| Queen's Gambit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) rnbqkbnr/ppp1pppp/8/3p4/2PP4/8/PP2PPPP/RNBQKBNR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moves: 1. d4 d5 2.c4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ECO code: D06-D69 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent: Queen's Pawn Opening | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Responses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2. c4 - Queen's Gambit
2. c4 is the Queen's Gambit. White immediately responds to Black's attempt to gain a foothold in the center by striking out with his c-pawn. Though this pawn is not defended and Black can capture it with ... dxc4, doing so will remove Black's d-pawn from the center and give White more opportunities for central control. Therefore, Black often chooses to decline the gambit, which he can do in several ways.
Unlike many gambits in King's pawn openings, the Queen's Gambit is not intended to be a true material sacrifice in exchange for a quick attack or rapid development. In fact, even if Black accepts the gambit pawn, he will almost always find it unacceptably difficult to retain it. The purpose of the gambit is to gain a more subtle positional advantage by undermining Black's control of the center.
Black's responses
Accepting the gambit with 2... dxc4 is by no means a risky decision, but most Black players choose to decline it with 2... e6 or 2... c6 (the Slav defence). More exotic alternatives include the Chigorin defence 2... Nc6 or the Albin Countergambit 2... e5.
Less popular is 2... Nf6?!, the Marshall Defence, allowing 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4, or 2... Bf5!?, which weakens b7.
Theory table
For explanation of theory tables see theory table and for notation see algebraic notation .
1. d4 d5 2. c4
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit Declined | ... e6 |
Nc3 Nf6 |
Bg5 Be7 |
e3 O-O |
+= |
| Semi-Slav Defence | ... ... |
... c6 |
Nf3 Nf6 |
e3 Nbd7 |
∞ |
| Queen's Gambit Accepted | ... dxc4 |
Nf3 Nf6 |
e3 Bg4 |
Bxc4 e6 |
= |
| Slav Defence | ... c6 |
Nf3 Nf6 |
Nc3 dxc4 |
a4 Bf5 |
= |
| Chigorin Defence | ... Nc6 |
Nc3 Nf6 |
Nf3 Bg4 |
cxd5 Nxd5 |
+= |
| Albin Countergambit | ... e5 |
dxe5 d4 |
Nf3 Nc6 |
g3 Bg4 |
+= |
| Symmetrical Defence | ... c5 |
cxd5 Nf6 |
e4 Nxe4 |
dxc5 Nxc5 |
+= |
| Marshall Defence | ... Nf6 |
cxd5 Nxd5 |
Nf3 Bf5 |
Qb3 | +/= |
| Baltic Defence | ... Bf5 |
cxd5 Bxb1 |
Qa4+ c6 |
Rxb1 Qxd5 |
+/= |
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References
- Nunn's Chess Openings. 1999. John Nunn (Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe Gallagher. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0.
- Batsford Chess Openings 2 (1989, 1994). Garry Kasparov, Raymond Keene. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.
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