Queen's Gambit

What is the Queen's Gambit?

The Queen's Gambit starts 1.d4 d5 2.c4. White offers the c-pawn to pull Black's d-pawn away from the centre, but it is not a true gambit: if Black takes, White can normally regain the pawn. It is one of the oldest and most respected openings and leads mostly to positional middlegames in which central control and piece placement matter more than early tactics.

Main ideas and plans

Most often Black declines with ...e6, the Queen's Gambit Declined. In the Orthodox Defense, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7, you pin the knight, develop naturally and fight for the c-file with Rc1. Black's main freeing idea is Capablanca's manoeuvre in the Classical Variation, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5, exchanging pieces before playing ...e5, and your aim is to keep a small but lasting edge. In the Exchange Variation, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5, you create the Carlsbad structure and can either play the minority attack with b4 and b5 against Black's queenside or prepare a central break with Nge2, f3 and e4.

If Black accepts with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4, the Queen's Gambit Accepted, do not try to win the pawn back at any cost; develop with Nf3 and e3, regain it with Bxc4 and use your central majority. In the Classical Defense, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.O-O a6, positions with an isolated pawn on d4 or a mobile centre for you are common; your plans are the e4 and d5 advances, active pieces and kingside chances, while Black aims for ...b5 and ...Bb7 to control the long diagonal. Against other replies such as the Slav the themes stay the same: pressure on d5, the c-file and a well-timed e4.

Who is it for?

The Queen's Gambit suits players who like solid, principled chess with clear strategic plans and who are willing to learn typical structures such as the Carlsbad and the isolated queen's pawn. It is a great opening for improving players because its ideas carry over to many other d4 openings. The risk is strategic rather than tactical: Black's defences are very solid, so you must play actively to make your edge count. One trap to know is the Elephant Trap: do not grab the d5 pawn too early, because after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nxd5 Nxd5 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ 8.Qd2 Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Kxd8 Black has won a piece for a pawn.