How To Play A Queen's Gambit Declined

In chess games beginning with the Symmetrical Queen’s Pawn Opening (1. d4 d5), White’s most ambitious and popular continuation is 2. c4 - the Queen’s Gambit.

The starting position of the Queen’s Gambit.

In the Queen’s Gambit, White immediately strikes at the center and poses a question to Black. The important central pawn on d5 is threatened. How should Black respond?

Many replies are possible:

• 2. …c6  - the Slav Defense
• 2. …Nc6 - the Chigorin Variation
• 2. …dxc4 - the Queen’s Gambit Accepted
• 2. …e6 - the Queen’s Gambit Declined
• As well as other, less common 2nd moves such as 2. …Nf6 or even 2. …e5?!

All these moves have pros and cons. But let’s do a direct comparison between the Queen’s Gambit Declined and the Queen’s Gambit Accepted.

The Queen’s Gambit Declined vs. Accepted

Astute observers may have noticed that in the Queen’s Gambit starting position shown above, White’s pawn on c4 is actually undefended. Why not capture it?

Related: The Queen's Gambit Inspired Standard Traditional Chess Board.

The Accepted Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit Accepted (2. …dxc4) is definitely playable for Black. However the downside is that it deflects the d5 pawn away from the middle of the board. This gives White the possibility of playing e4 - potentially next move. Now White has a strong e4 and d4 pawn center.

The Queen’s Gambit Accepted. White is able to take over control of the center by advancing e4.

It is also worth pointing out that the pawn Black has seemingly “won” in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted is quite difficult to maintain. Once White has advanced their e-pawn. White’s light-squared bishop naturally threatens Bxc4, a capture which, if allowed, will restore material equality. Black may try b5 to defend c4. But practice shows that White finds it easier to continue adding attackers to c4 than Black can add defenders. If Black tries too hard to hold onto their “extra” c4 pawn, it can result in lagging far behind in development. As a result, very few who play the Queen’s Gambit Accepted with Black try to keep the extra pawn.

Related: Lemos Deep Dive Queen's Gambit For White - GM Damian Lemos.

The Accepted Gambit is Less Common

The Queen’s Gambit Accepted can still be an interesting option for Black. However it is generally more difficult to play and requires a higher level of chess understanding.

All this helps explain why the Queen’s Gambit Accepted is not as common as the Queen’s Gambit Declined. According to chess.com’s opening explorer, the Queen’s Gambit Declined (2. …e6) is more than three times more popular at master level than the Queen’s Gambit Accepted (2. …dxc4).

So, in this article we will focus on the Queen’s Gambit Declined, with 2. …e6.

The Queen’s Gambit Declined, after 2. …e6.

With this move, Black declines capturing the c4 pawn. Instead, Black supports d5 with another pawn. So that in case White decides to capture on d5 with 3. cxd5. Black can recapture 3. …exd5 and maintain a pawn in the center of the board. 2. …e6 also opens the way for the dark-squared bishop to quickly develop from its starting square - which is necessary for Black to castle kingside.

Why Play The Queen’s Gambit Declined?

Think about your preferred approach when it comes to the chess opening.

• Do you gravitate toward sharp openings, charged with chess tactics and critical move order subtleties? Perhaps you enjoy the early theoretical battle and see the opening as an opportunity to gain an advantage against your opponent. The King’s Indian Defense is a good example.
• Or, do you prefer quieter, more solid openings. Where you can comfortably get into a playable middlegame - without needing to remember screeds of opening theory?

The Queen’s Gambit Declined is definitely at the more solid end of the spectrum.

If you are someone who does not have the time (or inclination!) to dedicate a lot of time to chess opening study. Then the Queen’s Gambit Declined can be an excellent choice. 

Related: A Complete Guide to Queen's Gambit Play.

Unless White does something very unusual, Black will get to develop their pieces to natural squares, castle their king, and generally play the opening without worrying too much about making a fatal inaccuracy.

Another reason to play the Queen’s Gambit Declined is because there are countless games which feature it at the highest level. It is difficult to find serious games played by strong titled players under classical time controls in uncommon openings such as the Budapest Gambit. But if you play the Queen’s Gambit Declined, you can watch elite grandmasters playing chess matches starting with the same opening that you play yourself. It is always fascinating (and instructive!) to see how the best players in the world treat an opening that you have some familiarity with.

