Chess opening · ECO D60
Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense
The Orthodox Defense is Black's most classical setup against the Queen's Gambit. The bishop goes to e7, the king castles, and the queen's knight comes to d7, where it supports a later ...c5 or ...e5. The position is compact and hard to crack, but cramped. Black's main task is to free the pieces through trades, and White's is to keep the pressure on while developing.
- Rank by weighted share
- #159 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7
- 4... Be7The bishop on e7 shields the queen from the coming Bg5 pin. Black keeps the f6 knight free to defend d5 and e4 and gets ready to castle.
- 5. Bg5The bishop presses on the f6 knight, one of the main guards of d5. White develops before playing e3, so the c1 bishop is not locked in.
- 6... Nbd7The knight on d7 prepares the central breaks ...c5 and ...e5. It can also recapture on f6 if White trades bishop for knight, keeping a defender near the king.
The fight over a tempo
Black would like to take on c4 only after White's f1 bishop has moved to d3, so that the bishop has to move twice to recapture. White, in turn, prefers to make other useful moves first, such as Rc1 or Qc2, before committing the bishop.
Black has waiting moves of its own, like ...c6, ...a6 or ...h6. Many games in this line turn on who runs out of useful moves first.
Trading pieces with ...Nd5
Once the bishop has gone to c4, Black often plays ...Nd5. The knight offers to trade the dark-squared bishops and then the c3 knight, and each trade gives Black's remaining pieces more room. After that, ...e5 clears e6, and the c8 bishop can come out once the d7 knight steps aside.
A freeing sequence for Black
7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3 12. Rxc3 e5
Two pairs of minor pieces come off, and Black's ...e5 attacks d4. White has a rook on c3 and a bishop on c4 that now looks down the open diagonal at f7, while Black has far more room than a few moves earlier.
Top replies by rating
Bd3 leads from 1600 to 1999, but at 2000 and up Rc1 takes over the top spot, the waiting move that delays the bishop.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1400–1599 | Bd3 54% | cxd5 46% | – |
| 1600–1799 | Bd3 41% | cxd5 21% | Rc1 12% |
| 1800–1999 | Bd3 41% | Rc1 27% | cxd5 14% |
| 2000 and up | Rc1 42% | Bd3 30% | Qc2 18% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.