Queen's Gambit Declined

1. 1

   Decline the gambit, keep the centre

   1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

   Rather than grab the c4 pawn, Black supports d5 with ...e6, accepting a slightly passive light-squared bishop in exchange for a rock-solid centre. White cannot easily win back any material — the whole point is a long-term structural and spatial battle, not a gambit refutation.

2. 2

   The pin on f6 and the problem bishop

   1...d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5

   White pins the knight that defends d5, planning e3, Nf3 and pressure down the c-file. Just as in the French Defense, Black's c8 bishop is walled in by the e6 pawn — nearly every Black plan here (...Ne4, ...dxc4 and ...b6/...Bb7, or trading down with ...h6 and ...Ne4) is really about freeing that piece.

3. 3

   The freeing ...dxc4 and ...c5

   7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5

   Capablanca's classic recipe: trade off the light-squared bishops' tension with ...dxc4, then challenge the centre with ...c5 (or reroute a knight to d5/e4). Once Black completes this manoeuvre, the position is fully equal — the whole opening battle for Black is reaching this point safely.

4. 4

   Exchange Variation: the minority attack

   6...O-O 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Qc2 Re8 9.Nge2

   White trades the tension away and plans b4-b5, using the queenside pawn majority to attack Black's c6/d5 pawns and create a long-term weakness, even though there are only three pawns each on that side. Black meets it with kingside piece play (...Ne4, ...Nf8-e6-g5) or an early ...c5 counter-break.

5. 5

   Cambridge Springs: the queen pin

   4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Qa5

   Black delays ...Be7 and instead pins the c3 knight with the queen, threatening ...Ne4 or ...dxc4 followed by winning material if White is careless (the classic Rubinstein/Elephant Trap lives in this family). Sharp and tricky for an unprepared White player.

6. 6

   Vienna Variation: keeping the extra pawn

   2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxc4

   Instead of the solid main lines, Black grabs the c4 pawn immediately, planning ...b5 to hold it. White's most testing reply, 5.e4, offers a real gambit-style fight with mutual chances — one of the sharpest ways to meet 3...Nf6 without transposing to a Slav.

7. 7

   Tarrasch Defense: an IQP for piece activity

   1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5

   Black strikes back at the centre immediately instead of playing the solid ...Nf6/...Be7 setups. After 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6, Black usually ends up with an isolated d-pawn but active, freely developed pieces — a very different type of position from the closed main lines, prized for its dynamism.

These are the patterns worth knowing. For the full count, see the Queen's Gambit Declined mistakes players make most often at each rating.

1. 1

   White: the minority attack

   11...a5 12.a3 g6 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4

   White pushes b4-b5 to trade off Black's c6 pawn (once played), leaving a weak c6 or d5 pawn as a long-term target for the rooks and pieces. Black's counterplay comes from active piece play on the kingside, since the queenside structure alone slightly favours White.

2. 2

   Black: Capablanca's freeing manoeuvre

   8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7

   Trade the light bishops' tension with ...dxc4, reroute a knight to d5 to offer further trades, and follow up with ...c5, fully equalising the centre. This exact sequence of moves is one of the most famous and reliable plans in all of chess opening theory.

3. 3

   Black: solving the bishop with ...b6

   8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5

   Instead of routing the bishop to d7 or e6 through the centre, Black fianchettoes it on b7, where it has a clear long diagonal once the centre opens or after ...c5. A cleaner, more modern solution to the French/QGD-style bishop problem than the older manoeuvres.

4. 4

   White: pressure on the IQP (Tarrasch/Semi-Tarrasch)

   7...Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Bg5 cxd4 10.Nxd4

   White blockades and pressures the isolated d5 pawn with a knight on d4 or f4 and pieces trained on d5, aiming to reach an endgame where the pawn becomes a lasting weakness. Black's compensation is active piece play and open lines while the middlegame lasts — trading down into a pure endgame generally favours White.

5. 5

   Black: piece activity for the IQP

   9.Bg5 cxd4 10.Nxd4 h6 11.Be3 Re8

   Black keeps pieces on the board and looks for active outposts (...Ne4, ...Bg4, a rook on c8 or e8) rather than trading down, since simplification generally helps the side attacking the isolated pawn. Timing the moment to accept simplification versus keep fighting is the whole strategic content of these structures.