Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Fianchetto Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D66), reached after 18 half-moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 O-O 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5.

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: Orthodox Defense, Fianchetto Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D66. 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 18 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 O-O 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5.

It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the Orthodox Defense → Fianchetto Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, transitioned via 9…b5.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 d5, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nc3 Nf6, 4.Bg5 c6, 5.Nf3 Be7, 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.