Classical Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined

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The Queen’s Gambit Declined is the most popular way to fight the attempt by white to give up (gambit) his c4 pawn. It has been played by top masters since the 19th century, and it will never lose popularity due to its solidity, flexibility, and the amount of different options it gives to black. Today I covered the Classical or the Orthodox Variation. An old main line so to speak, not as popular today.

For an introduction to the Queen’s Gambit Declined, watch this video on the basics: https://youtu.be/CMy65JeSShw

I believe the reason for that lies in the difficulties black has in the middlegame. The Classical branches out on move 7, with Rc1 being the main line. I don’t think the main line is challenging for black at all though. The main issue is 7. Qc2, the dreaded Rubinstain Variation.

After having looked it for a (looong) while, I can’t seem to find a good variation for black. He has 4 options, and neither seems to offer equality if white plays well. Black either ends up with an IQP for not enough compensation, or he has to defend against a very strong minority attack on the queenside.
My conclusion is that the Classical QGD is played less often for a very good reason – the Rubinstein.

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