Openings · D55 · intermediate
Queen's Gambit Declined
15 moves a side · 0/15 of Black's moves mastered
The idea in one sentence
Black keeps a pawn on d5 and develops solidly; the light-squared bishop's development is the long-term problem Black must solve.
♔ White's plans
- Pressure d5 with c4 and the knights
- Pin the f6 knight with Bg5
- Play for the minority attack or e4 later
♚ Black's plans
- Hold d5 with ...e6
- Castle quickly
- Solve the c8 bishop with ...b6 and ...Bb7, or ...dxc4 and ...c5
Pawn structure. Black's solid d5-e6 against White's c4-d4; tension over d5.
How to learn it
- Read the idea and the plans: every move below serves one of them.
- In the story, ask of each move: what does it do, what does it stop, what does it prepare, why not the other one?
- Drill your side. At the key moves you name the idea first, then play the move.
- Missed moves come back first next time, and in your journal.
The defining moves
- 2.c4 attacks d5 with a wing pawn: the gambit.
- 2...e6 declines, defending d5 with a pawn.
- 4.Bg5 pins the knight that defends d5.
- 6...h6 asks the bishop to decide.
- 7...b6 prepares ...Bb7, the Tartakower way to develop the light-squared bishop.
The line follows the moves masters play most (Lichess masters database), each checked by Stockfish 19 at depth 22; where the book move is not Stockfish's first choice, the story says so. Scores are in pawns from White's side: +0.30 is good for White, −0.30 for Black.