Chess opening
Chess opening
The Queen's Gambit Declined (or QGD) is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:
1. 
2. 
This is known as the "Orthodox Line" of the Queen's Gambit Declined. When the "Queen's Gambit Declined" is mentioned, it is usually assumed to be referring to the Orthodox Line; see "Other lines" below.
The Orthodox Line can be reached by a number of different ;dfn id="" ;move orders ;/dfn ;, such as 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5; 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5; 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4; 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4; and so on.
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General concepts.
Playing 2...e6 releases Black's dark-squared bishop, while obstructing Black's light-squared bishop. By declining White's temporary pawn sacrifice, Black erects a solid position; the pawns on d5 and e6 give Black a foothold in the ;dfn id="" ;centre ;/dfn ;. The Queen's Gambit Declined has the reputation of being one of Black's most reliable defenses to 1.d4. In this situation, White will try to exploit the passivity of Black's light-squared bishop, and Black will try to release it, trade it, or prove that, while passive, the bishop has a useful defensive role.
An eventual ...dxc4 by Black will surrender the centre to White, and Black will usually not do this unless Black can extract a concession, usually in the form of gaining a ;dfn id="" ;tempo ;/dfn ;, by capturing on c4 only after White has played Bd3 first. In the Orthodox Line, the fight for the tempo revolves around White's efforts to play all other useful developing moves prior to playing Bd3. Black will often aim for the pawn break ...c5 in this opening, which often leads to one or the other side accepting isolated or hanging pawns in exchange for dynamic compensation.
Other lines.
In its broadest sense, the Queen's Gambit Declined is any variation of the Queen's Gambit in which Black does not play ...dxc4. Variations other than the Orthodox Line have their own names and are usually treated separately.
Of the 34 games played in the 1927 World Championship between Alexander Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca, all except the first and third began with the Queen's Gambit Declined.
Black avoids 3...Nf6.
After (3.Nf3 is a main alternative), Black's main move is 3...Nf6. Other options are:
Black plays 3...Nf6.
Lines beginning with the moves are covered by "ECO" codes D35–D69. These are old lines that can transpose into many other queen pawn openings. White has several ways of dealing with Black's setup:
Cambridge Springs Defense: 4.Bg5 Nbd7.
The Cambridge Springs Defense was introduced more than a century ago, and is still played. (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6) 4.Bg5 Nbd7 (setting up the Elephant Trap) 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Qa5, now Black intends ...Bb4 and possibly ...Ne4, with pressure along the a5–e1 diagonal. This Black defense is popular among amateurs because there are several traps White can fall into, for example 7.Nd2 (one of the main lines, countering Black's pressure along the diagonal) 7...Bb4 8.Qc2 0-0 and here 9.Bd3?? loses since 9...dxc4! (threatening ...Qxg5) 10.Bxf6 cxd3! (a zwischenzug) 11.Qxd3 Nxf6 wins a piece for Black.
Exchange Variation: 4.cxd5 exd5.
After 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 White has a pawn majority in the centre, Black has a pawn majority on the ;dfn id="" ;queenside ;/dfn ;. This pawn structure gives White the opportunity to either advance his pawns in the centre by means of Nge2, f2–f3, followed by e2–e4, or play for a ;dfn id="" ;minority attack ;/dfn ; by means of the plan Rb1, followed by b2–b4–b5, then bxc6 in order to create a weak pawn at c6. While Black can play ...cxb5, or recapture on c6 with a piece, each of these possibilities is even less desirable than the backward pawn in the open file. For Black, exchanging at d5 has released his light-squared bishop and opened the e-file, giving him the use of e4 as a springboard for central and ;dfn id="" ;kingside ;/dfn ; play. While chances are balanced, Black is usually more or less forced to use his superior activity to launch a piece attack on White's king, as the long-term chances in the QGD Exchange structure favour White. The following games are model games for White:
Three Knights Variation: 4.Nf3.
The Three Knights Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined is usually reached from the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3, played to avoid the Nimzo-Indian Defense (from the white point of view) and the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined (from the black point of view). Black has a few options in response to the Three Knights Variation.
Vienna Variation: 4...dxc4.
The Vienna Variation occurs after Black plays 4...dxc4 in the Three Knights Variation. The main line of the Vienna continues as 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5. White's pawns or pieces occupy the central squares in exchange for long-term pawn structure weaknesses. An instance of Vienna Variation played at the highest level was Fine–Euwe, AVRO 1938. The Quiet Variation of the Vienna Variation occurs after 5.e3.
Semi-Tarrasch Variation: 4...c5.
The Semi-Tarrasch Variation occurs after black plays 4...c5 in the Three Knights Variation. An important line in this variation is the Endgame Line where the game continues: 5.cxd5 cxd4 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.e4 dxe4 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 where the queens get traded off in a similar fashion to the Endgame in the Berlin Defense, resulting in a drawish position. This line has been played by top grandmasters such as Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Magnus Carlsen aiming for a draw. There is also the Exchange Variation where the game continues 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4, which has been used by played by the likes of Ding Liren, Anish Giri, Vladimir Kramnik, and Magnus Carlsen.
Ragozin Variation: 4...Bb4.
The Ragozin Variation ("ECO" code D37–D39) occurs after black plays 4...Bb4 in the Three Knights Variation. The Alekhine Variation of the Ragozin Variation occurs with 5.Qa4 Nc6 6.e3 0-0 7.Qc2. A transposition into the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined occurs with 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4. An alternate line commonly played is 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 to avoid transposing into the Vienna.
Semi-Slav Defense: 4...c6.
The Semi-Slav Defense occurs after black plays 4...c6 in the Three Knights Variation.
Transposition into Main Variations: 4...Be7 5.Bg5.
A transposition into the Main Variations of the Queen's Gambit Declined occurs after black plays 4...Be7 5.Bg5 in the Three Knights Variation.
Harrwitz Attack 4...Be7 5.Bf4.
This variation is also a popular line. Placing the bishop on Bg5 allows Black to exchange more freely with moves like Nf6-e4, as seen in the Lasker Defence. The move Bf4 is designed to restrict Black's opportunities in this way, as well as reducing opportunities to gain the bishop pair. Play usually continues with 5...0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5. Peter Leko, usually an e4 player, used this variation as White to beat Vladimir Kramnik in their 2004 World Championship Match.
References.
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Bibliography