Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense, Exchange Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D58), reached after 16 half-moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. cxd5 exd5.

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

Black knight — 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: Tartakower Defense, Exchange Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D58. 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 16 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. cxd5 exd5.

It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the Tartakower Defense → Exchange Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense, transitioned via 8…exd5.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 d5, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nc3 Be7, 4.Nf3 Nf6, 5.Bg5 h6, 6.Bh4 O-O. 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.