Queen's Gambit Declined

Play as BlackDefence

Keep the center solid and decline the offered pawn for a rock-steady structure.

The main line, move by move

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Rc1 Be6

1. 1. d4 — Claim the center with the queen pawn and open lines for the queen and bishop.
2. 1... d5 — Black stakes a claim in the center.
3. 2. c4 — White offers a flank pawn.
4. 2... e6 — Decline and support d5 solidly.
5. 3. Nc3 — Develop and add pressure on d5.
6. 3... Nf6 — Develop the knight and defend d5.
7. 4. Bg5 — Pin the knight to take pressure off d5.
8. 4... Be7 — Break the pin and prepare to castle.
9. 5. e3 — A solid support for d4 that opens the f1 bishop.
10. 5... O-O — Castle: your king gets safe and a rook joins the game.
11. 6. Nf3 — Develop the knight toward the center.
12. 6... h6 — Ask the bishop what it wants to do.
13. 7. Bh4 — Keep the pin on the knight.
14. 7... b6 — Prepare to put the bishop on b7.
15. 8. cxd5 — Takes the pawn on d5.
16. 8... Nxd5 — Takes the pawn on d5.
17. 9. Bxe7 — Takes the bishop on e7.
18. 9... Qxe7 — Takes the bishop on e7.
19. 10. Nxd5 — Takes the knight on d5.
20. 10... exd5 — Takes the knight on d5.
21. 11. Rc1 — Take the open c-file.
22. 11... Be6 — Develop the last minor piece.

Other sound lines

• 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 Nd7 7. Bd3 Ngf6 8. Qc2 O-O 9. Nge2 Re8 10. O-O Nf8

Related openings

• Sicilian Defense (Najdorf)
• French Defense
• Caro-Kann Defense
• Scandinavian Defense
• Pirc Defense

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