Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...d5/2. c4/2...e6/3. Nc3/3...Nf6/4. cxd5

Queen's Gambit Declined - Exchange Variation Queen's Gambit Declined - Exchange Variation 4. cxd5 With 4. cxd5, White enters into the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. White aims to enter a Carlsbad pawn structure position, and has a variety of plans, including the queenside "minority attack", or a big pawn center duo with an eventual ...f3 and ...e4. Black usually responds with 4...exd5, which frees up the c8-bishop, and officially enters the thematical Carlsbad pawn structure, though he can alternatively recapture with 4...Nxd5, which usually transposes into the Semi-Tarrasch. Theory table +456Exchange Variation - Positional Line... exd5Bg5 c6e3 Be7⩲Semi-Tarrasch... Nxd5e4 Nxc3bxc3 c5⩲