Starting from 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5, players enter the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Capablanca System — ECO D67. With 22,983 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, Bd3 Line. On the White side, Alexander Alekhine (22 games), Ernst Gruenfeld (14 games), Milan Sr Vidmar (13 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Daniel H Campora (12 games), Petar Trifunovic (11 games), Gideon Stahlberg (11 games).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. Below 1400 the samples are small (35 games at 1200), so the comparison starts at 1400, with 279 games. There, the top reply is Bxe7, played 89.6% of the time. No other move reaches 5% of games, and the top three moves account for 94.6% of games. Entropy: 0.77. By 2500 (300 games), Bxe7 dominates at 94% of replies; no other move reaches 5% and the top three moves account for 99.3% of games. Entropy drops to 0.41.
Main Lines and Variations
After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5, the established follow-ups are:
Each branch leads to a different middlegame character — the resulting pawn structure decides what kind of game you get.
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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