020 | 0.36% | 1,044,682 |
| 2021 | 0.36% | 1,389,245 |
| 2022 | 0.38% | 1,409,731 |
| 2023 | 0.38% | 1,428,277 |
| 2024 | 0.37% | 1,341,136 |
| 2025 | 0.38% | 1,308,563 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.37% | 405,582 |
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 Pawn Game (D00)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-5