Queen's Gambit Declined
The classical defence to the Queen's Gambit — a century of world championship battles around Black's c5 break.
If you want an opening that fights from the very first moves, Queen's Gambit Declined is a superb candidate — principled, sharp and endlessly instructive.
After 6…Nbd7 the position resolves into a tense centre: the central pawns still face each other, and the timing and manner of the coming exchange shapes the whole middlegame.
The moves
After 6... Nbd7 — Queen's Gambit Declined main line
Position breakdown
A factual read of the position after the main line — the files, the centre, the pawn structure and king safety that decide how the middlegame is played. These are computed from the actual board, not generic advice.
Files
Centre control
Tense centre
The d4/d5/e4/e5 squares — who occupies the centre decides how open the game becomes.
Pawn skeleton
Pawns only — the structure that explains every open file and majority at a glance.
Material level
Queenside pawns 3–3
Kingside pawns 3–3
Development
2 knights & dark-squared bishop active
2 knights & dark-squared bishop active
King safety
White king e1
Uncastled — take care
Black king g8
Castled kingside
Computed from the final position of the main line above — 12 plies, white to move.
Strategic ideas
Ideas for White
White aims for harmonious development, central control and well-timed pawn breaks.
Ideas for Black
Black targets the centre with counterplay, seizes outposts and strikes with the thematic pawn breaks.
Main variations (60)
Orthodox Defence
D60The classical main line of the 20th century: the eternal fight over c5 and e5.
Lasker Defence
D56Lasker's simplified fortress: ...Ne4 kills the bishop pair and unpins the knight.
Tartakower Variation
D59The modern classical solution: ...b6/...Bb7 activates the buried bishop.
Cambridge Springs Defence
D52Black's venomous ...Qa5 setup — the Bb4 pin paralyses White's queenside.
Ragozin Defence
D38The modern hybrid: QGD structure with Nimzo-Indian piece play.
Vienna Variation
D39The Vienna's explosive ...dxc4/...c5 double-strike — the centre combusts.
Exchange Variation
D35The structural endgame war: minority attack and bind versus Black's fortress.
Exchange, Main Line
D36The classical Exchange tabiya: b4-b5 minority attack to come.
Alatortsev System
D37The refined Bg5/h6 setup — solid, transpositional, elite-approved.
Noteboom Variation
D38The Noteboom triangle: wild, analysed-to-death, and utterly fascinating.
Janowski Variation
D37The Janowski's ...b6: QID-style development inside the QGD.
Charousek Variation
D50The Charousek setup: solid development with the ...Qa5 counter in reserve.
Manhattan Variation
D50The Bb4 pin setup — a Nimzo-flavoured QGD with quick development.
QGD, 4.Bf4 Setup
D37The Bf4 setup: the modern solid treatment avoiding the pin structures.
QGD, Marshall Defence
D02The Marshall Defence (...Nf6 before ...e6) — famous, and famously dubious.
QGD, Semi-Tarrasch
D40The Semi-Tarrasch: the isolated pawn accepted for free piece play.
Semi-Tarrasch Main
D41The IQP battleground: piece pressure against d5 with blockading plans.
Tarrasch Defence
D32Tarrasch's free-piece-play philosophy: accept the IQP and never stop hitting the centre.
Tarrasch, Schlechter-Rubinstein
D33The classical anti-Tarrasch: Bg5/Bf4 pressure against the isolated pawn.
Tarrasch Main Line
D34The razor main line: 10.Nxd5! sacrifices for open lines — theory at its sharpest.
QGD, Orthodox Main 9...Nd5
D60The ...Nd5 trade: simplifying into the classic Orthodox endgames.
QGD, Orthodox 7.Bd3
D60The Bd3 setup: solid development before the c-file pressure.
QGD, Tartakower 9...c5
D59The ...c5 break arrives: the full Tartakower middlegame.
QGD, Lasker 9.cxd5
D57The clean exchange: the Lasker structure at its purest.
QGD, Cambridge Springs 9...dxc4
D52The recapture setup: keeping the ...Qa5 pressure alive.
QGD, Exchange 10.Ne59.Nf3 Re8 10.Ne5
D35The Ne5 centralisation: the Exchange's knight-outpost plan.
QGD, Vienna Variation
D39The Vienna's double strike: the centre explodes on move six.
QGD, Ragozin 5.Bg5 h6
D38The h6 question: the Bg5's retreat decides the Ragozin structure.
Semi-Slav, Meran 10.e5
D47The e5 wedge: the Meran's central push at maximum sharpness.
