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Queen’s Gambit: 5 quick facts

  • Though recently popularized by the Netflix series of the same name, the Queen’s Gambit has actually been around for over five centuries. 
  • It’s the most popular opening beginning with 1. d4 and follows classical opening principles. A staple of grandmaster play, it’s also popular at every other level. It’s often recommended to beginners looking to try 1. d4 because it’s relatively easy to play and doesn’t require much memorization at lower levels.
  • Despite its name, this opening is often not really considered a gambit because Black can’t realistically hold onto the extra pawn. It’s also very solid and much less tactical and risky than other gambits.
  • Black has many options against the Queen’s Gambit, but by far the most common is to decline the gambit—meaning Black doesn’t take the pawn on c4. This leads to a variation of the opening called the Queen’s Gambit Declined.
  • Several other lines are so popular that they are also given names of their own and are treated as separate openings, including the Slav Defense, the Semi-Slav Defense, the Albin Counter-Gambit, the Chigorin Defense, and more.

Queen’s Gambit: The moves

Here are the moves for the Queen’s Gambit:

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1. d4 d5 2. c4

A gif showing the opening moves for the Queen’s Gambit: 1. White’s d-pawn moves to d4 and Black’s d-pawn moves to d5. 2. White’s c-pawn moves to c4.

A timeless opening for every player

The Queen’s Gambit is a solid, respected opening that will serve you well no matter whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player.

If you’re looking for more openings, check out our guide featuring over 30 options for every skill level!