Queen's Pawn Game: London System, with e6
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Statistics from Lichess
8,174,517 games: White 51.1% / Draw 5.4% / Black 43.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,764,2352.8M | ||
| 1,945,4081.9M | ||
| 1,871,3931.9M | ||
| 336,971337K | ||
| 297,355297K | ||
| 233,747234K | ||
| 160,338160K | ||
| 143,770144K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Bd6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bg3 O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Nc3 c5 8. Bxc4
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 54% 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 | 3.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 6.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 362K | |
| Masters, over the board | 836 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Van Foreest, J.
- Harikrishna, P. – Anton Guijarro, D.
- Maghsoodloo, P. – Salem, A.
- Huschenbeth, N. – So, W.
- Berkes, F. – Anton Guijarro, D.
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: London System, with e6 (ECO D02, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 (3 moves).
In 8,174,517 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.1%, Black 43.4% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 34% 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 Pawn Game: London System, with e6
3…Bd6 scores best for Black: 47.6%, with Black winning 44.6% and White 49.5% of 1.9M games. The most played answer, 3…Nf6, scores lowest: 45.8% in 2.8M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Bd6.
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 Pawn Game: London System, with e6 has gained ground since 2016: 0.32% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.23%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.23% | 83,314 |
| 2017 | 0.28% | 154,489 |
| 2018 | 0.3% | 234,457 |
| 2019 | 0.29% | 367,038 |
| 2020 | 0.33% | 961,545 |
| 2021 | 0.32% | 1,267,876 |
| 2022 | 0.32% | 1,205,318 |
| 2023 | 0.33% | 1,225,910 |
| 2024 | 0.31% | 1,123,721 |
| 2025 | 0.32% | 1,096,958 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.31% | 337,004 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: London System, with e6 (D02)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-london-system-with-e6