Tarrasch Defense: Schara Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
221,816 games: White 45.8% / Draw 5.8% / Black 48.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 166,404166K | ||
| 41,29341K | ||
| 7,8687,868 | ||
| 3,2293,229 | ||
| 1,1841,184 | ||
| 622622 | ||
| 361361 | ||
| 313313 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Qxd5 Nf6 8. Qd1 Bc5 9. Nf3 O-O
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 47% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 11K | |
| 1400–1799 | 61K | |
| 1800–2199 | 123K | |
| 2200 and up | 59K | |
| Masters, over the board | 862 |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Grischuk, A.
- Le, Q. L. – Carlsen, M.
- Shankland, S. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – Grischuk, A.
- So, W. – Andreikin, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Tarrasch Defense: Schara Gambit (ECO D32, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Tarrasch Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4 (4 moves).
In 221,816 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.8%, Black 48.4% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Qxd4, in 75% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Tarrasch Defense: von Hennig 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 Tarrasch Defense: Schara Gambit
5. Qa4+ scores best for White: 53.7%, with White winning 50.5% and Black 43.1% of 41K games. The most played answer, 5. Qxd4, scores lowest: 48.6% in 166K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Qa4+.
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 Tarrasch Defense: Schara Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.0088% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0072% (its peak: 0.01% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0072% | 2,568 |
| 2017 | 0.0096% | 5,280 |
| 2018 | 0.01% | 8,177 |
| 2019 | 0.0095% | 11,875 |
| 2020 | 0.0087% | 25,483 |
| 2021 | 0.0076% | 29,705 |
| 2022 | 0.0083% | 31,228 |
| 2023 | 0.0083% | 31,212 |
| 2024 | 0.0092% | 32,822 |
| 2025 | 0.0088% | 30,497 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0086% | 9,407 |
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. “Tarrasch Defense: Schara Gambit (D32)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/tarrasch-defense-schara-gambit