Against 1.d4 and 2.c4, declining the gambit with 2...e6 is the classical gold standard: keep your d5 strongpoint, develop behind it, castle, and only then start asking White questions. No defense to the Queen's Gambit has been trusted longer at the top of chess.
The system's one real cost is the c8 bishop, stuck behind its own pawns for the opening. This lesson's line ends exactly where the standard cures begin, so you'll know not just the moves but what they're preparing: the ...dxc4 and ...b5 plan or the central freeing break ...e5.
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Move 1 of 14
d4
White opens with the queen's pawn, keeping the first moves calmer than 1.e4 but no less ambitious.
Common deviations