Alternative Openings vs Baker Street Irregulars Team Match

The Queen's Gambit Declined (or QGD) is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen’s Gambit Declined Moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 ECO D30–D69 Parent Queen's Gambit Synonym QGD 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 This is known as the Orthodox Lineof the Queen's Gambit Declined.[1]When the "Queen's Gambit Declined" is mentioned, it is usually assumed to be referring to the Orthodox Line; see "Other second moves for Black" below for other moves. The most common continuation is 3.Nc3 Nf6 (covered by ECO codes D35–D69), after which White may continue with 4.Bg5, leading to the traditional line, 4.cxd5, the Exchange Variation, and 4.Nf3, the Three Knights Variation. The Orthodox Line can be reached by a number of different move orders, such as 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 (avoiding the Nimzo-Indian Defense) d5; 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5; 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4; 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4; and so on. Of the 34 games played in the 1927 World Championship between Alexander Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca, all except the first and third began with the Queen's Gambit Declined.[2] Traditional line: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 4.Bg5 was the most common move in the 20th century, although 4.cxd5 (the Exchange Variation) has gradually become more common. Black's most common reply is 4...Be7, where play typically continues 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3, or White may opt for 5.Nf3 and 6.e3. It is also commonly reached by transposition from the Three Knights Variation. If Black chooses to include 6...h6, this is considered the Neo-Orthodox Variation[4], which leads to the Tartakower Variation, Lasker Variation, and Anti-Tartakower Variation; these variations are also commonly reached via 5...h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Nf3 (or 7.e3, if Nf3 was played earlier in the game), but 4...h6 is weak due to 5.Bxf6, where 5...gxf6 6.cxd5 exd5 gives Black doubledisolated pawns and 5...Qxf6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Nxd5 loses a pawn. Omitting ...h6 is characteristic of the Classical Variation. Classical Variation: 4...Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 The Classical Variation,[5] also known as the Orthodox Defense, most often continues 7.Rc1 c6, where White's most common move is then 8.Bd3. After 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4, Black has surrendered the center and stands somewhat cramped, but has succeeded in making White lose a tempo by playing Bd3 before Bxc4. White will try to use the advantage in space to attack, whereas Black will try to keep White at bay while striking back at the center. Capablanca's main idea here was the freeing maneuver 9...Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0 Nxc3 12.Rxc3 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.f4 Qe7, which has led to a number of exchanges in the center, though Black must exercise care even in the wake of this simplification. This line was once so frequently played that it has a separate code (D69) in ECO, though the lack of active counter play for Black has made the main line of the Orthodox a backwater in modern practice.[6] White also often plays either 7.Qc2, the Rubinstein Variation, or 8.Qc2.