Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
296,476 games: White 49.3% / Draw 5.8% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 216,638217K | ||
| 28,77829K | ||
| 10,11210K | ||
| 9,3139,313 | ||
| 8,2448,244 | ||
| 7,0897,089 | ||
| 3,6503,650 | ||
| 3,6303,630 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.47 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 O-O 10. O-O c5 11. Bc2 Re8
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 Black: Black scores 48% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 35% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,752 | |
| 1400–1799 | 58K | |
| 1800–2199 | 199K | |
| 2200 and up | 54K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,355 |
Master games
- Gelfand, B. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Karpov, A. – Topalov, V.
- Bareev, E. – Anand, V.
- Akopian, V. – Anand, V.
- Piket, J. – Anand, 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
Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense (ECO D46, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 (6 moves).
In 296,476 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 44.9% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 73% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense
7. e4 scores best for White: 60.2%, with White winning 56.7% and Black 36.3% of 29K games. The most played answer, 7. O-O, scores lowest: 52.5% in 217K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. e4.
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
The Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.0097% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.017% (its peak: 0.02% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 6,177 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,759 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,911 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 19,096 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 39,162 |
| 2021 | 0.01% | 41,045 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 39,585 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 38,566 |
| 2024 | 0.01% | 36,049 |
| 2025 | 0.0097% | 33,726 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0098% | 10,796 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense (D46)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/semi-slav-defense-chigorin-defense