Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4......... 6.Qc2

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Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2

+87%

D361.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2

May 13, 2028

3 min read

TL;DR

Exchange QGD main line and the home of the minority attack. The b4-b5 push manufactures a weak c-pawn on d5; the whole strategic battle is Karpov-Kasparov territory, where small structural concessions compound across forty moves.

Reviewed by

IM John BartholomewCo-Founder & Chess Educator

International Master and chess educator. Co-founded Chessable and joined Chessiverse as co-founder. Best known for his "Climbing the Rating Ladder" YouTube series and structured opening courses.

In This Article

• History and Notable Players
• Performance Across Rating Levels
• Move Diversity and Theory Depth
• Common Mistakes
• Practice on Chessiverse

Summary

Starting from 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2, players enter the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2 — ECO D36. Across rating levels it shows up in 276,881 recorded games — enough data to map exactly where it succeeds and where it stalls.

History and Notable Players

It arises from the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... Nf6. Among the most prolific White practitioners are Aleksej Aleksandrov (8 games), Simon Bekker Jensen (8 games), Radoslaw Wojtaszek (7 games). Black-side regulars include Robert Rabiega (9 games), Uwe Boensch (9 games), Dibyendu Barua (7 games).

Performance Across Rating Levels

The picture changes a lot as you climb the rating ladder. Among 1200-rated players, it appears in 0.00% of games — 785 of them on record — with White winning 53.9% and Black 42.8%. At 1800 the opening surfaces in 0.01% of games; White wins 54.6%, Black 40.5%, draws 4.9%. At the top end (2500+ Elo), popularity is 0.05% with 10.2% draws — a clear sign of how much theory rules the line at master level. White's edge erodes by 7.3pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.

Move Diversity and Theory Depth

Looking at move selection shows how forcing — or not — the position really is. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Be7, played 43.2% of the time. There are 5 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 75.4% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.38. By 2500, Be7 dominates at 45.9% of replies; only 5 viable alternatives remain and 78.8% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 2.30. Move diversity stays high even at master level, suggesting the opening doesn't force one specific response.

Common Mistakes

• Drifting away from main theory — At 400 Elo, theory adherence sits at 72.7% — versus 80.4% at 2000. The most popular deviation is h6 (played 22.7% of the time at 400, much less so up top). It looks fine but quietly hands the better-prepared side an edge.
• Neglecting development — It can feel productive to make extra pawn moves early, but falling behind in piece development is what loses most amateur games — especially in open positions where active pieces find squares fast.
• Overextending the attack — Gambits look like permission to throw everything forward. They aren't — every attacking move should improve a piece. Random checks and threats burn the initiative once they fail to coordinate.

Practice on Chessiverse

Ready to try the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2 against a bot? Pick an opponent at your level and play a game.

Quick Facts

Main Line1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2

DifficultyExpert

Parent OpeningQueen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... Nf6

Style

Theoretician openings have deep, well-studied lines where knowledge of specific variations gives a significant advantage. Preparation and memorization of key lines are essential.

276,881games on Lichess

53.2%

6.1%

40.7%

White wins Draws Black wins

Top Players

As White

• Aleksej Aleksandrov8 games
• Simon Bekker Jensen8 games
• Radoslaw Wojtaszek7 games

As Black

• Robert Rabiega9 games
• Uwe Boensch9 games
• Dibyendu Barua7 games

Data from Lichess opening explorer (blitz & rapid)

Most Popular At2200

SharpnessBalanced

Popularity by Rating

Percentage of all games at each rating bracket that feature this opening.

Data from Lichess opening explorer (blitz & rapid games)

Theory Adherence by Rating

How often players choose the single most popular move at this position. Higher = more predictable play.

Black to move after the opening line

Popularity Over Time

Share of all Lichess blitz + rapid games featuring this opening, by year.

Top Moves by Rating

Black to move after the opening line

RatingMost Popular2nd3rd

400Be740.9%h622.7%Bg49.1%

1000Be737%h629.9�49.7%

1200Be743.2%h624.1�48%

1400Be750.5%h618.1�68.6%

1600Be751�613%h612.6%

1800Be752.8�616.3%h69.8%

2000Be754�617.3%h69.1%

2200Be755.3�613.8%h611.7%

2500Be745.9%h622.1�610.8%

Popularity by Time Control

Bullet

<0.01 2K

Blitz

<0.01$9K

Rapid

<0.01'K

3% more decisive in bullet

Raw data tables (Lichess blitz + rapid)

Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2: popularity and win rates by player rating Rating (Elo) Share % Games White win % Black win % Draw % Sharpness 400 0.00 22 45.5 40.9 13.6 0.864 1000 0.00 154 51.9 43.5 4.5 0.955 1200 0.00 785 53.9 42.8 3.3 0.967 1400 0.00 3,430 53.3 43.4 3.3 0.967 1600 0.00 15,720 53.4 42.1 4.5 0.955 1800 0.01 53,859 54.6 40.5 4.9 0.951 2000 0.02 109,836 54.4 39.7 5.9 0.941 2200 0.05 86,436 51.3 41.4 7.3 0.927 2500 0.05 6,639 46.6 43.2 10.2 0.898 Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2: move-choice theory adherence by rating Rating (Elo) Top move Top move % Viable moves Theory % Entropy 400 Be7 40.9 3 72.7 2.544 1000 Be7 37.0 5 76.6 2.404 1200 Be7 43.2 5 75.4 2.383 1400 Be7 50.5 5 77.2 2.264 1600 Be7 51.0 4 76.7 2.285 1800 Be7 52.8 4 78.8 2.219 2000 Be7 54.0 4 80.4 2.174 2200 Be7 55.3 4 80.7 2.160 2500 Be7 45.9 5 78.8 2.299 Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2: popularity over time Year Share % Games White win % Black win % Draw % 2013 0.00 87 49.4 44.8 5.7 2014 0.00 367 58.9 36.0 5.2 2015 0.01 1,321 55.7 38.3 6.0 2016 0.01 4,694 53.8 40.8 5.4 2017 0.01 8,622 54.2 40.4 5.3 2018 0.01 14,221 53.7 40.4 5.8 2019 0.01 18,017 54.8 39.8 5.4 2020 0.01 37,120 53.5 40.2 6.3 2021 0.01 39,685 52.9 40.8 6.4 2022 0.01 41,410 53.2 40.7 6.1 2023 0.01 44,932 52.8 41.1 6.1 2024 0.01 43,661 52.9 40.8 6.3 2025 0.01 41,784 52.9 40.5 6.5 Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2: popularity by time control Format Share % Games White win % Black win % Draw % Sharpness bullet 0.01 132,017 53.3 42.8 3.9 0.961 blitz 0.01 249,041 53.2 40.8 6.0 0.940 rapid 0.00 27,257 53.0 39.7 7.4 0.926 Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2: top candidate moves by rating bracket Rating (Elo) 1st move 1st % 2nd move 2nd % 3rd move 3rd % 400 Be7 40.9 h6 22.7 Bg4 9.1 1000 Be7 37.0 h6 29.9 Bb4 9.7 1200 Be7 43.2 h6 24.1 Bb4 8.0 1400 Be7 50.5 h6 18.1 Bd6 8.6 1600 Be7 51.0 Bd6 13.0 h6 12.6 1800 Be7 52.8 Bd6 16.3 h6 9.8 2000 Be7 54.0 Bd6 17.3 h6 9.1 2200 Be7 55.3 Bd6 13.8 h6 11.7 2500 Be7 45.9 h6 22.1 Bd6 10.8 Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 6.Qc2: top practitioners by side Side Player Games White Aleksej Aleksandrov 8 White Simon Bekker Jensen 8 White Radoslaw Wojtaszek 7 Black Robert Rabiega 9 Black Uwe Boensch 9 Black Dibyendu Barua 7

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2?

The Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2 begins with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 and is classified under ECO code D36.

Is the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2 good for beginners?

The Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2 can be played at any level. Beginners should focus on understanding the key strategic ideas rather than memorizing long theoretical lines. Our AI bots at various rating levels provide a great way to practice the opening concepts.

What are the win rates for the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2?

In a database of 276,881 master games, White wins 53.2% of the time, Black wins 40.7%, and 6.1% are drawn. Notable players on the White side include Aleksej Aleksandrov and Simon Bekker Jensen. On the Black side, Robert Rabiega and Uwe Boensch are among the most frequent practitioners.

How can I practice the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2?

On Chessiverse, you can practice the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4... 6.Qc2 by playing against our 600+ AI bots. Each bot has a unique playing style and opening repertoire, so you can find the perfect sparring partner for any level.

Related Openings

Queen's Gambit Accepted

QGA (2...dxc4): takes the pawn for active piece play and the half-open d-file, accepting a small structural concession. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.

Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 3.Nf3

QGA with 3.Nf3: White ignores the c4-pawn for development and aims for d4-d5 later. Black scores just 39% — c-pawn is hard to keep. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.

Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... 4.e3

Alekhine's QGA: 3...a6 prepares ...b5 to actually hold the c4-pawn. White answers with 4.e3 keeping flexibility. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.

Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1.d4 d5 2.c4...... Nf6

Mannheim QGA: 3...Nf6 develops first and lets White pick the recapture. The main classical QGA branching point with deep theory. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.

Reviewed by

IM John BartholomewCo-Founder & Chess Educator

International Master and chess educator. Co-founded Chessable and joined Chessiverse as co-founder. Best known for his "Climbing the Rating Ladder" YouTube series and structured opening courses.

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