Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined

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The Queen’s Gambit Declined is the most popular way to fight the attempt by white to give up (gambit) his c4 pawn. It has been played by top masters since the 19th century, and it will never lose popularity due to its solidity, flexibility, and the amount of different options it gives to black. In this video I have covered the Exchange Variation, a somewhat counter intuitive opening choice for white that seemingly solves black’s main strategic issue early on.

For an introduction to the Queen’s Gambit Declined, watch this video on the basics:    • Introduction to the Queen’s Gambit De...  

By exchanging on d5 with cxd5 exd5, white has freed the c8 bishop! That piece is often the main issue in the black camp. But. There are specific reasons for that. Even though the diagonal is open now that the e6 pawn is no longer in the way, the bishop has no good squares to develop to.

The resulting pawn structure, known as the Karlsbad, is one of the most thematic in chess, and numerous books have been written on it.

In the video we are going to go over the main strategic plans of playing in the Karlsbad, namely the minority attack, one of the most powerful ways for white to play.

The Exchange QGD is a very rich opening despite its name, and many strong players play it with both sides. It’s seldom aggressive, and it leads to interesting positional and strategic battles where one weakness can decide the outcome!

#chess