Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Botvinnik Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D60), reached after 13 half-moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3.

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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: Orthodox Defense, Botvinnik Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D60. 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 13 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3.

It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the Orthodox Defense → Botvinnik Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, transitioned via 7.Bd3.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 Nf6, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nf3 d5, 4.Nc3 Be7, 5.Bg5 O-O, 6.e3 Nbd7. 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.