The Semi-Tarrasch Defense comes from 1. 2. 3. 4. . Your c-pawn hits d4, and if your opponent takes on d5, you recapture with the knight and leave the e6 pawn where it is. Across 10,355 Lichess games rated 900–1700 (September 2026), you score 49%.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
11 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After , your opponents take on d5 far less often than strong players do. Among Lichess players rated 2200 and up, 76 in 100 play 5.. At your level, only 22 do. The most common move is 5., at 41 in 100, followed by 5. at 26. When 5. does come, 58 in 100 players at your level recapture with and 33 with , while strong players go for (43) or . So 5. is the move you'll see most, and all three mistakes on this page come right after it.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.0% | 51.7% | 6.9% | no data | |
| 25.9% | 50.4% | 16.6% | 22.7% | |
| 21.8% | 49.6% | 75.6% | 77.3% | |
| 6.3% | 48.0% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 4.8% | 51.2% | no data | no data | |
| 0.3% | 45.8% | 0.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58.1% | 51.0% | 20.2% | no data | |
| 33.3% | 49.7% | 43.4% | 22.0% | |
| 8.7% | 47.8% | 36.5% | 78.0% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.2% | 53.2% | 80.0% | 100.0% | |
| 30.3% | 46.9% | 0.8% | no data | |
| 18.5% | 46.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 15.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.8% | no data |
The strong-player line is 5. 6. 7. , your opponent's recapture with the c3 pawn, and . It heads for a specific structure. Your opponent ends up with two center pawns on d4 and e4. You keep the e6 pawn and have two pawns against one on the queenside (a7 and b7 against a2). And your dark-squared bishop comes out with check.
recaptures with a piece. The e6 pawn stays put, and you're left with no pawn on the d-file. 43 in 100 players rated 2200 and up choose it. At your level, 58 in 100 take back with instead, and it barely changes the result: 49 in 100 against 50 with the knight.
6. hits the d5 knight and adds a pawn to the center. You don't need to retreat. trades it for the c3 knight, and after 7. your opponent has pawns on c3, d4 and e4.
, and your opponent's recapture with the c3 pawn, take part of that chain apart. Your c5 pawn is traded for the d4 pawn, the c3 pawn moves up to d4, and it has no pawn left to support it. Now only the d1 queen and the f3 knight guard it. The order matters: while a pawn stood on c3, it blocked the diagonal from b4 to e1.
uses the empty c3 square. The bishop develops with check, and since the c3 knight is gone, your opponent can't block with it. If they block with 9., you can trade bishops with 10. and castle with , as in the Kmoch Variation, or play , the San Sebastian Variation, which lines your queen up behind the bishop on the diagonal toward d2.
At your level this sequence breaks down early. After 5. , only 51 in 100 opponents play 6.. Against 6. you score 53 in 100, and against 6., 54. Most of the time you won't even see 5.. The move you'll meet most is 5., where the bishop hits the f6 knight, one of the defenders of d5. The best answer there is , and with it you score 53 in 100.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 2,588 | 75.7% | |
| 1,847 | 42.9% | |
| 714 | 80.3% | |
| 555 | 100.0% | |
| 555 | 100.0% | |
| 884 | 98.6% | |
| 867 | 100.0% | |
| 838 | 96.2% |
After 5. , your opponent trades on d5 and removes both its defenders, the f6 knight and the queen: 6. 7. 8. . Recapturing pulls your queen off the d-file, and the knight grabs the pawn with an attack on her. It's an inaccuracy: 17 in 100 play it and score 48 in 100. With , 53.
17 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.3%; scores 52.7%.
asks the bishop to decide, and it answers with 6.. After no knight is left to guard d5, and 7. 8. leaves you a pawn down, with your opponent's pawn still on d5. 7 in 100 play it and score 41 in 100. With , 53.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 40.7%; scores 52.7%.
protects the f6 knight but shuts in your c8 bishop. After 6. 7. you're left with an isolated pawn on d5, and 8. takes b4 away from your other bishop, which settles for . 3 in 100 play it and score 45 in 100. With , 53.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage. It scores 44.6%; scores 52.7%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 6,330 | ||
| Not castled | 1,263 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 1,066 |
| Not castled | 907 | |
| 324 | ||
| 199 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | ||
| Not castled | 9 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 8 |
| Not castled | 8 | |
| Not castled | 7 | |
| Not castled | 2 |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 4,542 amateur games · 6 over the board
This is 5., the most played reply at your level. You score 48 in 100 after it.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · D41
570 amateur games · White's score: 50.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · D40
104 amateur games · White's score: 60.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · D41
95 amateur games · White's score: 50.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · D42
69 amateur games · White's score: 52.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · D41
6 amateur games · White's score: 41.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. · D41
4 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · D50
1 amateur game · White's score: 0.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · D40
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · D40