- ECO code
- D41
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5
- Family
- Queen's Gambit Declined
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 309
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1933–2026
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense is the opening filed under ECO code D41, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family and is known as the Semi-Tarrasch Defense; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 309 games on this line — the 300th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1933 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 195 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 28% of those games, 54% end in a draw, and Black wins 18%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 10 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 19 points.
From this position the most popular move is 5...Nxd5, played in 162 games, followed by 5...cxd4 (138) and 5...exd5 (9). After 5...Nxd5 White scores 27% and Black 17%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Mamedyarov,S (29 games); on the Black side, So,W (28).
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Results in master games
- White 28% (88)
- Draws 54% (166)
- Black 18% (55)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5...Nxd5 | 162 | 27/56/17 | — |
| 5...cxd4 | 138 | 32/52/16 | — |
| 5...exd5 | 9 | 11/33/56 | — |
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Indian Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 · 29,631 games
- Indian Defense: Normal Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 · 22,243 games
- Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 · 7,325 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 · 2,814 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 · 389 games
Played most often by
As White
- Mamedyarov,S 29
- Giri,A 21
- Gukesh,D 19
As Black
- So,W 28
- Keymer,Vincent 27
- Wei Yi 19
Games per decade
- 1930s 5
- 1940s 1
- 1950s 3
- 1960s 14
- 1970s 4
- 1980s 1
- 1990s 3
- 2000s 10
- 2010s 73
- 2020s 195
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Niemann,Hans Moke | 0-1 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Firouzja,Alireza | Xu,Xiangyu | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Wei Yi | 1-0 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Rapid |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Keymer,Vincent | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 8th Prague Masters 2026 |
| Sindarov,Javokhir | Keymer,Vincent | 1-0 | 2026 | GCT Super ROM Classic |
| Wei Yi | So,W | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code D41, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family.
Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense good for White or for Black?
In 309 master games on this line White wins 28%, 54% are drawn and Black wins 18%. 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: Semi-Tarrasch Defense?
5...Nxd5 — played in 162 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense?
On the White side Mamedyarov,S (29), Giri,A (21), Gukesh,D (19); on the Black side So,W (28), Keymer,Vincent (27), Wei Yi (19).
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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