How to beat the Queen's Gambit.

I'm looking for the best ways to beat the queen's gambit.  I see it pretty often, and I find it kind of annoying.

The QG isn't one of the trashy gambits and as such there is no way to beat it outright. Just learn the QGD and play chess

I agree with LavaRook but you might enjoy this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l7J_AJR-eU&feature=related

Learn the queens gambit here

http://www.chesskids.com/level3/cl9l1.htm

The Tarrasch.  A Queens Gambit declined variation, very sound very dynamic.

I think the Tarrasch is slightly dubious. You usually don't want an IQP as black, and white gets good play. Play some defense that suits your style and actually is played at the top levels. There will be good master games to study that way. For example, there are several good indian defences with 1. Nf6:

Nimzo/queen's/bogo indian

King's indian

grunfeld

benoni

You can also play into d5 QG lines if that is what you want. You could try:

Slav 4... a6 lines

Slav 4... dxc4 lines

Semi-slav, including botvinnik or moscow/anti-moscow lines

QGD tarkatower variation is popular at high levels.

QGD ragozin has interesting positional ideas.

Simple QGD mainline orthodox and the Capablanca freeing manuver seem to give black good chances at equalizing.

You can also play the Tarrasch. It is definately playable, I'm just not sure it' that good.

I can give you some lines in one of these systems if you want. Just respond or message me.

Do any masters use the slav?

GMs use all of the openings shepi mentioned--especially the Slav. I suggest keeping it simple with the QGD tarkatower or orthodox though.

Sheppi,

Although I respect your opinion, I wholeheartedly reject the idea of the Tarrasch being "dubious" it is played at the GM level.  Lets not throw it in with Bird's opening yet.. LOL

Here is a link to recent Highly rated games where black played the Tarrassch.  http://www.chess.com/games/results.html?sort=7&f=25500

The Tarrasch is a fairly simple, yet dynamic opening.  You castle early to the Kingside, the same side as white usually in the Queens Gambit so the King is safe.

From playing it I can say I have won many more than I have lost with it, the IQP athough a considered a weakness by some helps many players including myself activate minor peices around the IQP, and create weaknesses in whites camp and usually leads to tactical not positional games.  The IQP is not a gambit pawn and white has a wing pawn.  

That's being said there are other choices besides the Tarrasch.  I like playing it and recommend it because of that and that it was recommended to me by an IM and several highly rated players as a solid line against 1. d4 2. c4

Tarrasch looks interesting.

satxusa: I understand the idea of an IQP and the tarrasch, but it just pains me to have to accept an IQP as black, when white already has a lead in development. I will also tell you when playing the tarrasch (as white) I haven't faced the toughest competition, and I cannot remember a game against the tarrasch I have played when I haven't eventually won the IQP. Sadly, due to time pressure or lack of piece activity or blunders I fail to convert and have gotten quite a few draws (even from won position), although I never have really reached a lost position OTB to tarrasch.

I do agree it's playable, and dubious was probably a bad word to use, but I feel like white has a much easier time with it than black.

Shep:  It's all good, everyone has their own thing.

Here's a nice multi-video series by FM Danny Rensch on IQP's if you or any other posters are interested.  

http://www.chess.com/article/view/video-series-on-isolated-queen-pawns 

You can also play the Tarrasch against The English, The Caatlan, Some Indian Openings it transposes to quite a few openings through different move orders.

For a peice pusher / intermediate player like me it is a great opening.  It seems higher rated players may have different opinions.

I agree. The Tarrasch can has(ve) defense!

You guessed right, I am of the opinion that the Tchigorin (chigorin), QGD Marshall defence, QGD baltic defense, and other defenses that do not support d5 with a pawn give white a nice position. However, as in the Tarrasch white does not have an easy win, he will have to face quite a bit of counterplay.

The ragozin is fine, but make sure that if you play it you know the ideas of the opening, many scholastic players play it just with the idea of pinning.

The queen's gambit is easy to beat. Play the dutch instead. No longer the queen's gambit :)

If you want to "beat" (play for a win) against the QG, I would recommend the following choices:

BALANCED, Black tries to equalize first: Nimzo, QGD Tartakower/Lasker, Open Slav

UNBALANCED, Chances for both sides: Grunfeld, Semi-Slav

UNBALANCED, Risky: KID, Benoni/Benko/Blumenfeld, Dutch, QGD Tarrasch

As far as the Tarrasch debate goes, I think it's closer to "dubious" than to "strong." But as Khalifman says, many top pros don't consider even the French to be 100% sound. So there you go. It seems to me that just about anything is playable up to at least 2550 Elo (including even the Chigorin...forget about Morozevich, yes he was 2500-2600 when he used it, but he has been 2700 since January 1999 and is a different animal).

I asked a strong grandmaster I know about Khalifman's comment, and he told me that in the 70s and 80s, in reply to 1.e4, 1...e5 and 1...c6 were considered the two "correct" replies, and that 1...c5 and 1...e6 were considered the two "semi-correct" replies. Everything else, well...

People bashing the Tarrasch who assume Black gets an IQP, please consider the following:

Yeah the new Aagaard/Nitrils stuff. I don't have their book, but I can't recall a recent top game featuring this line...

So-Akobian 2010, Sargissian-Halkias 2011, Sasikiran-Kotronias 2010, a bunch of Akobian games. Akobian is a friend of mine and we discuss openings sometimes so I can ask his opinion of some of this stuff, but mainly we talk about the Semi-Slav and Caro-Kann.