Chess opening · ECO D31

Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation starts 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3. It ranks #62 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3. Black to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... d5Black pushes the d-pawn two squares to d5, staking a claim in the center.
  3. 2. c4White pushes the c-pawn two squares to c4.
  4. 2... e6Black advances the e-pawn to e6.
  5. 3. Nc3White develops the queenside knight to c3.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common Black moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Nf6 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200Nf6 43%dxc4 30%c6 12%
1200–1399Nf6 34%Bb4 20%dxc4 20%
1400–1599Nf6 48%Bb4 14%c6 13%
1600–1799Nf6 58%c6 12%Bb4 10%
1800–1999Nf6 65%c6 14%c5 5%
2000 and upNf6 64%c6 18%c5 6%

Related openings

Queen's Gambit DeclinedThe line this one grows fromQueen's Gambit Declined: Normal DefenseA variation of this lineTarrasch DefenseA variation of this line

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