Queen’s Gambit Declined According to Cheparinov – Part 2 + PGN 27 Jan 2025

GM Ivan Cheparinov has released the second part of his extensive repertoire based on the Queen’s Gambit Declined. After having studied the ins and outs of the main lines of the QGD in Part 1, the author provides a cutting-edge repertoire against everything else after 1.d4 while also covering 1.c4 and 1.Nf3. So, with Queen’s Gambit Declined – Part 1 & 2, you get a complete and ambitious repertoire against all closed openings (i.e. 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3)!

What’s Inside?

• • 11 dense theoretical lessons
  • 15 interactive test positions
  • A Memory Booster
  • 5h 40min of video lessons

Course Overview

In Lesson 1, we are introduced to a fresh way of meeting the ever-popular Catalan. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 is met with 4…c5!?. While this move is, of course, not new in itself, it’s connected to an idea that has recently become popular: After 5.cxd5, we do not transpose to the Tarrasch with 5…exd5, but instead go for the modern 5…cxd4!?. While Black is solid in the symmetrical position after 6.Qxd4 Nxd5, he gets excellent compensation after 6.dxe6 Bxe6 7.Nxd4 Bc5!

Black uses the fact that White cannot play 8.Nxe6? due to 8…Bxf2+!, winning the queen, but has to go for the modest 8.e3, when his advantage in development offers Black good counterplay.

Lesson 2 is dedicated to the Reti-Catalan or Neo-Catalan: 1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 (the move order 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 is also covered). Again, Cheparinov comes up with a less explored but intriguing suggestion: 3…dxc4 4.Qa4+ c6 5.Qxc4 c5!?.

By moving the c-pawn a second time, Black vacates c6 for his queen’s knight. Black aims for comfortable development with …Nc6, …Nf6, …Be7, and castling kingside. If White does nothing to oppose this, Black will equalise in a straightforward way. However, even after the sophisticated 6.Qb5+!?, Black can get an equal game with 6…Nbd7. White has managed to prevent …Nc6, but Black will win some time by attacking White’s queen.

In Lessons 3 to 5, we look at White’s alternatives to 2.c4 and 2.d4 after 1.Nf3 d5. These are 2.b3, 2.e3, and 2.g3 – the latter being the move that has accumulated the most significant amount of theory. Against 2.b3, playing in the spirit of the Slav Defence with 2…Bf5 is the repertoire choice. Against 2.e3, we keep things flexible with 2…Nf6 3.c4 e6, and depending on White’s choice, we go for the immediate 4…c5 or keep developing with 4…Be7. The author goes for ambitious lines against 2.g3, i.e. 2…Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 in many cases followed by occupying the centre with …Nc6 and …e5, or pushing …d4 after c4, leading a Reversed King’s Indian or Benoni. After White’s most popular move, 4.0-0, the continuation 4…g6 is meticulously analysed.

This is an ambitious and demanding continuation, which can lead to various types of positions, such as Reversed King’s Indian, Reversed Gruenfeld, and the Gruenfeld proper. GM Cheparinov has done exceptional analytical research and provides you with a high-level analysis covering all the minor and major options available to White.

With Lessons 6 to 9, we return to d4-openings and White’s rarer options after 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 (another common way to reach these lines is via 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6). The lines 3.g3, 3.c3, 3.e3, and 3.Bg5 may not be critical from a theoretical point of view. Tough, with more and more players straying off the mainstream to get fresh, playable positions, it’s also mandatory to be ready for these “minor” lines. For example, the innocent-looking move 3.e3 may lead to the following pandemonium:

A super-imbalanced position! White has two connected passers on the queenside, while Black has a formidable majority in the centre. In this position, we continue with 13…g5! giving excellent attacking chances after 14.h3 Rg8!. How can such a position arise? 3.e3 c5 4.dxc5!? e6 5.b4 a5 6.c3 axb4 7.cxb4 b6 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10.a4 bxc5 11.b5 Bd6 12.0-0 Qb8! 13.Nbd2 – et voila!

In the final two Lessons 10 and 11, we take a detailed look at the London System. The focus of Lesson 10 is on the lines 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5! and 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.e3 Qb6!, both offering Black good chances. An important trick to remember: 6.Qb3 c4! 7.Qc2 Bf5!.

While the bishop is untouchable, Black gets a great position after 8.Qc1 Nh5!, etc.

Lesson 11 mainly deals with 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2, while also checking White’s lesser options on move 5. 5.Nbd2 is considered to be the modern main line of the London System, and it led to a number of major theoretical discoveries during the last few years. Once again, GM Cheparinov chooses to go for an ambitious and double-edged continuation: 5…Nh5!? invites White to snatch a pawn for the price of exchanging his dark-squared bishop. The unbalanced nature of the resulting positions offers Black excellent counter chances. One example is 6.dxc5 Nxf4 7.exf4 g6! 8.Nb3 Bh6! 9.g3 0-0 10.Bg2 a5 11.a4 Bg7 12.c3.

Here we go for 12…b6!, providing Black with excellent compensation with play down the b-file and a strong pair of bishops to boot.

Why Study This Course?
By combining both Queen’s Gambit Declined – Part 1 & 2, players with the black pieces get a complete solution against all of White’s major openings on move one, except for 1.e4. Since the repertoire is built in such a way that many lines after 1.Nf3 or 1.c4 transpose to continuations after 1.d4, it allows you to economise your opening prep. While the repertoire is based on sound and solid lines (right in the spirit of the QGD), GM Cheparinov often manages to come up with comparatively rare yet ambitious and theoretically sound options, leading to a play for all three results.