for Black · intermediate
Queen's Gambit Declined
4/4
1.d4d52.c4e6
Black declines the gambit and supports d5 with ...e6. It builds one of the most solid and classical structures in chess. It is the backbone of many world championship matches and a model of sound positional play.
Key ideas
- Hold the centre solidly with the d5/e6 pawn duo
- Free the position with the ...c5 or ...dxc4 and ...e5 breaks
- Solve the passive light-squared bishop via ...b6 or exchanges
- Prioritise a sound structure and gradual equalisation
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Queen's Gambit Declined44.2M games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
17%7.4M55%
7.3%3.2M52%
7.3%3.2M52%
2.5%1.1M52%
1.3%580k55%
1.3%555k49%
1.2%550k52%
0.1%24k47%
Famous games in this line77k master games
Carlsen, M. (2876) – Nakamura, Hi (2802)Carlsen, M. (2853) – Nakamura, Hi (2814)Carlsen, M. (2855) – Kramnik, Vladimir (2812)Ding Liren (2805) – Carlsen, M. (2861)Ding Liren (2805) – Carlsen, M. (2861)Ding Liren (2799) – Carlsen, M. (2864)Ding Liren (2799) – Carlsen, M. (2864)Carlsen, M. (2851) – Kramnik, Vladimir (2801)Heroes of this opening Carlsen, M.
Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation3.Nc3 · 81 deeper linesTarrasch Defense3.Nc3 c5 · 25 deeper linesQueen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense3.Nc3 Nf6 · 29 deeper linesSemi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order3.Nc3 c6 · 16 deeper lines
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
The Queen's Gambit appears in the Göttingen manuscript, written around 1500. It anchored world-championship matches for decades — 32 of the 34 games of Capablanca–Alekhine 1927 were Queen's Gambit Declined — and in 2020 a Netflix series watched by 62 million households emptied the world's chess-set shelves. It isn't even a real gambit: Black cannot safely keep the pawn.
Study this opening