Queen's Gambit

ECO D06-D69beginner

The Queen's Gambit, 1.d4 d5 2.c4, is the oldest strategic battle plan in chess: White offers the c-pawn to deflect Black's d5 pawn and claim the full center. It is not a real gambit — White always regains the pawn — but the question it poses shapes everything that follows. Black's three great answers each define a school of chess: decline with 2...e6 (the QGD), accept with 2...dxc4 (the QGA) and counterattack, or hold the pawn with 2...c6 (the Slav) keeping the light-squared bishop free.

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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 in the center and giving the bishop and queen room to develop.
Black fights back in the center by pushing the pawn to d5, matching White's claim and keeping the position balanced.
White offers the Queen's Gambit by pushing the pawn to c4, putting pressure on Black's d5 pawn and trying to take control of the center.
Black develops the bishop all the way to f5, getting it outside the pawn chain early and putting it on an active diagonal.
The knight hops to c3, a great central square where it adds support to the d4 pawn and joins the fight for the middle of the board.
Black steps the pawn to e6, giving the position extra support and opening a path for the dark-squared bishop to develop later.
The knight jumps to f3, a strong central square. It guards the d4 pawn and keeps an eye on key squares in the middle of the board.
Black reinforces the center with the pawn to c6, making the d5 pawn more solid and harder for White to push away.
The queen slides out to b3, creating double pressure on both the b7 pawn and the d5 pawn, forcing Black to pay attention to two threats at once.
Black's queen moves to b6, meeting White's queen directly and putting pressure on the b2 pawn to keep things even.
White advances the pawn to c5, pushing further into Black's side and trying to gain space on the queenside while the queens eye each other.
Black's queen captures the White queen on b3, trading queens and simplifying the position. Taking the queen removes one of White's most dangerous 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.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	805	52.1%	5.2%	42.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4
600-800	295	50.8%	2%	47.1%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6
800-1000	70	57.1%	1.4%	41.4%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3
1000-1200	38	50%	5.3%	44.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3
1200-1400	80	55%	3.8%	41.2%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qxb3
1400-1600	221	57.9%	5%	37.1%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qxb3
1600-1800	57	63.2%	5.3%	31.6%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qxb3
1800-2000	112	59.8%	8.9%	31.3%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qxb3
2000-2200	203	70.4%	4.4%	25.1%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qxb3
2200-2400	127	66.9%	5.5%	27.6%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qxb3

Most played continuations (400-600 rating)

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4:

dxc4 — played 44% of the time (White wins 47.5%, draws 5.1%, Black wins 47.5%)
Nf6 — played 10.1% of the time (White wins 44.4%, draws 8.6%, Black wins 46.9%)
Nc6 — played 9.6% of the time (White wins 62.3%, draws 3.9%, Black wins 33.8%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called a gambit if White always gets the pawn back?

Tradition. If Black tries to keep the c4 pawn with ...b5 and ...a6, moves like a4 and Ne5 win it back by force — often with interest. The 'gambit' is really a trade of Black's central d-pawn for White's flank c-pawn, which is the strategic point of 2.c4.

Should I decline or accept the Queen's Gambit?

Declining with 2...e6 or 2...c6 is the classical recommendation: Black keeps a stake in the center and learns the carlsbad and slav structures that underpin all of d4 chess. Accepting is fully sound too, but demands more concrete play — Black must hit back with ...c5 and ...e5 breaks before White's center rolls.