Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
135,004 games: White 47.6% / Draw 8.9% / Black 43.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 119,834120K | ||
| 8,8588,858 | ||
| 3,8293,829 | ||
| 636636 | ||
| 474474 | ||
| 305305 | ||
| 283283 | ||
| 240240 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 c4 10. Ne5 Be6 11. b3 cxb3 12. Nxc6 bxc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line (ECO D34, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 (7 moves).
In 135,004 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.6%, Black 43.5% and 8.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. O-O, in 89% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation. In all, 10 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line
The most played answer, 8. O-O, also scores best for White: 52.2%, with White winning 47.6% and Black 43.3% of 120K games. Of the main answers, 8. dxc5 scores lowest: 51.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. O-O.
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
Variations (1)
All 10 named lines that continue from here
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation 8 moves
- D34 Carlsbad Variation 9 moves
- D34 Classical Tarrasch Gambit 9 moves
- D34 Réti Variation 10 moves
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Advance Variation 9 moves
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Endgame Variation 9 moves
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line 11 moves
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Petursson Variation 10 moves
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Spassky Variation 11 moves
- D34 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Chandler Variation 12 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line (D34)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/tarrasch-defense-prague-variation-main-line