Chess opening · ECO D30
Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined starts with 2...e6. Black refuses the c4 pawn and props up d5 with the e-pawn, so the center stays put. The cost is visible right away: the bishop on c8 now sits behind its own pawns. A large part of Black's play over the next dozen moves is about finding a way to bring that bishop into the game without loosening d5.
- Rank by weighted share
- #31 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
- 2... e6The e-pawn protects d5, and the f8 bishop gets a path to e7, d6 or b4. If White ever trades on d5, Black can recapture with the e-pawn and open the c8 bishop's diagonal in the same move.
Three ways to free the c8 bishop
The break ...e5 removes the e-pawn from the bishop's path and opens the c8 to h3 diagonal. The break ...c5 challenges d4 and opens lines on the queenside. A ...b6 setup takes a different road and puts the bishop on b7, aimed down the long diagonal.
Each of these needs preparation. Black normally castles first and brings knights to f6 and d7 to support the push, which is why QGD positions tend to unfold slowly.
White's options on move three
Nc3 adds a second attacker to d5 and keeps the most pressure on Black's center. Nf3 develops toward the kingside and leaves room for a later fianchetto with g3. An immediate cxd5 settles the pawn structure before Black has developed anything, at the price of freeing the c8 bishop after ...exd5.
Top replies by rating
Nc3 leads every band, and its share roughly doubles between the under-1200 group and 1800 and up. e3 starts close behind at the bottom but drops out of the top three at 2000 and up.
Questions
Why not play ...Bf5 before ...e6, as in the Slav?
In this move order the pawn on e6 already blocks that route, since the bishop's path from c8 to f5 runs through e6. That is the bargain of the QGD: a sturdier d5 in exchange for a slower bishop.
Is 2...e6 a gambit refusal for good?
Not always. Black can still take on c4 later with ...dxc4, often after White's f1 bishop has moved, so that the bishop must spend a second move to recapture.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.