With the move: 4.Bg5, White pins the Knight to the Queen and Black can’t defend the d5 pawn anymore, since if it moves, the Queen is under attack.īy attacking the bishop on b4, White wants to take black’s d-pawn, play e3 (to solidify his pawn structure) and use the light-squared bishop to put pressure onto Nc3. Use dark squared bishop to pin Black’s Knight to the Queen The Ragozin Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined appears on the board after the following moves:īy playing this variation, Black gains a lead in development and has only one strategic problem - the c8 bishop being blocked in, which can be solved with either c5 or e5. The Charousek variation is an extremely flexible opening system for Black.īy playing this variation, Black wants to castle kingside as soon as possible and prevent the annoying Bg5 pin, making it less effective in advance. This way of playing is extremely aggressive for Black to play. In the Tarrasch Defense, Black challenges the center immediately and solves the problem of the passive light squared bishop on c8.īut he gets another problem - a potential isolated d-pawn.

It is characterized by the pinning the c3 knight and indirectly putting pressure on e4.īlack gains a lead in development and his strategic problem is the c8 bishop, which can be solved with either c5 or e5. The Ragozin Variation is the most popular way (similar to Nimzo-Indian Defense) to decline the Queen’s Gambit. What Are The Different Ways Of Declining The Queen’s Gambit? This option is the most used counter at the highest levels of chess.

Black defends his d5-pawn by moving his King’s pawn one square (2…e6).ĭeclining the Queen’s Gambit has been proven to be one of the best ways to counter the Queen’s Gambit opening.

White wants to attack the d5-pawn by moving his pawn two squares (2.

Then, Black replies by moving his Queen’s pawn two squares (1.d5).

First, White must move the Queen’s pawn two squares (1.d4).

How to reach The Queen's Gambit Declined? To learn about the Queen’s Gambit overall, click here. Note: This article is about the Queen’s Gambit Declined.

The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening that begins with the following moves:

How to play the queen's gambit