- ECO code
- D31
- Moves
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3
- Family
- Queen's Gambit Declined
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 2,147
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1857–2026
Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation is the opening filed under ECO code D31, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family and is known as the Queen's Knight Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 2,147 games on this line — the 57th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1857 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 675 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 39% of those games, 39% end in a draw, and Black wins 22%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 6 percentage points.
From this position the most popular move is 3...Nf6, played in 899 games, followed by 3...Be7 (382) and 3...c5 (320). 3...Nf6 leads into Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense. After 3...Nf6 White scores 45% and Black 20%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Marshall, Frank James (172 games); on the Black side, Carlsen,M (59).
5 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense; Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation; Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation.
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Results in master games
- White 39% (855)
- Draws 39% (827)
- Black 22% (465)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3...Nf6 | 899 | 45/35/20 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense |
| 3...Be7 | 382 | 34/49/17 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation |
| 3...c5 | 320 | 37/41/22 | Tarrasch Defense |
| 3...c6 | 282 | 35/36/29 | Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order |
| 3...a6 | 103 | 43/35/22 | — |
| 3...Bb4 | 87 | 34/37/29 | — |
| 3...dxc4 | 32 | 34/28/38 | — |
| 3...h6 | 31 | 48/29/23 | — |
Variations from this position
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense · 3...Nf6 · 899 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation · 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 · 453 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation · 3...Be7 · 382 games
- Tarrasch Defense · 3...c5 · 320 games
- Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order · 3...c6 · 282 games
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 d5 · 11,560 games
- Queen's Gambit · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 · 8,858 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 · 3,217 games
Played most often by
As White
- Marshall, Frank James 172
- Mamedyarov,S 118
- Pillsbury, Harry Nelson 63
As Black
- Carlsen,M 59
- Rubinstein, Akiba 56
- Spassky, Boris V 56
Games per decade
- 1850s 2
- 1870s 2
- 1880s 8
- 1890s 101
- 1900s 233
- 1910s 56
- 1920s 109
- 1930s 97
- 1940s 46
- 1950s 60
- 1960s 73
- 1970s 46
- 1980s 84
- 1990s 157
- 2000s 132
- 2010s 266
- 2020s 675
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Klukin,Kirill | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 17th Mar 2026 |
| Carlsen,M | So,W | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 20th Jan 2026 |
| Bluebaum,M | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 19th Feb 2026 |
| Nakamura,Hi | Esipenko,Andrey | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 16th Jun 2026 |
| Caruana,F | Vakhlamov,I | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Mar 2026 |
| Giri,A | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 88th Tata Steel Masters |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code D31, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation good for White or for Black?
In 2,147 master games on this line White wins 39%, 39% are drawn and Black wins 22%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation?
3...Nf6 — played in 899 of the master games on this line, which leads into Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation?
On the White side Marshall, Frank James (172), Mamedyarov,S (118), Pillsbury, Harry Nelson (63); on the Black side Carlsen,M (59), Rubinstein, Akiba (56), Spassky, Boris V (56).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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