In 1910 he challenged World Champion Emmanuel Lasker for the supreme title but lost the match. He was a very dangerous attacking player and produced a few flashes of brilliance throughout his career.

The line is named after the very strong master Dawid Janowski, who was one of the world’s best players at the beginning of the 20 th century. So, let’s dive in! QGD Janowski Variation: Background – Part 1 Far from harmless, this line can turn sharp pretty fast. Its popularity suddenly rose recently, when World Champion Magnus Carlsen started using it in his games. However, recent games have shown that black has some very interesting ideas. This variation used to be considered harmless and quite passive. One set-up that has become very popular lately is the QGD Janowski Variation, which appears on the board after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6: However, the plan is to strike in the center by means of either …c5 or …e5, depending on white’s set-up. Black is locking the light-squared bishop in and has to deal with the temporary lack of space. This is also known as the Orthodox Variation and for a while, it had the reputation of being a passive choice against the Queen’s Gambit.

In this article we’re going to take a look at one particular line in the Queen’s Gambit Declined variation, where black replies with 2…e6. Black’s position is solid and there are a few tricky lines if white doesn’t know exactly what they’re doing. Black can choose between many set-ups, with the main decision being made as early as move two – accept the gambit or not? Both options are fine, with the Queen’s Gambit Accepted making a comeback at the top-level lately. It is appreciated both by amateurs and strong players and we see it at every top-level tournament. The Queen’s Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4) is one of the most popular openings in chess.

How to play the queen's gambit declined