Opening name: Queen's Gambit
Opening line: 1. d4 d5 2. c4
Lichess Board
Wikibooks Page
Winning percentages
White: 58313 (32.93%)
Black: 33333 (18.83%)
Draws: 85416 (48.24%)
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.
Most popular responses
2...e6 (Queen's Gambit Declined) With 2...e6, Black declines the Queen's Gambit in the traditional fashion. 2...e6 bolsters the d5 pawn and opens a diagonal for the development of Black's dark-squared bishop. Lichess Analysis - Wikibooks (84761014 games)
2...c6 (Slav Defence) Originally considered a less-orthodox defence in the Queen's Gambit, this opening has stood as an entire opening system in its own right for decades. The idea behind this defence is straightforward: instead of locking in the light squared bishop on c8, why not support the center with the c-pawn instead? Black tends to be more active in this variation than the QGD. Lichess Analysis - Wikibooks (61069925 games)
2...dxc4 (Queen's Gambit Accepted) The Queen's Gambit Accepted has a rich heritage in chess, both sides played by many of the world champions through the years. It is not really much of a gambit since white can recover the pawn immediately with 3. Qa4+, though unless white wants the Q placed on c4, this is unnecessary. Lichess Analysis - Wikibooks (52946640 games)
2...Nf6 (Marshall Defence) A rarely seen opening at the higher levels of chess. Black's knight defends the d5 square, but if white exchanges pawns, it is not too difficult to later gain a tempo by attacking the piece on d5. Lichess Analysis - Wikibooks (45266248 games)
2...Nc6 (Chigorin Defence) With 2...Nc6 Black does not support the central d5 pawn but develops a piece for an uneven game. Lichess Analysis - Wikibooks (9773340 games)
2...e5 (Albin Countergambit) The Albin Countergambit is an uncommon defense to the Queen's Gambit. Although it is rarely played by masters, it seems to be better than its reputation. Lichess Analysis - Wikibooks (9604233 games)
Engine Evaluation
Depth: 54
Score: +0.19
Best Move: e6
PV Line: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3
Historical games for Queen's Gambit
| Game | Result | Year |
| Aronian, L. (2805) vs Carlsen, M. (2877) | 1/2-1/2 | 2014 |
| Carlsen, M. (2876) vs Nakamura, Hi (2802) | 1/2-1/2 | 2015 |
| Carlsen, M. (2876) vs Topalov, V. (2798) | 0-1 | 2015 |
| Ding Liren (2806) vs Carlsen, M. (2864) | 1-0 | 2022 |
| Carlsen, M. (2853) vs Nakamura, Hi (2814) | 1/2-1/2 | 2015 |
| Carlsen, M. (2855) vs Kramnik, Vladimir (2812) | 1-0 | 2016 |
| Ding Liren (2805) vs Carlsen, M. (2861) | 1/2-1/2 | 2019 |
| Carlsen, M. (2881) vs Anand, V. (2785) | 0-1 | 2014 |
| Ding Liren (2805) vs Carlsen, M. (2861) | 1/2-1/2 | 2019 |
| Carlsen, M. (2877) vs Nakamura, Hi (2787) | 1-0 | 2014 |