Queen's Gambit Declined

chess opening (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6)

The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening which starts with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6. It is an old opening, and one of the most important. It is often used in top-class play. In this opening, called QGD for short, the struggle for the centre is the strategy of both players. Unlike the Queen's Gambit Accepted, Black keeps his pawn on d5 protected. A simple example:

The QGD
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
f8 black rook
g8 black king
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
d7 black knight
e7 black bishop
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
c6 black pawn
f6 black knight
h6 black pawn
d5 black pawn
d4 white pawn
h4 white bishop
c3 white knight
d3 white bishop
e3 white pawn
f3 white knight
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
d1 white queen
f1 white rook
g1 white king
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
position after 10...Bh4
1.d4 d5
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Nf6
4.Bg5 Be7
5.e3 0-0
6.Nf3 c6
7.cxd5 exd5
8.Bd3 Nbd7 (Black could play 8...Ne4 here)
9.0-0 h6
10.Bh4

Here White has more space, and Black has to decide how to develop his pieces. It is easier to play the white pieces in this kind of position. However, overall, black players do as well with this defence as with most others. Best for Black in this position is 10...Ne4 or 10...Re8.