Queen's Gambit Declined · D51
Alekhine Variation
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 c6 6. e4
The pawns on d5 and e4 stand in direct tension - the first player to resolve it chooses the structure. ...e6 holds d5 at the cost of the c8-bishop's freedom: Black plays the most solid structure in chess and times ...c5 or ...dxc4 to free the game.
The first 4 moves, explained
- 1. d4 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling e5, and frees the bishop and queen.
- 1... d5 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling e4, and frees the bishop and queen.
- 2. c4 Challenges the pawn on d5 - the central tension has to resolve. The pawn is genuinely on offer - this is the Queen's Gambit: development and initiative over material.
- 2... e6 Supports the centre, adding control of d5. Theory calls this the Queen's Gambit Declined.
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Where this fits
This line is one of 200 in the Queen's Gambit Declined. If you want to know where your own games leave it, the guide on leaving theory explains how that is found.