Queen's Gambit · Chess.com blitz ·
How the top 10 Chess.com blitz players play the Queen's Gambit
712 blitz games where a top-10 Chess.com player had White and played the Queen's Gambit, 1.d4 d5 2.c4. See how Black answers, what White plays next and how it scores. All of the top 10 play it.
Queen's Gambit games
712
Queen's Gambit Declined
53%
Top players' score
75%
vs ~3,000 avg opponents
Key findings
- Most games go into the Queen's Gambit Declined. 53% of 712 games are Queen's Gambit Declined lines, including Catalan (g3) at 9%. The chart below breaks the rest down by system.
- The top players' usual reply to each system. Queen's Gambit Declined: 3.Nc3 (69%); Slav: 3.Nc3 (51%); Queen's Gambit Accepted: 3.Nf3 (64%); Semi-Slav: 5.Bg5 (59%).
- Magnus Carlsen scores best in the Queen's Gambit. Magnus Carlsen scores 89% over 53 games, the highest among players with 50 or more games in the Queen's Gambit.
- The top players score lowest against the Semi-Slav. They score 71% over 71 games against it, and 75% over all 712 games.
- In the QGD main line, 4.cxd5 leads. It was played in 103 of 151 QGD main-line games (68%), ahead of 4.Nf3 Three Knights (24 games, 16%).
How Black answers 1.d4 d5 2.c4
Share of each player's games in the Queen's Gambit. Tap or hover a segment for the count and the score.
- Queen's Gambit Declined
- Slav
- Semi-Slav
- Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Other defenses
Faded rows: fewer than 20 games.
Table view
| Player | Queen's Gambit Declined | Slav | Semi-Slav | Queen's Gambit Accepted | Other defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All 10 players | 376 · 53% · 76%Catalan (g3): 67 · 9% · 82%Other QGD lines: 309 · 43% · 75% | 139 · 20% · 73% | 71 · 10% · 71% | 95 · 13% · 73% | 31 · 4% · 77% |
| Magnus Carlsen | 37 · 70% · 88%Catalan (g3): 6 · 11% · 83%Other QGD lines: 31 · 58% · 89% | 9 · 17% · 83% | – | 6 · 11% · 100% | 1 · 2% · 100% |
| Nihal Sarin | 15 · 48% · 87%Catalan (g3): 6 · 19% · 92%Other QGD lines: 9 · 29% · 83% | 8 · 26% · 38% | 5 · 16% · 70% | 2 · 6% · 75% | 1 · 3% · 0% |
| Ediz Gürel | 12 · 48% · 46%Catalan (g3): –Other QGD lines: 12 · 48% · 46% | 7 · 28% · 79% | 3 · 12% · 83% | 2 · 8% · 0% | 1 · 4% · 100% |
| Denis Lazavik | 82 · 54% · 74%Catalan (g3): 42 · 28% · 77%Other QGD lines: 40 · 26% · 71% | 35 · 23% · 86% | 13 · 9% · 81% | 18 · 12% · 83% | 4 · 3% · 63% |
| Wesley So | 40 · 50% · 79%Catalan (g3): 8 · 10% · 88%Other QGD lines: 32 · 40% · 77% | 21 · 26% · 74% | 7 · 9% · 93% | 8 · 10% · 56% | 4 · 5% · 88% |
| Aleksei Sarana | 133 · 49% · 75%Catalan (g3): –Other QGD lines: 133 · 49% · 75% | 50 · 18% · 71% | 28 · 10% · 64% | 45 · 17% · 68% | 16 · 6% · 75% |
| Jan-Krzysztof Duda | 30 · 68% · 80%Catalan (g3): 3 · 7% · 100%Other QGD lines: 27 · 61% · 78% | 7 · 16% · 50% | – | 6 · 14% · 83% | 1 · 2% · 100% |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 12 · 43% · 83%Catalan (g3): –Other QGD lines: 12 · 43% · 83% | 7 · 25% · 93% | 2 · 7% · 0% | 4 · 14% · 88% | 3 · 11% · 100% |
| Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 9 · 47% · 72%Catalan (g3): –Other QGD lines: 9 · 47% · 72% | 7 · 37% · 43% | 1 · 5% · 100% | 2 · 11% · 50% | – |
| System | Games | Share | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit Declined | 376 | 53% | 76% |
| Catalan (g3) | 67 | 9% | 82% |
| Other QGD lines | 309 | 43% | 75% |
| Slav | 139 | 20% | 73% |
| Semi-Slav | 71 | 10% | 71% |
| Queen's Gambit Accepted | 95 | 13% | 73% |
| Other defenses | 31 | 4% | 77% |
Player by player
The defense each player met most often, and what they play in the QGD main line.
