Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Defense, Rubinstein Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D52), reached after 14 half-moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5 7. Nd2 dxc4.

Black rook — Use ← → arrows or click moves to step through.

Black bishop — Use ← → arrows or click moves to step through.

End of this line

No further variations branch from this position in our database. To explore neighbouring ideas:

About this opening

Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Defense, Rubinstein Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D52. ECO group D (D00–D99) covers closed games and semi-closed games beginning 1.d4 d5, covering the Queen's Gambit, Slav, Grünfeld and related queen-pawn structures. This particular variation is reached after 14 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5 7. Nd2 dxc4.

It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the Cambridge Springs Defense → Rubinstein Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Defense, transitioned via 7…dxc4.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 d5, 2.c4 c6, 3.Nf3 Nf6, 4.Nc3 e6, 5.Bg5 Nbd7, 6.e3 Qa5. From this position the encyclopaedia records no further canonical continuations — practical play branches into unnamed transpositions or returns to the parent line for alternative ideas.