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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. In this video I have covered the Blackburne Variation, one of the sharpest ways to fight the QGD!
By placing the bishop on f4 instead of g5, white changes the nature of the position significantly compared to regular variations. One of the main ideas of Bf4 instead of Bg5 is to avoid the early piece exchanges which occur after the Lasker or the Classical variations. The bishop is very strong, similar to a London system bishop. A clear advantage can be seen in comparison with the c8 bishop, which is stuck behind e6. The main drawback is seen in the main line with c5 for black. The bishop on g5 is exerting pressure on d5 indirectly. The f4 bishop isn’t. Black is therefore able to open the position up much earlier.
Most lines of the Blackburne are crazy to say the least. Positions that occur are extremely sharp and lead to immense complications very early on.
It is an opening which you have to really know well if you want to play it. With both sides. It’s not for those afraid to enter complicated tactical positions in which every move matters.
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