Queen’s Gambit Declined for Black – The Concept with 4…Nbd7 + PGN February 9, 2026

Queen’s Gambit Declined for Black: The Concept with 4…Nbd7

The Queen’s Gambit Declined has always been a fortress of classical chess—solid, principled, and theoretically demanding. But what if you could sidestep the theoretical marathons of the countless variations while maintaining all the strategic richness? GM Szymon Gumularz and GM Pier Luigi Basso propose exactly that: 4…Nbd7, a flexible system that deliberately avoids the main theoretical highways while delivering complex, ambitious middlegames.

This isn’t about playing it safe. The authors have identified a key structural insight: by delaying the development of the dark-squared bishop and allowing White to resolve the central tension early, Black arrives at Carlsbad-type structures with a crucial difference—White’s knight is already on f3, and Black’s light-squared bishop remains undeveloped. This small detail creates surprising tactical and strategic opportunities, particularly the thematic …g5-g4 pawn push when White develops with Bg5, securing the bishop pair and long-term positional compensation.

A Complete, Practical Repertoire

Gumularz and Basso have previously collaborated on opening systems for Black, most recently completing their comprehensive two-part coverage of the Nimzo-Indian Defense for Black – Part 1 and Part 2. Their work is characterized by practical clarity and ambitious play, and this QGD course follows the same philosophy.

The repertoire covers every major White setup after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7:

Against 5.cxd5 exd5 (Carlsbad Structure):

• 6.Bg5 c6 7.e3 h6 8.Bh4 g5! — the thematic pawn storm (Chapters 1-2)
• 6.Bf4 — alternative bishop development (Chapter 3)

Against 5.Bg5 Be7:

• White’s old main line with 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 O-O
• Four distinct White plans comprehensively analyzed (Chapters 4-7)

Against alternative fifth moves:

• 5.Bf4 with the sharp 5…Bb4! (Chapter 8)
• 5.e3 Colle-style setups (Chapter 9)
• 5.Qc2 fashionable modern try (Chapter 10)
• 5.g3 Catalan-style approach (Chapter 11)

Course Features

The course provides everything needed for practical implementation:

• 11 Chapters covering all White’s major systems
• 20 test positions to verify understanding
• Memory Booster for efficient retention
• To Go Version of every chapter for quick study
• Video instruction with detailed explanations