ECO D34 · Best studied as Black
Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line
- Central
- Aggressive
- Counter
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line?
The Tarrasch Defense is an ambitious way to fight the Queen's Gambit. By playing an early c5, you accept an Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP) for Black in exchange for active piece play and central space.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7
The lesson
Play through the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line, move by move
Scroll the moves and watch the board follow along. Every move comes with the idea behind it.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7
Before the first move
The Tarrasch Defense is an ambitious way to fight the Queen's Gambit. By playing an early c5, you accept an Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP) for Black in exchange for active piece play and central space. White's goal is to restrain your activity and eventually target that lone d5-pawn, while you aim for dynamic counterattacks.
1. d4White
White begins with d4, the most common alternative to e4. This move leads to more positional battles where understanding pawn structures is key. You'll often see this followed by c4 to pressure the center.
1... d5Black · your move
Move your pawn to d5. By matching White's central claim, you prevent them from easily playing e4 and establish your own foothold in the heart of the board.
Other paths here: Na6 (Australian Defense) · g5 (Borg Defense: Borg Gambit) · b6 (English Defense) · e5 (Englund Gambit)
2. c4White
White plays c4, immediately challenging your center. You can accept the pawn, but most players choose to defend it. Other White systems like the London (Bf4) or the Chigorin (Nc3) are less aggressive initially.
Other paths here: Qd3 (Amazon Attack) · e4 (Blackmar-Diemer Gambit) · e3 (Queen's Pawn Game) · Bf4 (Queen's Pawn Game: Accelerated London System)
2... e6Black · your move
Push your pawn to e6. This move solidifies your d5-pawn and prepares to develop your kingside. You are entering the Queen's Gambit Declined, one of the most respected structures in chess.
Other paths here: c5 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense) · Bf5 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense) · Nf6 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Marshall Defense) · b5 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Zilbermints Gambit)
3. Nc3White
White plays Nc3, increasing the heat on d5. White could also choose Nf3 or the Exchange Variation (cxd5) here, but the knight development is the most direct way to press your position.
Other paths here: Bf4 (QGD: 3.Bf4) · cxd5 (QGD: 3.cxd5) · e3 (QGD: 3.e3) · g3 (QGD: 3.g3)
3... c5Black · your move
Push your pawn to c5. This is the defining move of the Tarrasch Defense. You are immediately striking back at White's center and creating a dynamic, open position at the cost of your pawn structure.
Other paths here: Bb4 (QGD: 3.Nc3 Bb4) · Nc6 (QGD: 3.Nc3 Nc6) · Be7 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation) · a6 (Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation)
4. cxd5White
White captures on d5, forcing the issue. While White could maintain tension with Nf3 or e3, this exchange is the most critical way to test the Tarrasch structure immediately.
Other paths here: e3 (QGD Tarrasch: 4.e3) · Nf3 (QGD Tarrasch: 4.Nf3)
4... exd5Black · your move
Capture back on d5 with your pawn. This maintains your presence in the center and opens the diagonal for your light-squared bishop, though it leaves you with an isolated pawn.
Other paths here: cxd4 (Tarrasch Defense: Schara Gambit)
5. Nf3White
White plays Nf3, a standard developing move. White could also try the aggressive Marshall Gambit (e4) or the immediate g3, but this is the most flexible and common approach.
Other paths here: dxc5 (QGD Tarrasch: 5.dxc5) · g3 (QGD Tarrasch: 5.g3) · e4 (Tarrasch Defense: Marshall Gambit)
5... Nc6Black · your move
Bring your knight to c6. This develops a piece and adds a second defender to your d5-pawn, which is the most important feature of your position right now.
6. g3White
White plays g3, aiming for a kingside fianchetto. This is the most modern and effective way to fight the Tarrasch, though older lines like Bg5 or e3 are still seen occasionally.
Other paths here: Bf4 (QGD Tarrasch: 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bf4) · Bg5 (QGD Tarrasch: 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bg5) · e3 (QGD Tarrasch: 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.e3) · dxc5 (Tarrasch Defense: Grünfeld Gambit)
6... Nf6Black · your move
Develop your knight to f6. This completes your minor piece development on the kingside and prepares you to castle. You are keeping the center balanced and ready for action.
Other paths here: cxd4 (QGD Tarrasch: Schlechter-Rubinstein system) · c4 (Tarrasch Defense: Swedish Variation)
7. Bg2White
White completes the fianchetto with Bg2. This bishop is very powerful in the Tarrasch, as it makes the defense of the d5-pawn a constant headache for you throughout the game.
7... Be7Black · your move
Develop your bishop to e7. This prepares for castling and keeps your position compact. You are now ready to complete your development and begin the middle-game struggle.
Other paths here: Be6 (QGD Tarrasch: Schlechter-Rubinstein system (Prague)) · Bg4 (Tarrasch Defense: Wagner Variation) · cxd4 (Tarrasch Defense: Dubov Tarrasch)
Where you stand
The position is balanced but full of tension. White will castle and then decide when to capture on c5 or pressure d5 further. Black must castle and find active squares for the bishops. The game will revolve around whether Black's central space and piece activity can compensate for the long-term weakness of the isolated d5-pawn.
- e1-g1 Castle kingside for safety
- e8-g8 Secure the king immediately
- c3-a4 Jump to a4 to pressure c5
- c8-g4 Develop bishop to pin the knight
- g2-d5 Pressure the isolated d5 pawn
Your games
Related Tarrasch Defense lines
Free game review
Do you leak rating in the Tarrasch Defense?
Chessiro reviews your real games move by move, shows your win rate in every opening you play, and turns the exact positions you misplayed into training puzzles with plain-English coaching.