Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Tartakower Gambit

After the opening moves, White is to move and the key question is whether Black’s early central counterplay is enough. The engine prefers cxd5, and that tells you the shape of the position: White is ready to open the centre and punish any looseness. If you are playing Black, do not assume the aggressive setup will play itself. You need to meet White’s central choices accurately, because the position already favours your opponent.

Stockfish rates this +0.81, a clear, lasting advantage for White. That means you are worse here, and the task is to stop White from converting the opening lead into something bigger. The engine’s best continuation is cxd5, followed by cxd5 Nxd4 e3 Nf5. You do not need to memorise extra ideas beyond that line; instead, use it to understand that active, accurate central play is the test in this position.

The database is large enough to show which choices White reaches for most often. The most-played continuation is cxd5 with 26,908 games, and it scores 58.3% for White. dxe5 appears in 22,429 games and scores 54.9% for White. e3 is also common at 15,431 games, with White scoring 51.7%. These are useful drill targets because they are the replies you are most likely to face in real games.

This exact position has a few clear warning lights for Black. dxe5 is a mistake and loses about 1.4 pawns; the better move was cxd5. e3 is an inaccuracy and loses about 0.8 pawns; again, cxd5 was better. Nf3 is another inaccuracy and loses about 0.9 pawns; the engine still prefers cxd5. If you are practising Black, use these to train your reaction to White’s natural developing moves.