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Queen's Gambit
Intermediatewhite repertoire·6 parts
The Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4). White offers the c-pawn to pull Black's d-pawn off the centre, then takes over the middle of the board.
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Start
Key Strategic Ideas
The Queen's Gambit isn't a real gambit — White always gets the c-pawn back. Its real aim is the centre: offering the c-pawn either tempts Black's d5-pawn to capture and abandon the middle, or forces Black to spend moves defending it.
Whichever Black picks, White comes out ahead in the fight for the central squares — usually with a broad pawn centre, the freer pieces, and a small but lasting pull. The six ideas below show this plan move by move.