Semi-Slav, Botvinnik 9.Nxg5
D44The knight sac: the Botvinnik's signature explosion.
Semi-Slav, Anti-Moscow 7.a4
D44The a4 clamp: undermining b5 immediately in the Anti-Moscow.
Slav, Main 6.e3 Main
D18The castling decision: the full main-line Slav structure.
Slav, Czech 7.f3
D17The f3 support: solidifying e4 pressure against the Bf5.
Slav, Schlechter 6.e35.e3 b5 6.c5
D15The c5 clamp: the Schlechter's queenside structure war.
Slav, Winawer 5...e5
D15The ...e5 strike: the counter-gambit's central explosion.
QGA, Central 7.e45.Bxc4 cxd4 7.exd4 Setup
D26The open structure: symmetric IQP positions with free piece play.
QGA, Fischer 7.Qe2
D27Fischer's Qe2: keeping queens on with Rd1 pressure to follow.
Tarrasch, 9.Bg5 Main
D34The Bg5 pin: the Tarrasch's main battleground.
Grünfeld, Exchange 9.Be3
D85The Be3 setup: the classical Exchange battleground.
Grünfeld, Spassky 12.f3
D87The f3 fortress: the Spassky system's central clamp.
Grünfeld, Russian 6.Be2
D96The Russian shell: solid development against the Grünfeld.
Grünfeld, Fianchetto 7.Na3
D92The Na3! regrouping: precise move-order chess.
Grünfeld, Exchange 8...Nc6
D85The ...Nc6 development: full pressure on d4 immediately.
London, 4...c5 Main
D02The ...c5 strike: the London's most critical test.
London, Ne5 Setup
D02The Bg3 trade setup: heading for the Ne5 outpost.
Colle, e4 Break
D05The central release: the Colle's e4/e5 break versus the IQP.
Torre, Bd3 Setup
D03The Bd3 development: the Torre's standard build-up.
Veresov, f3 Setup
D01The f3/e4 wedge: the Veresov's space-grabbing plan.
BDG, Main 5.Nxf3
D00The knight recapture: the BDG's principled main line.
Albin, 4.Nf3 Main
D08The knight development: the main Albin battleground.
Chigorin, 3.Nc3 e5
D07The full Chigorin strike: maximum dynamism from move three.
QGA, Smyslov 9.b3
D29The b3 support: slow queenside pressure in the clean endgame.
Slav, Alapin 7.Bxc4
D16The bishop recapture: the a4/Qb3the a4 pressure structure.
Semi-Slav, Moscow 6.Bg5 h6
D43The h6 question: the Anti-Moscow decision point.
Semi-Slav, Meran 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 Setup
D47The e4 strike: the Meran's central explosion.
Tarrasch, 8.O-O Main
D33The castling decision: the Tarrasch's classical tabiya.
QGD, 4.Bf4 Setup
D37The Bf4 setup: the modern solid treatment.
Noteboom, 5.a4
D38The a4 clamp: the Noteboom's signature move.
London, Jobava Nb5
D02The Nb5 strike: hitting the queenside with tempo.
Slav, Dutch Variation 9.Qe2
D19The Qe2 setup: the deep main tabiya of the Czech complex.
Plans & pawn structures
- 1The central tension is the key decision: releasing it too early hands the opponent a free tempo and a target, so keep it until a capture wins a file, a diagonal or a clear structural edge.
- 2Trade correctly: before every exchange ask which piece benefits from the resulting square colours and pawn structure.
- 3Develop with a purpose: connect the pieces to a concrete plan (a break, a target square, an outpost) instead of making automatic moves.
Typical middlegame structures
The main line leads to a tense centre: the central pawns still face each other, and the timing and manner of the coming exchange shapes the whole middlegame. No files have opened yet, so this is a manoeuvring struggle: improve your pieces and prepare the pawn break that will open the position on your terms.
Traps & tactical motifs
Every sharp opening has its traps — study the forcing lines around the centre and the f7/f2 squares before playing this in rated games.
Watch the typical motifs: pins against the pinned piece, knight forks after the natural captures, and queen sorties to a2/g2-style squares.
How to Play Against the Queen's Gambit Declined
- As White, resolve the central tension on your terms: force the exchange that gives you the better structure rather than letting the opponent choose the moment.
Study plan & who it's for
Solidly intermediate. The main lines require real study, but the payoff is positions you can play for a lifetime. Best investment for Black players around 1400–2000.
Play through the main line above until the piece setup feels natural.
Learn the two or three critical pawn breaks for both sides.
Drill one variation at a time — always connecting moves to plans.