Queen's Gambit Declined D30
D — Closed & semi-closed · Family: Queen's Gambit Declined
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
The Queen's Gambit Declined (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6) is the classical way to hold the center: Black keeps the d5-pawn defended and concedes nothing permanent. For a century it was THE main line of queen's pawn play, and it remains a backbone of every strong player's repertoire because of its soundness.
White's main weapon is the minority attack with b4-b5 against the Carlsbad structure, while Black chooses between the classical set-up with Nf6 and Be7, the active Tartakower ...b6 and ...c5, the firm Lasker Defense and the solid Exchange Variation — the last famous for its drawish reputation. Piece activity versus small structural advantages is the recurring theme.
Play through the moves on the board above, explore the variations tree below — click any move of any branch — then test yourself against the engine from the position you picked.
- Position after 4 half-moves — White to move.
- Material is balanced.
- Family “Queen's Gambit Declined” contains 198 recorded variation(s) here.
Variations tree of the Queen's Gambit Declined family
Click any move to jump to that position; switch branches at any point with the alternative moves. Test your knowledge plays the shown position against the engine.
Variations of this family
Related openings
Nearby ECO codes in the D — Closed & semi-closed volume — compare the move orders: