Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
179,341 games: White 45.5% / Draw 5.0% / Black 49.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 65,07065K | ||
| 63,86864K | ||
| 26,76127K | ||
| 17,49017K | ||
| Anti-Winawer Gambit | 2,5942,594 | |
| 781781 | ||
| 534534 | ||
| 525525 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.44 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. dxe5 d4 6. Ne4 Qa5+ 7. Nd2 Nc6 8. Nf3 h5
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 44% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 38% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 25K | |
| 1400–1799 | 60K | |
| 1800–2199 | 117K | |
| 2200 and up | 25K | |
| Masters, over the board | 350 |
Master games
- Le Quang, L. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Nikolic, P.
- Karpov, A. – Bareev, E.
- Krasenkow, M. – Nikolic, P.
- Speelman, J. S. – Bareev, E.
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
Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit (ECO D10, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Slav Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 e5 (3 moves).
In 179,341 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 49.6% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. dxe5, in 36% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit, Anti-Winawer Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit
4. e3 scores best for White: 49.4%, with White winning 46.9% and Black 48.0% of 27K games. The most played, 4. dxe5, scores 47.8% in 65K games, and 4. Nf3 scores lowest: 47.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. cxd5.
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 Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.0062% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011% (its peak: 0.015% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,823 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 7,989 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,242 |
| 2019 | 0.0088% | 11,015 |
| 2020 | 0.0075% | 21,887 |
| 2021 | 0.0067% | 26,212 |
| 2022 | 0.0062% | 23,416 |
| 2023 | 0.0061% | 23,060 |
| 2024 | 0.0059% | 20,992 |
| 2025 | 0.0062% | 21,675 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0055% | 6,069 |
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. “Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit (D10)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-winawer-countergambit