Magnus Carlsen
53 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 89%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 37 games (70%)
Next: Slav, 9 games (17%)
Reaches the QGD main line in 13 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 11 games
Nihal Sarin
31 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 68%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 15 games (48%)
Next: Slav, 8 games (26%)
Ediz Gürel
25 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 58%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 12 games (48%)
Next: Slav, 7 games (28%)
Denis Lazavik
152 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 78%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 82 games (54%)
Next: Slav, 35 games (23%)
Prefers the Catalan: 42 of 82 QGD games
Reaches the QGD main line in 13 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 12 games
Wesley So
80 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 77%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 40 games (50%)
Next: Slav, 21 games (26%)
Reaches the QGD main line in 22 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 17 games
Aleksei Sarana
272 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 72%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 133 games (49%)
Next: Slav, 50 games (18%)
Reaches the QGD main line in 75 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 47 games
Also meets the Austrian Defense (2…c5), 8 games
Jan-Krzysztof Duda
44 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 76%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 30 games (68%)
Next: Slav, 7 games (16%)
Reaches the QGD main line in 13 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 7 games
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
28 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 82%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 12 games (43%)
Next: Slav, 7 games (25%)
Reaches the QGD main line in 5 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 4 games
Nodirbek Abdusattorov
19 games in the Queen's Gambit · score 61%
Faced most: Queen's Gambit Declined, 9 games (47%)
Next: Slav, 7 games (37%)
In the QGD main line: move 4
151 games reached the QGD main line (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6). White's fourth move, player by player.
- 4.cxd5 (Exchange)
- 4.Nf3 (Three Knights)
- 4.Bg5 (main line)
- Other fourth moves
Faded rows: fewer than 20 QGD main-line games.
Table view
| Player | 4.cxd5 (Exchange) | 4.Nf3 (Three Knights) | 4.Bg5 (main line) | Other fourth moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All 10 players | 103 · 68% · 79% | 24 · 16% · 58% | 23 · 15% · 52% | 1 · 1% · 100% |
| Magnus Carlsen | 11 · 85% · 100% | – | – | 2 · 15% · 75% |
| Denis Lazavik | 12 · 92% · 71% | – | – | 1 · 8% · 50% |
| Wesley So | 17 · 77% · 79% | – | 3 · 14% · 67% | 2 · 9% · 100% |
| Aleksei Sarana | 47 · 63% · 78% | 13 · 17% · 50% | 15 · 20% · 57% | – |
| Jan-Krzysztof Duda | 7 · 54% · 64% | 5 · 38% · 80% | – | 1 · 8% · 0% |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 4 · 80% · 75% | – | – | 1 · 20% · 100% |
Move explorer
Starts after 1.d4 d5 2.c4. Pick all 10 players or one of them, then click a move to go deeper. Rarer moves are grouped as other moves.
- 1.d4
- d5
- 2.c4
Queen's Gambit
712 games · top players scored 75%
Questions people ask
- What do Black players play against the Queen's Gambit?
- In Chess.com blitz, the top 10 players meet the Queen's Gambit Declined in 53% of 712 games. Here the Queen's Gambit Declined means Black plays …e6 by Black’s fourth move, without …c6 (2…e6, or 2…Nf6 and then …e6). The rest: the Slav 20%, the Queen's Gambit Accepted 13%, the Semi-Slav 10%, other defenses 4%.
- What is the second most common defense to the Queen's Gambit?
- After the Queen's Gambit Declined, the most played defense is the Slav, in 20% of games. Here that means Black plays …c6 by Black’s fourth move, without …e6 (2…c6, or 2…Nf6 and then …c6). Next: the Queen's Gambit Accepted at 13%, the Semi-Slav at 10%.
- What does Magnus Carlsen play in the Queen's Gambit?
- In 53 blitz games as White in the Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4), Magnus Carlsen faced the Queen's Gambit Declined most (37 games, 70%), then the Slav (9, 17%). Magnus Carlsen reaches the QGD main line in 13 games; most often 4.cxd5 (Exchange), 11 games.
- What do top players play in the QGD main line?
- In the 151 games that reached the QGD main line (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6), the most common fourth move is 4.cxd5 Exchange (103 games, 68%), followed by 4.Nf3 Three Knights (24 games, 16%).
- Does a high score mean the opening is good?
- Not by itself. Scores also reflect the rating gap between the top players and their opponents. Compare lines by how often the top players choose them, and use the scores as context.
- Where do these numbers come from?
- From up to 1,000 Chess.com blitz games as White of each of the top 10 players on the leaderboard. 712 of them start 1.d4 d5 2.c4. A win counts as 1 and a draw as ½, from the top player's side. The games were last refreshed on 18 Oct 2026.
How we counted
We took the Chess.com blitz games as White of each of the top 10 players on the leaderboard, up to 1,000 each, and kept the ones that started 1.d4 d5 2.c4. Each game counts under the first rule below that fits it:
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: 2…dxc4, whatever follows, or 2…Nf6 3.Nf3 dxc4 (the same position).
- Semi-Slav: Black plays both …c6 and …e6 by Black’s fourth move, in either order (2…c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6, or 2…e6 3.Nc3 c6).
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Black plays …e6 by Black’s fourth move, without …c6 (2…e6, or 2…Nf6 and then …e6).
- Slav: Black plays …c6 by Black’s fourth move, without …e6 (2…c6, or 2…Nf6 and then …c6).
- Other defenses: everything else: Black's rarer second moves, such as the Chigorin (2…Nc6), the Albin Countergambit (2…e5), the Baltic (2…Bf5), the Austrian (2…c5) and 2…Nf6 without a transposition.
A win counts as 1 and a draw as ½, from the top player's side. Scores also reflect the rating gap: opponents average about 3,000.
Only games that start 1.d4 d5 2.c4 are counted, so a Queen's Gambit reached by another move order is not. The Semi-Slav is told apart from the Slav and the Queen's Gambit Declined by Black's first three moves after 2.c4, so every move order of it counts together. A system that is a position counts every game that reaches the position after the system's moves, in any order of those moves. A row or a card built on fewer than 20 games is faded. Players with fewer than 10 games in the opening have no card or row; their games count in the totals.
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