diff -r 0ab23958c2a7 Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py
--- a/Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py	Wed Oct 15 23:58:37 2014 -0400
+++ b/Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py	Thu Oct 16 17:59:41 2014 +0200
@@ -443,6 +443,14 @@
         row = cur.fetchone()
         self.assertEqual(row, None)
 
+    def CheckWithExisting(self):
+        self.cu.execute("with bar as (select * from test) select * from bar where name = 'foo'")
+        self.assertIsNotNone(self.cu.description)
+
+    def CheckWithMissing(self):
+        self.cu.execute("with bar as (select * from test) select * from bar where name = 'bar'")
+        self.assertIsNotNone(self.cu.description)
+
     def CheckArraySize(self):
         # must default ot 1
         self.assertEqual(self.cu.arraysize, 1)
diff -r 0ab23958c2a7 Modules/_sqlite/cursor.c
--- a/Modules/_sqlite/cursor.c	Wed Oct 15 23:58:37 2014 -0400
+++ b/Modules/_sqlite/cursor.c	Thu Oct 16 17:59:41 2014 +0200
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
     char buf[20];
     const char* src;
     char* dst;
+    int state, level;
 
     src = statement;
     /* skip over whitepace */
@@ -51,7 +52,60 @@
     }
 
     *dst = 0;
-
+    /* skip WITH statement */
+    if (!strcmp(buf, "with")) {
+        state = 0;
+        /* 0=recursive or name, 1=name, 2=as, 3=(), 4=, or end */
+        while (1) {
+            /* find next token */
+            while (*src == '\r' || *src == '\n' || *src == ' ' || *src == '\t') {
+                src++;
+            }
+            if (*src == 0)
+                return STATEMENT_INVALID;
+            if (state==3) {
+                /* skip (...) with possible subqueries */
+                if (*src++ != '(')
+                    return STATEMENT_INVALID;
+                level = 1;
+                while (*src && level) {
+                    if (*src == ')') {
+                        level--;
+                    } else if (*src == '(') {
+                        level++;
+                    }
+                    src++;
+                }
+                state = 4;
+                continue;
+            } else if (state == 4) {
+                /* next cte-table or end */
+                if (*src == ',') {
+                    src++;
+                    state = 1;
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
+            dst = buf;
+            *dst = 0;
+            while (Py_ISALPHA(*src) && (dst - buf) < ((Py_ssize_t)sizeof(buf) - 2)) {
+                *dst++ = Py_TOLOWER(*src++);
+            }
+            *dst = 0;
+            if (!state) {
+                if (!strcmp(buf, "recursive"))
+                    state = 1;
+                else
+                    state = 2;
+            } else if (state == 2) {
+                /* as expected */
+                if (strcmp(buf, "as"))
+                    return STATEMENT_INVALID;
+                state = 3;
+            } else if (state == 4)
+                break;
+        }
+    }
     if (!strcmp(buf, "select")) {
         return STATEMENT_SELECT;
     } else if (!strcmp(buf, "insert")) {