Queen's Gambit Declined
Also called the QGD.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6
A defense for Black
Refuse the gambit, reinforce the centre, and build a fortress.
Show me the opening
0 / 4 moves
The idea
Black declines the gambit with ...e6, building a solid centre that's hard to crack. The downside is that the light-squared bishop gets temporarily locked in behind the e6 pawn.
The plan
Develop with ...Nf6, ...Be7, and ...O-O. Then play ...c6 and ...Nbd7 for a solid Slav-QGD hybrid, or go for ...dxc4 to free the position. Counterplay comes from the c-file and queenside.
What to play next
After developing with ...Nf6 and ...Be7 and castling, play ...Nbd7 to complete development. White brings a rook to c1 to pressure c5. Black plays ...c6 to solidify the centre and give the queen a path to a5 or b6. The resulting position is solid and requires patient, strategic play.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6
Watch the typical continuation
Show me the opening
0 / 14 moves
One tip for beginners
Castle early and don't worry about the 'bad' light-squared bishop yet. Once you've developed, ...b6 and ...Ba6 can trade it off at the right time.
What to watch out for
Don't ignore White's minority attack (b4-b5 on the queenside). Be ready to meet it with ...a5 to stop b5.
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