Queen's Gambit DeclinedD30
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6. Black says no thank you to the c-pawn and guards d5 with the e-pawn. It is one of the most solid openings there is.
Move by move
2... e6: pawn to e 6
- White: d4, pawn to d 4.
- Black: d5, pawn to d 5.
- White: c4, pawn to c 4.
- Black: e6, pawn to e 6.
What each side wants
⚪ White: Bring out Nc3, Bg5 and Nf3, and keep pressing on d5.
⚫ Black: Bring out Nf6 and Be7, castle, and free your pieces later with ...c5 or ...e5.
Black made the last move, so after this it is White's turn.
You will also hear it called the QGD.
⚠️ The Elephant Trap
3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Kxd8
After 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5, the d5 pawn looks free. If White grabs it with 6.Nxd5, then 6...Nxd5 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ 8.Qd2 Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Kxd8, and Black has won a knight for a pawn.
Three things every opening does
The Queen's Gambit Declined follows the three ideas strong players use in every opening. Get a pawn or two into the middle of the board, because pieces in the middle can reach more squares. Bring out your knights and bishops before you move the queen a lot, so she is not chased around. And castle early, so your king is tucked behind a wall of pawns and your rook joins the game. When you forget the moves, those three ideas will still help you find a good one.
Try it
Play it against Peabody on Play, then solve today's puzzle. Openings that start the same way:
Name, code and moves from the Lichess openings list (CC0), checked . The words are Peabody's own, and every move on this page is checked by Peabody's chess engine.