- ECO code
- D40
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5
- Family
- Queen's Gambit Declined
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 389
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1932–2026
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense is the opening filed under ECO code D40, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family and is known as the Semi-Tarrasch Defense; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 389 games on this line — the 250th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1932 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 251 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 30% of those games, 51% end in a draw, and Black wins 19%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 9 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 16 points.
From this position the most popular move is 5.cxd5, played in 309 games, followed by 5.e3 (71) and 5.Bg5 (6). 5.cxd5 leads into Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense (D41). After 5.cxd5 White scores 28% and Black 18%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Mamedyarov,S (36 games); on the Black side, So,W (38).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense (D41).
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Results in master games
- White 30% (116)
- Draws 51% (201)
- Black 19% (72)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.cxd5 | 309 | 28/54/18 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense (D41) |
| 5.e3 | 71 | 35/42/23 | — |
| 5.Bg5 | 6 | 50/33/17 | — |
| 5.Bf4 | 2 | 0/100/0 | — |
| 5.Be3 | 1 | 0/100/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Semi-Tarrasch Defense (D41) · 5.cxd5 · 309 games
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
Played most often by
As White
- Mamedyarov,S 36
- Carlsen,M 25
- Aronian,L 21
As Black
- So,W 38
- Keymer,Vincent 34
- Nepomniachtchi,I 25
Games per decade
- 1930s 8
- 1940s 2
- 1950s 3
- 1960s 19
- 1970s 5
- 1980s 1
- 1990s 3
- 2000s 12
- 2010s 85
- 2020s 251
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Niemann,Hans Moke | 0-1 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Pang,Tao | Shirov,A | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Firouzja,Alireza | Xu,Xiangyu | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Wei Yi | 1-0 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Rapid |
| Praggnanandhaa,R | Wei Yi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE Candidates 2026 |
| Nihal,Sarin | Keymer,Vincent | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Mar 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code D40, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5. 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 389 master games on this line White wins 30%, 51% are drawn and Black wins 19%. 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.cxd5 — played in 309 of the master games on this line, which leads into Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense (D41).
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense?
On the White side Mamedyarov,S (36), Carlsen,M (25), Aronian,L (21); on the Black side So,W (38), Keymer,Vincent (34), Nepomniachtchi,I (25).
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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