Theoria
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Queen's Gambit Declined

Orthodox Defense, Capablanca System

D67solidpositional

  1. 1.d4d5
  2. 2.c4e6
  3. 3.Nc3Nf6
  4. 4.Bg5Be7
  5. 5.e3O-O
  6. 6.Nf3Nbd7
  7. 7.Rc1c6
  8. 8.Bd3dxc4
  9. 9.Bxc4Nd5
160 games45%14%41%

Queen's Gambit Declined line in which Black frees a cramped Orthodox position with 9...Nd5, trading pieces toward a solid but passive game.

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About the Capablanca System

The Capablanca System is Black's freeing maneuver 9...Nd5, which offers exchanges to ease the cramp left by ...dxc4. White almost always replies 10. Bxe7. After 10...Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3 12. Rxc3 e5, central trades follow and the c8-bishop comes to life, though Black's counterplay remains modest. This main line once carried its own ECO code, D69. The rare 10. h4, the Janowski Variation, avoids the immediate bishop trade. The engine gives White a slight edge.

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