Chess Codex
Tree path 7 levels Queen's Pawn Game › Queen's Gambit › Queen's Gambit Declined › Queen's Knight Variation › Tarrasch Defense › Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense › Tarrasch Defense: Two Knights Variation
  1. Chess Codex
  2. Queen's Pawn Game D00
  3. Queen's Gambit D06
  4. Queen's Gambit Declined D30
  5. Queen's Knight Variation D31
  6. Tarrasch Defense D32
  7. Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense D32
  8. Tarrasch Defense: Two Knights Variation D32 you are here
D32

Tarrasch Defense: Two Knights Variation

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Overview

Tarrasch Defense: Two Knights Variation is a variation within the Closed & Semi-Closed Games family, indexed as ECO D32.

The Closed & Semi-Closed Games group covers closed and semi-closed games — 1.d4 systems characterised by long strategic manoeuvring rather than early tactics.

Play reaches this position via 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3, after 9 plies of opening development.

It is a variation of Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense, which itself descends from the root opening Queen's Pawn Game.

It branches into 2 notable variations — Tarrasch Defense: Grünfeld Gambit, Tarrasch Defense: Rubinstein System.

In total, the branch covers 18 sub-variations across all depths.

Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.

ECO code
D32
Group
Closed & Semi-Closed Games (D)
Plies
9
Parent
Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense
Direct variations
2
Total in subtree
18

This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Statistics from Lichess

585,188 games · White 51.0% / Draw 6.9% / Black 42.1%

MovesGamesW / D / B
Nc6289,594
Nf6172,267
cxd453,128
c441,193
Be617,570
h63,517
Bg42,652
a61,309

Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:08:56

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Variations (2)

Related variations at the same level

Sister lines that share the same parent Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense:

Show all 18 sub-variations (full subtree)

https://chesscodex.org/openings/tarrasch-defense-two-knights-variation