Queen's Gambit Declined

The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest openings in chess and starts with the moves 1. d4 d5 2. c4. In it, White sacrifices a pawn in order to gain control of the centre. If Black accepts the gambit with 2... dxc4, White can immediately try to reclaim the gambitted pawn with 3. e4 or 3. e3, or White can play 3. Nf3. This opening is very popular among modern players and is one of the best openings for 1. d4.

Queen's Gambit Declined

Accepting the gambit with 2... dxc4 is by no means a risky decision, but most Black players choose to decline it with 2... e6 (Queen's Gambit Declined) or 2... c6 (Slav Defence). More exotic alternatives include the 2... Nc6 (Chigorin Defence) or the 2... e5 (Albin Countergambit).

It is the second most common response to the Queen's Gambit, after the Slav Defence. The Queen's Gambit Declined can also be used to refer other responses to the Queen's Gambit that isn't the Queen's Gambit Accepted , for example the Albin Countergambit. 041b061a72