Lasker Defense in the Queen’s Gambit Declined
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The Queen’s Gambit Declined is the most popular way to fight the attempt by white to give up (gambit) his c4 pawn. It has been played by top masters since the 19th century, and it will never lose popularity due to its solidity, flexibility, and the amount of different options it gives to black. In this video I have covered the Lasker Defense, quite a passive choice which makes it hard to play for an advantage with black.
I’m not a big fan of this variation because it forces early piece trades. That means that there will be little tension in the position. The dark squared bishops get traded off quickly, and the resulting pawn structure is not hard to defend for either side when the opponent hasn’t got the two bishops any more.
Most variations lead to very equal positions. White is not better, or not much better, but black has hardly any active play. It’s very hard to complicate things. So the Lasker Defense is not a very active attempt for a win! Avoid it!
#chess