Queen's Gambit Declined:Exchange Variation

White exchanges on d5 at once and often follows with a minority attack, pushing the queenside pawns against Black’s majority.

It is reached after 7 moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5. It is a line of the Queen's Gambit Declined.

Black is to move and has 34 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,223,432 different games. Those games reach 409,406 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 12 further lines after this position, such as Positional Variation (4... exd5 5. Bg5).

The same moves can be played in 34 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5, which starts as the English Opening.