Queen's Gambit
Are you unsure of how to start the game playing as White? Then maybe you should try out the Queen's Gambit, a very popular opening that stood the test of time.
Here's what you need to know about the Queen's Gambit:
- What Is The Queen's Gambit
- The Queen's Gambit Accepted
- The Queen's Gambit Declined
- Show Off Your Queen's Gambit Skills
- Wrapping Up
- Queen's Gambit Video
What Is The Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest chess openings for White. It happens after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4.
White's main idea behind the move 2.c4 is to attack Black's d5-pawn and maybe give up on the c-pawn for a little while to get a big center. If Black takes the white c-pawn, the game enters the Queen's Gambit Accepted. If Black doesn't take that pawn and plays 2...e6, they enter the Queen's Gambit Declined.
The Queen's Gambit Accepted
The Queen's Gambit Accepted happens when Black takes the white c-pawn with 2...dxc4.
In this line, White is hoping that their bishop on f1 will recapture the black c4-pawn. White usually plays 3.e4 to get a big center or 3.e3 to support the d4-pawn and even set up a trap for Black if they get greedy and try to hold on to their c4-pawn.
As you can see, Black has to really know what they're doing to play this line if they don't want to lose in just a few moves.
The Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined happens after Black ignores the white c4-pawn and plays 2...e6 to protect their d5-pawn.
Black can also play a very solid response called the Slav Defense with the move 3...c6.
This is a very safe way for Black to play, and you certainly won't lose the game in five moves if you decide to go with the Slav Defense. Check out the diagram below for a little trick that Black can play in the Slav Defense if White is not careful:
Show Off Your Queen's Gambit Skills
Now that you know what the Queen's Gambit is, it's time for you to show off your skills. Follow the instructions for each puzzle below.
Puzzle 01: You're playing White, and you want to play the Queen's Gambit. What should your first two moves be?
Puzzle 02: Can you play the main line of the Queen's Gambit Accepted to gain a big center?
Puzzle 03: You're playing Black, and your opponent decided to open with the Queen's Gambit. How can you avoid the Queen's Gambit Accepted and play the Slav Defense?
Wrapping Up
You now know what the Queen's Gambit is and how to play it against your opponents. Head over to our Lessons page to learn other essential chess concepts so you can win more games!