1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 c5 8.cxd5 opens the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Variation, Flohr Line, ECO D62. With 8,614 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Variation. On the White side, Salo Flohr (14 games), Pia Cramling (6 games), Predrag Nikolic (5 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Eduard Prandstetter (8 games), Andrei V Kharitonov (7 games), Raset Ziatdinov (7 games).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Variation, Flohr Line. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Nxd5, played 46.6% of the time. There are 3 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 99.2% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.43. By 2500, Nxd5 dominates at 53.3% of replies; only 3 viable alternatives remain and 100% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.42. Even elite players don't fully agree on the best continuation here, which keeps the position dynamic.
Common Mistakes
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Overextending the attack — Gambits look like permission to throw everything forward. They aren't — every attacking move should improve a piece. Random checks and threats burn the initiative once they fail to coordinate.
Practice on Chessiverse
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