Openings 1.d4 d5: closed games
Tarrasch Defense (3...c5): Isolated Pawn, Lines and Stats
3...c5 hits White’s center at once. After 4.cxd5 exd5 Black usually ends up with an isolated d-pawn: a weakness in the endgame, but a source of space and free piece play in the middlegame. Tarrasch himself thought it was the only correct answer to the Queen’s Gambit.
D32Tarrasch Defense
Games from this position (1600–1999): 3,897
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
| Move | Played | Games | White · Draw · Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34% | 1,340 | ||
| 28% | 1,106 | ||
| 21% | 807 | ||
| 10% | 398 | ||
| 5% | 187 | ||
| 1% | 44 |
Plans for both sides
White
- 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 is the main line: the g2 bishop hits d5 and White aims at the isolated pawn.
- Trade pieces: the fewer pieces left, the weaker the isolated pawn becomes.
- Blockade the pawn with a knight on d4, where no pawn can drive it away.
Black
- Keep pieces on and play actively: ...Nf6, ...Be7, ...O-O, ...Be6 and ...Re8.
- The ...d4 push, when it works, gains space and cramps White.
- The Schara Gambit 4...cxd4 gives a pawn for fast development; it is a sharp surprise.
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Tarrasch Defense at each rating
How often the position after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 comes up in rated Lichess games, how it scores and what players answer next.
| Rating | Games (Share of games) | White · Draw · Black | Top next move |
|---|---|---|---|
| <1200 | 644<0.1% | 4.Nf334% | |
| 1200–1599 | 3,086<0.1% | 4.Nf332% | |
| 1600–1999 | 3,897<0.1% | 4.cxd534% | |
| 2000+ | 2,002<0.1% | 4.cxd563% | |
| All | 9,629<0.1% | 4.cxd537% |
What usually comes next
The most played moves from here, all ratings together. Thicker line = played more often.
Main variations
Both sides castle. White targets d5 with Bg5, dxc5 or Rd1; Black plays ...Be6 and ...Re8.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 Be7 8.O-O O-OBlack gets a queenside pawn majority instead of an isolated pawn; White hits back with e4.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 c4Black gives a pawn for a big lead in development. White scores only about 46% after 4...cxd4.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4 5.Qxd4 Nc6 6.Qd1 exd5 7.Qxd5 Bd7A quiet line that often becomes a Semi-Tarrasch or a symmetrical position.
748 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 45%, 7% were drawn, Black won 47%.
Show on the board: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6
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At club level
At 2000+ White scores only about 48% after 3...c5. Below 2000 many White players answer 4.cxd5 exd5 with 5.dxc5, and most then take back with 5...Bxc5, which leaves d5 short of defenders: 6.Qxd5 wins a pawn, and White scores about 59% after 5...Bxc5. At 2000+ about four in five play 5...d4 instead.
Practice it
The trainer answers with the replies people at your rating choose, in the same proportions, and brings back your mistakes on a schedule.
Related openings
- Queen’s Pawn Game: 1.d4 d5
1.d4 d5
- Queen’s Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4
- London System
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4
- Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6
- Slav and Semi-Slav
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6
- Queen’s Gambit Accepted
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4