Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System 3…e6 4. Bd3
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Statistics from Lichess
3,209,807 games: White 52.0% / Draw 5.2% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,280,6911.3M | ||
| 646,120646K | ||
| 637,836638K | ||
| 124,069124K | ||
| 113,699114K | ||
| 90,88291K | ||
| 75,30875K | ||
| 63,46263K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... b6 5. O-O Bd6 6. b3 Bb7 7. c4 Nbd7 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Qe2
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 55% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 687K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.9M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 244K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,245 |
Master games
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Karjakin, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Kramnik, V. – Giri, A.
- Erigaisi, A. – Abdusattorov, N.
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: Colle System (ECO D05, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 (4 moves).
In 3,209,807 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.0%, Black 42.7% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…c5, in 40% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Rubinstein Opening: Semi-Slav Defense. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4. Bd3
4…Be7 scores best for Black: 46.6%, with Black winning 43.8% and White 50.6% of 638K games. The most played, 4…c5, scores 45.6% in 1.3M games, and 4…Bd6 scores lowest: 44.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…b6.
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 gained ground since 2016: 0.14% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.1%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 36,097 |
| 2017 | 0.11% | 61,234 |
| 2018 | 0.12% | 91,182 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 134,654 |
| 2020 | 0.11% | 322,824 |
| 2021 | 0.1% | 396,094 |
| 2022 | 0.13% | 478,748 |
| 2023 | 0.13% | 493,210 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 491,040 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 488,552 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.15% | 159,252 |
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 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System (D05)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-colle-system-3