Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...d5/2. c4/2...e6/3. Nc3/3...Nf6/4. cxd5
| Queen's Gambit Declined - Exchange Variation | |
|---|---|
|
a b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h | |
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) | |
| Moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 | |
Queen's Gambit Declined - Exchange Variation
[edit | edit source]4. cxd5
[edit | edit source]With 4. cxd5, White enters into the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. White aims to enter a Carlsbad pawn structure position, and has a variety of plans, including the queenside "minority attack", or a big pawn center duo with an eventual ...f3 and ...e4.
Black usually responds with 4...exd5, which frees up the c8-bishop, and officially enters the thematical Carlsbad pawn structure, though he can alternatively recapture with 4...Nxd5, which usually transposes into the Semi-Tarrasch.
Theory table
[edit | edit source]| 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Variation -
Positional Line |
...
exd5 |
Bg5
c6 |
e3
Be7 |
⩲ |
| Semi-Tarrasch | ...
Nxd5 |
e4
Nxc3 |
bxc3
c5 |
⩲ |