Exchange Variation
Queen's Gambit · D35 · you play White. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6
About the Exchange Variation
The Exchange Variation, cxd5, fixes the pawn structure early. White gets the Carlsbad structure with a clear plan: the minority attack with b4–b5 to create a weak pawn on c6, or kingside play with f3 and e4. It is one of the best structures to learn planning.
As White you reach the Exchange Variation after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit (D35), which has 5 lines on this site. Learn the Exchange Variation move by move, then play it against the computer until the book moves come automatically. Below the board you find middlegame plans for the Exchange Variation, common endgames and games by strong players, so you know what to do once the theory ends. Add it to your set of lines to play with White, and repeat it in speed mode or the drill until you no longer have to think about it.