Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation

Main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1. 1.d4 White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center and opening lines for the queen and bishop to develop later.
2. 1...Nf6 Nice job developing! The black knight hops out to f6, a dark square, getting active right away. It now eyes the middle of the board and helps Black get ready to fight for the center. Bringing a knight out like this is a great first move.
3. 2.c4 White pushes the pawn to c4, challenging the center from the side. This is the Queen's Gambit — White wants to build a strong grip in the middle.
4. 2...e6 Black steps the pawn to e6, solidly supporting the d5 square and opening a path for the dark-squared bishop to come out.
5. 3.Nf3 The knight hops to f3, a busy central square. It guards the d4 pawn and gets ready to support White's plans in the middle of the board.
6. 3...d5 Black pushes the pawn to d5, firmly planting a stake in the center. Now both sides have pawns in the middle and a real fight begins!
7. 4.Nc3 The knight develops to c3, backing up the d4 pawn and putting more pressure on the center. White is building a strong team quickly.
8. 4...Be7 Black develops the bishop to e7, a safe and solid square. The bishop is ready to castle and supports the knight on f6.
9. 5.Bf4 White brings the bishop out to f4, a lively diagonal where it eyes the center and helps control the queenside. Good piece development!
10. 5...O-O Black castles kingside, moving the king to safety behind the pawns on g8 and bringing the rook to f8 where it can be useful.
11. 6.e3 White steps the pawn to e3, giving the dark-squared bishop a solid foundation and helping to lock in White's center pawns.
12. 6...c5 Black pushes the pawn to c5, directly challenging White's d4 pawn. Black wants to break up White's center and free the pieces.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5:

• cxd5 — played 32.6% of the time (White wins 44.7%, draws 4.3%, Black wins 51%)
• Bd3 — played 21.5% of the time (White wins 45.4%, draws 3.5%, Black wins 51.2%)
• Be2 — played 17.6% of the time (White wins 52.4%, draws 4.2%, Black wins 43.4%)

Related openings

• Queen's Gambit
• Queen's Gambit Declined
• Queen's Gambit Accepted
• Slav Defense
• Semi-Slav Defense
• Tarrasch Defense
• Queen's Gambit: Chigorin Defense
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation
• Semi-Slav Defense Accepted
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense
• Queen's Gambit Accepted, Deferred

Frequently asked questions

Why 5.Bf4 rather than the older 5.Bg5?

Because 5.Bg5 walks into Black's best-analysed defences, where ...Ne4 or ...h6 and ...Ne4 trade pieces and ease the cramp. On f4 the bishop is outside the pawn chain, can never be hit by ...h6, and eyes the c7 and e5 squares. The cost is that it does not pin the knight, so Black gets ...c5 in more easily.

What structures should I expect?

Mostly three: an isolated queen's pawn for one side after the centre pawns trade, hanging pawns on c5 and d5, or a symmetrical release where the game turns on piece activity. Learning how to play with and against an isolated pawn is worth more here than any concrete line, because all three arise from the same few exchanges.

Is the QGD a good opening for improving players?

It is arguably the best. The moves are natural, the positions are strategically rich without being tactically lethal, and the structures — isolated pawn, minority attack, hanging pawns — appear across the whole of chess. A player who learns the QGD properly understands positional chess better than one who memorises a sharp Sicilian.