Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...d5/2. c4

The Queen's Gambit
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.

Black's responses
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), the 2... c5 (Austrian Defence) or the 2... e5 (Albin Countergambit).

Less popular is 2... Nf6?!, the Marshall Defence, allowing 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4, 2... Bf5!?, which weakens b7, or 2...b5?!, a dubious wing gambit.

Theory table
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'''1. d4 d5 2. c4'''