| Openingname: | Queen's Gambit |
| Moves: | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 |
| Eco: | D06–D69 |
| Birth: | late 15th century |
| Parentopening: | Closed Game |
| Chessgid: | 75973&move=2.5&moves=d4.d5.c4&nodes=10703.75972.75973 |
The Queen's Gambit is the chess opening that starts with the moves:[1]
1. d4 d5
2. c4
It is one of the oldest openings and is still commonly played today. It is traditionally described as a gambit because White appears to sacrifice the c-pawn; however, this could be considered a misnomer as Black cannot retain the pawn without incurring a disadvantage.[2]
The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest known openings in chess. It was mentioned in the Göttingen manuscript of 1490 and was later analyzed by Gioachino Greco in the 17th century. In the 18th century, it was recommended by Philipp Stamma of Aleppo and is sometimes known as the Aleppo Gambit in his honor.[3] During the early period of modern chess, queen pawn openings were not in fashion, and the Queen's Gambit did not become commonplace until the 1873 tournament in Vienna.
As Wilhelm Steinitz and Siegbert Tarrasch developed chess theory and increased the appreciation of, the Queen's Gambit grew more popular, reaching its zenith in the 1920s and 1930s, and it was played in all but 2 of 34 games in the 1927 World Championship match between José Raúl Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine.
After the resumption of international chess activity following World War II, it was less frequently seen as many players moved away from symmetrical openings, tending to use an Indian Defence to combat queen pawn openings; however, it is still frequently played.
With 2.c4, White threatens to exchange a wing pawn (the c-pawn) for a center pawn (Black's d-pawn) in order to dominate the with e2–e4. Note that Black cannot hold the pawn, for example: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 b5 (Black tries to guard their pawn but should pursue with 3...Nf6 or 3...e5) 4.a4 c6? 5.axb5 cxb5 6.Qf3! winning a piece.
The Queen's Gambit is divided into two major categories based on Black's response: the Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) and the Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD). In the QGA, Black plays 2...dxc4, temporarily giving up the center to obtain freer development. In the QGD, Black usually plays to hold d5. Frequently Black will be cramped, but Black aims to exchange pieces and use at c5 and e5 to free Black's game.
Technically, any Black response other than 2...dxc4 (or another line with an early ...dxc4 that transposes into the QGA) is a Queen's Gambit Declined, but the Slav, Albin Countergambit, and Chigorin Defense are generally treated separately. There are so many QGD lines after 2...e6 that many of them are distinctive enough to warrant separate treatment. The Orthodox Defense and the Tarrasch Defense are two important examples. (See Queen's Gambit Declined for more.)
After 1.d4 d5 2.c4:
If White chooses to fianchetto the, the game transposes into the Catalan Opening.