Queen's Gambit Declined
ECO D30, D52, D53, D56 · 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
The Queen's Gambit Declined, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, keeps a firm pawn on d5 and prepares ...Nf6 and ...Be7. It is the classical answer to the Queen's Gambit and has been trusted by world champions for over a century.
Plans for White
White develops with Nc3, Nf3 or Bg5, and often exchanges on d5 to reach the Carlsbad structure, then launches the minority attack with b4-b5 to create a weak pawn on c6. Another plan is a central break with e4 supported by Nf3, Bd3 and Qc2.
Plans for Black
Black's goal is to free the position with ...c5 or ...e5 and to solve the problem of the light-squared bishop, which can come out via ...b6 and ...Bb7 or after ...dxc4. In the Orthodox, Lasker and Tartakower lines Black accepts a slightly passive but very solid game.
Typical pawn structures
The Carlsbad structure (d4/e3 vs d5/c6 with the c- and e-files half-open) is the trademark. The Tarrasch Defense leads to isolated-pawn positions instead.
Who it suits
Solid positional players who value soundness and are happy to defend a little before counterattacking.
Common traps
The Elephant trap: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nxd5?? Nxd5! 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ 8.Qd2 Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Kxd8 leaves Black a piece up. The Rubinstein trap in the Orthodox lets White win a pawn with Nxd5 when Black's pieces are loose on the d-file.
Variations
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bf4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Ne4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Tarrasch Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c5 5. cxd5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Marshall Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 h6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Vienna Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 Bb4+
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Neo-Orthodox Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Anti-Tartakower Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bxf6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Zilbermints Gambit — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 b5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Alapin Variation — 1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. Nc3 d5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Attack, Salvio Countergambit — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c5 3. dxc5 d4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 a6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Traditional Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Been-Koomen Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights, Vienna Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Manhattan Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Bb4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Spielmann Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 c6 5. Nbd2 g6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Alekhine Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 c6 6. e4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Miles Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. Qc2
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Knight Defense, Alekhine Gambit — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Semmering Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6. Bd3 c5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Stonewall Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Ne4 6. Bd3 f5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Westphalian Variation — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 c5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Rochlin Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 c6 6. Rc1 Qa5 7. Bd2
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav, Abrahams Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bb4 6. e3 b5 7. Bd2 a5
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav, Junge Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bb4 6. e3 b5 7. Bd2 Qb6
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav, Koomen Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. e3 b5 6. a4 Bb4 7. Bd2 Qe7
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Uhlmann Variation — 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Rc1 dxc4
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Pillsbury Attack — 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Ne5