The Queen’s Gambit Declined: Thematic Ideas

Black’s Standard Development Plan

Black generally prioritizes the development of their kingside.

A typical Queen’s Gambit Declined position is shown below. Note the squares Black has developed their pieces:

• The kingside knight has come to f6.
• The dark-squared bishop to e7.
• Kingside castling.

Also note that Black has made all these moves without yet touching their queenside. This is the normal order for Black to develop in the Declined Gambit.

Making White “Waste A Tempo” With Their Light-Squared Bishop

In the below position, it is White to move. Note that White is not yet castled. To do so, White needs to move their light-squared bishop off its starting square on f1.

Let’s say that White finally decides it is time to castle their king and plays Bd3 in order to enable this. It is often at precisely this moment - once White moves their light-squared bishop - that Black should capture on c4, with dxc4.

Now White must move their light-squared bishop a second time to recapture with Bxc4. By getting the bishop to move twice rather than allow it to develop off its starting square in just one move, Black secures the sort of micro-victory which is important in positional openings such as the Queen’s Gambit Declined.

Related: Queen's Gambit Declined - Orthodox Variation.

The c5 Pawn Break

In the early middlegame, Black often should look for the opportunity to play c5. This move puts pressure on White’s central pawn majority. In some cases, the Black c-pawn may also advance to c4 in order to attack White’s light-squared bishop.

Black may first need to prepare c5 with moves such as Nbd7, Rc8 or even b6.

The above position with Black to move arose in Pillsbury vs. Schlechter, 1895 - two of the leading chess masters of their era. Black played c5 and went on to win. Exactly the same position has been reached hundreds of times in the 100+ years since!

Getting Started With The Queen’s Gambit Declined

Beyond this article, the next step is to learn more of the opening ideas for both Black and White in the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Those with a premium chess.com account can view this video lesson dedicated to the opening. After just over 20 minutes of video instruction, you will know enough about the Queen’s Gambit Declined to dive in and start getting some practical experience.

Next, try the Queen’s Gambit Declined in your online games. As the Queen’s Gambit is one of the most common openings White plays, you should be able to get lots of games in short order. At first, we suggest playing unrated or blitz games so that you do not have too much at stake when playing an opening you are still new to. This will give you a feeling for the Queen’s Gambit Declined, what White typically does in reply to it, and the style of games it leads to. Once you feel more confident, you can try longer online chess matches, giving you more time to think.

If you are really serious about playing the Queen’s Gambit Declined at a high level, then IM Sam Collins offers this 5+ hour video training course, powered by ChessBase, available from the USCF store. Also check out this free YouTube video by the same author which provides a preview of the repertoire.

In addition to the extensive video lessons, this product also features:

• Interactive training including video feedback
• Over 50 model games

Investing in your opening education will give you the best possible chance of playing the Queen’s Gambit Declined with Black successfully!

Summary: Is The Queen’s Gambit Declined Right For You?

The Queen’s Gambit Declined can be a great addition to your Black opening repertoire if you:

• Don’t want to learn a lot of opening theory. Like any chess opening, some familiarity with the typical plans and maneuvers will be helpful, but knowledge of the general ideas is sufficient in the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Concrete move-by-move memorization is not really necessary. The options for both players are quite wide throughout the initial phase of the game, meaning that you need to dedicate less time to pre-game opening study. Instead, both you and your opponent will need to think for yourselves while at the board.
• Prefer to get your king safe as early as possible. In the vast majority of Queen’s Gambit Declined Games, Black can easily get castled. Neither player’s king will be imperiled in the early and middle part of the game.
• Enjoy playing a positional game. The Queen’s Gambit Declined is a favorite opening of positional players seeking a risk-free start to the game. By avoiding a wild, unbalanced tactical melee, you can let your positional understanding shine through.

Does that sound like the type of chess opening you would enjoy?

If so, try the super-solid Queen’s Gambit Declined today!

FAQ: The Queen’s Gambit

Declined