Queen's Gambit Declined

ECO D30-D69intermediate

The Queen's Gambit Declined, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, is the defense every world champion has trusted: Black protects d5 with the e-pawn, accepts a temporarily passive light-squared bishop, and relies on flawless structure plus the freeing breaks ...c5 and ...e5. The Exchange Variation gives White the famous minority attack (b4-b5 against the c6 base); the mainline Orthodox and Tartakower systems are masterclasses in patient equalization followed by counterplay.

Train as White Train as Black Explore all variations

Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

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.

White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center and opening lines for the bishop and queen to develop.
Black meets White's center pawn with d5, fighting for an equal share of the middle of the board from the very first move.
White plays c4, the Queen's Gambit! This pawn offers to swap and challenges Black's strong d5 pawn, aiming to control the center.
Black supports the d5 pawn by advancing e6. This keeps the center firm and opens a path for the dark-squared bishop to come out later.
The knight leaps to c3, a great central square. It backs up the c4 and d4 pawns and helps White build a strong presence in the middle.
Black develops the knight to f6, an active square where it guards d5 and eyes the center, putting pressure on White's position right away.
White captures the pawn on d5 with the c-pawn. This trade opens the c-file and invites Black to recapture, changing the pawn structure.
Black recaptures on d5 with the e-pawn. The center is now more open, and Black has a solid passed pawn sitting in the middle of the board.
The bishop slides out to g5, an active diagonal where it pins Black's knight on f6 to the queen. This puts useful pressure on Black's setup.
Black develops the bishop to e7, a solid and safe square. This move also prepares for kingside castling, keeping the king safe soon.
White advances the pawn to e3, giving the dark-squared bishop a safe square and building a solid wall of pawns in the center.
Black castles kingside, tucking the king safely behind the pawns and bringing the rook to f8 where it can become active later.

Open the full annotated variation tree — free account

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.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	95	44.2%	8.4%	47.4%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6
600-800	32	46.9%	6.2%	46.9%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3
800-1000	266	55.6%	1.5%	42.9%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
1000-1200	109	55%	3.7%	41.3%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
1200-1400	3,944	52.1%	2.9%	45%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
1400-1600	9,246	53.1%	3.2%	43.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
1600-1800	1,896	50.4%	3.6%	46%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
1800-2000	3,417	51.2%	4.8%	44%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
2000-2200	3,991	51.9%	6.4%	41.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O
2200-2400	2,401	53.3%	6.2%	40.5%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O:

Bd3 — played 64.6% of the time (White wins 53.7%, draws 3.1%, Black wins 43.2%)
Nf3 — played 22.9% of the time (White wins 52.4%, draws 3.3%, Black wins 44.3%)
Qc2 — played 3.4% of the time (White wins 55.4%, draws 2.8%, Black wins 41.8%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

What is the minority attack and why does it matter in the QGD?

In the Exchange QGD's carlsbad structure, White advances the a- and b-pawns (two pawns) against Black's a7/b7/c6 (three pawns), aiming for bxc6 leaving Black a permanently weak backward c-pawn. Whole QGD middlegames revolve around executing or preventing this single plan.

How does Black free the c8 bishop in the QGD?

Three classic methods: the Tartakower's ...b6 and ...Bb7, trading pieces with ...Ne4 and ...dxc4 then developing via ...b6, or the Lasker's simplifying ...Ne4 trades. Solving this one piece is the QGD's central project — get it active and Black stands fully equal.