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On this page of chess-openings-for-beginners.blogspot.com we will learn the Queen's Gambit, a closed game chess opening which includes a big group of other chess openings and variations beginning with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4. It is a popular opening among the grandmasters nowadays and is considered "the only sound gambit in chess." The Gambit is ECO codes D06-D69.
Notes. This is Lesson 46 and the main page of the Queen's Gambit on this chess opening website. The Gambit is shown in 5 chapters: I. Queen's Gambit Description, II. Queen's Gambit Variations, III. Queen's Gambit Answering Statistics, IV. How to Play the Queen's Gambit, and V. Queen's Gambit Traps.
I. Queen's Gambit Description
Chess Opening: Queen's Gambit
Queen's Gambit Moves: 1.d4 d5 2.c4
ECO Codes: D06-D69
Opening Type: Closed Game (1.not e4 not e5)
The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest chess openings, and it was first mentioned in writing in 1490. The Queen's Gambit opening was analyzed by chess masters such as Gioachino Greco in the 17th century. It was recommended by Phillip Stamma (who lived in Aleppo) in the 18th century, and the gambit is sometimes known as the Aleppo Gambit in his honor.
The discussed chess opening was not so popular at the early stages of the modern chess, but today the Queen's Gambit is a modern opening that plays very important role in the chess opening repertoires of all grandmasters of the world... The Queen's Gambit starts with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4... Using 2.c4, white tries to divert black from the center.
In fact, the Queen's Gambit is not a real gambit because Black is not able to keep "the sacrificed pawn" under correct play: 2... dxc4 3.e3 b5? 4.a4 c6? 5.axb5 cxb5?? 6.Qf3! winning a piece (learn other traps on the Queen's Gambit on this page below). The Queen's Gambit is divided into 2 parts: the Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) and the Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD).
The QGD is much more common at master level in real games than QGA (as 9 to 1 by big database). In the QGD, Black usually plays 2... e6 or 2... c6 to hold his pawn on d5. The most 2 common plays of the QGD are the following 2 equal lines: 2... e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 and 2... c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6. The most common line of the QGA runs as: 2... dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6.
II. Queen's Gambit Variations
The Queen's Gambit occupies 64 codes in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings with ECO D06-D69. It has the following 9 main variations, and some are considered as separate openings:
• D06 Queen's Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4.
• D07-D09 Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6.
• D10-D15 Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav Defense 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6.
• D16 QGD, Slav Accepted, Alapin Variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4
• D17-D19 QGD, Slav, Czech Defense 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5
• D20-D29 Queen's Gambit Accepted 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4
• D30-D42 Queen's Gambit Declined 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
• D43-D49 QGD, Semi-Slav 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6
• D50-D69 QGD, 4.Bg5 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5
III. Queen's Gambit Answering Statistics
The Queen's Gambit begins with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4. The following is the answering statistics of Black to the Queen's Gambit according to a Queen's Gambit database with more than 200,000 games:
• 2... e6 ~ 40%
• 2... c6 ~ 40%
• 2... dxc4 ~ 12% (QGA)
• 2... Nc6,Nf6,e5,Bf5 ~ 7%.
IV. How to Play the Queen's Gambit
The following 2 links will help you learn how to play the Queen's Gambit:
• How to Play the Queen's Gambit Move by Move (to be published)
• Learn the Queen's Gambit Games via PGN File (to be published)
V. Queen's Gambit Traps
• Common Trap in the Queen Gambit Accepted
• 2nd Trap in the Queen Gambit Accepted via 6.Qa4+
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This is Lesson 46 to learn chess openings on this chess opening website for chess beginners and the main page of the Queen's Gambit on chess-openings-for-beginners.blogspot.com. Thank you for visiting and learning chess openings on this website!
