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Queen's Pawn Game · III. Closed Game

Queen's Gambit Declined

The Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD) is one of the most common ways for Black to decline the QG, reinforcing their d-pawn in the process. Within the QGD, there are a large variety of solid and deeply-analyzed variations that Black can choose from.

Side
black

Characteristics

  • 🛡 PositionalSlower opening where plans, maneuvering, and structural advantages matter more than forcing tactics.
  • 👥 PrevalentCommon enough that opponents are likely to have experience and prepared responses.
  • ⏳ TheoreticalNeeds concrete preparation, but not necessarily the extreme depth of the heaviest theory openings.

Strategic guide

Plans and motifs

  • Black's pawn on e6 often interferes with the development of their light-square bishop, similar to the French Defense.
  • White often avoids exchanging pawns on d5 for this reason, as this would free Black's bishop.
  • Black can eventually free their light-squared bishop with the pawn break ...e5, or by fianchettoing it.

Theory map

Common lines

  • After main line 3.Nc3 Nf6:
  • 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 — Main Line
  • 4.Bg5 Nbd7 — Cambridge Springs Defense
  • 4.cxd5 exd5 — Exchange Variation
  • 4.Nf3 Bb4 — Ragozin Defense
  • 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 — Harrwitz Attack
  • 3.Nc3 c5 — Tarrasch Defense
  • 3.Nc3 c6 — Semi-Slav Defense

Train the opening

Training paths

A repertoire plan turns an opening into an ordered set of positions and branches to learn, practice, and review. Foundation paths cover the core branches. Mastery paths add deeper variations after the foundation is complete.

Foundation path

Queen's Gambit Declined

developing

Start training this opening
Chapter 1

Imported Lines

  1. 01

    Forking Queen

  2. 02

    Tarrasch Trap

  3. 03

    Gambit Grip

  4. 04

    Blunder Punisher

  5. 05

    Center Break

  6. 06

    Marshall Strike

  7. 07

    Bishop Hunt

  8. 08

    Castle Lock

  9. 09

    Coordinated Assault

  10. 10

    QGA Shift

  11. 11

    Weakness Target

  12. 12

    Quiet Capture

  13. 13

    Center Seizure

  14. 14

    Marshall Exchange

  15. 15

    Active Gambit

  16. 16

    Queen's Bite

  17. 17

    C-File Crush

  18. 18

    Solid Center

  19. 19

    Nimzo Shift

  20. 20

    Knight Prod

Mastery path

Queen's Gambit Declined Mastery

advanced

View mastery plan
Chapter 1

Imported Lines

  1. 01

    Queenside Shove

  2. 02

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 f5 5. exd5

  3. 03

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Nc...

  4. 04

    Center Surge

  5. 05

    Castle Lock

  6. 06

    Queen Net

  7. 07

    Kingside Crush

  8. 08

    Greek Gift

  9. 09

    Greek Gift

  10. 10

    Rook Hunt

  11. 11

    Castle Crusher

  12. 12

    H7 Smash

  13. 13

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 b6 8. Bxf6 Bxf6...

  14. 14

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. O-O O-O...

  15. 15

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 b6 8. Bxf6 Bxf6...

  16. 16

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. Qxd5 Qxd5 8. Nxd5...

  17. 17

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 O...

  18. 18

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nf6 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6 7. Nf3 Bd6 8. Bd3 Nd...

  19. 19

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. e5 Nd5 9...

  20. 20

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. O-O Nxd4...

  21. 21

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. e5 Nd5 9...

  22. 22

    Center Break

  23. 23

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. e5 Nd5 9...

  24. 24

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. e5 Nd5 9...

  25. 25

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 Nc6 5. Nf3

  26. 26

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. e5 Nd5 9...

  27. 27

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 Nf6 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. e5 Nfd7 7. Qg4 Bb4 8. Qxg7

  28. 28

    Marshall Strike

  29. 29

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 Nc6 7. Rc1 Bf5 8. Bxf6 Bxf...

  30. 30

    Queen Bait

  31. 31

    H Pawn Hammer

  32. 32

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 Bb4 5. Bxc4

  33. 33

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxc4 5. Bxc4

  34. 34

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 Bb4 5. cxd5 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3

  35. 35

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxc4 6. Bxc4

  36. 36

    Bishop Hunt

  37. 37

    Coordinated Assault

  38. 38

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c6 7. Nf3

  39. 39

    Weakness Target

  40. 40

    Quiet Capture

  41. 41

    Center Seizure

  42. 42

    Marshall Exchange

  43. 43

    Knight Triangle

  44. 44

    Active Gambit

  45. 45

    Queen's Bite

  46. 46

    Pin Parade

  47. 47

    C-File Crush

  48. 48

    Solid Center

  49. 49

    Nimzo Shift

  50. 50

    Knight Prod

  51. 51

    H7 Smash

  52. 52

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. e5 Nd5 9...

  53. 53

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Nc...

  54. 54

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Nc...