Master the classic Queen's Gambit on an interactive board. Play move by move as White or Black, understand the strategy behind every piece, and explore major variations like the Queen's Gambit Accepted and Slav-ish defenses. Free in your browser, no account needed.
Queen's Gambit Curriculum
Push your queen's pawn to d4.
Controls the key central squares c5 and e5, and frees your queen and dark-squared bishop.
The classical Queen's Gambit with Bg5, e3, and rapid central piece coordination against the Tartakower/Lasker defense.
Essential knowledge for White and Black in 1.d4 d5 2.c4 openings.
Strictly speaking, no. White offers a flank c-pawn to deflect Black's central d5 pawn. If Black takes on c4, they cannot hold onto the pawn without incurring major structural weaknesses.
By attacking d5 from the flank, White aims to trade a side pawn for Black's center pawn, gaining control over the central d4 and e4 squares for easy piece mobility.
The Queen's Gambit Declined is one of the most reliable responses in chess history. The e6 pawn firmly anchors d5, ensuring Black maintains a solid foothold in the center.
White pins Black's knight on f6 to undermine defense of the d5 square. Black neutralizes this pin cleanly by playing ...Be7 and later ...h6.
Because Black has slightly less space, exchanging minor pieces eases congestion. Jumping the knight to d5 forces bishop trades and opens up room for Black's pieces.
In the Exchange lines, a Carlsbad pawn structure arises where White conducts a minority attack on the queenside while Black targets kingside counterplay.
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The Queen's Gambit is a queen's pawn opening that starts 1.d4 d5 2.c4. White offers a flank pawn to pull Black's central d5 pawn aside. If Black takes on c4, White usually recovers the pawn and keeps a strong center. If Black declines with 2...e6, the game stays solid and both sides develop naturally. This lab teaches the Declined main line, plus short Accepted, Slav-ish, and pin branches.
It teaches the three opening jobs without sharp king hunts: occupy the center, develop knights and bishops, then castle. The same setup works against several Black replies, so you can focus on ideas instead of memorizing a huge tree. Playing both sides also shows why 2...e6 is so popular: Black keeps a firm d5 pawn and a safe king.
The White main line in this trainer is 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Qc2 Nxc3 10.Qxc3 c6. Black's book is the Queen's Gambit Declined with ...Nbd7, ...c6, and the Capablanca jump ...Nd5. Short forks cover 2...dxc4, 2...c6, 3...Bb4, 3.cxd5, 3.Nf3, and 3.Bf4.
Do not panic about the pawn. Take the center with 3.e4 or develop 3.Nf3 and later e3, then recapture on c4 with the bishop. Black cannot keep the extra pawn for long without creating holes. The short Accepted fork in this lab shows the recovery idea on the board.
2...e6 is the Queen's Gambit Declined. The e-pawn supports d5 so White cannot grab the whole center for free. The cost is that the light-squared bishop sits behind e6 for a while. Black later frees that bishop with ...c5, ...e5, or piece trades such as ...Nd5.
After a cramped Declined setup, Black plays ...Nd5 to force bishop trades and make room. In this lab the Black main line goes ...Nbd7, ...c6, ...dxc4, then ...Nd5 and ...Qxe7. The idea is not a cheap tactic. It is a planned way to exchange pieces when you have less space.
The London develops Bf4 before touching the c-pawn and builds a c3-d4-e3 pyramid. The Queen's Gambit hits the center immediately with c4. Both start 1.d4, but one is a closed scheme and the other is a central challenge. Use London when you want a repeatable setup. Use the Queen's Gambit when you want to fight for d5 from move two.
The board highlights the piece and the target square. You make the move yourself, then read a short what and why. The opponent plays the booked reply and a short note explains what they want. Wrong tries snap back so you retry the booked square. That loop builds geometry faster than reading a PGN list.
Runs entirely in your browser. Move progress stays on this device.