The move 1.d4 offers the same benefits to development and center control as does 1.e4, but unlike with the king's pawn openings where the e4-pawn is undefended after the first move, the d4-pawn is protected by White's queen. This slight difference has a tremendous effect on the opening. For instance, whereas the King's Gambit is rarely played today at the highest levels of chess, the Queen's Gambit remains popular at all levels of play. Also, compared with the king's pawn openings, transpositions between variations are more common and important in the closed games.
The most important closed openings are in the Queen's Gambit family (White plays 2.c4).
The Queen's Gambit is somewhat misnamed, since White can always regain the offered pawn if desired.
In the
Black replies to the Queen's Gambit other than 2...dxc4, 2...c6, and 2...e6 are uncommon. The Chigorin Defense (2...Nc6) is playable but rare.
The Symmetrical Defense (2...c5) is the most direct challenge to Queen's Gambit theory—Can Black equalize by simply copying White's moves? Most opening theoreticians believe not, and consequently the Symmetrical Defense is not popular. The Baltic Defense (2...Bf5) takes the most direct solution to solving the problem of Black's queen bishop by developing it on the second move. Although it is not trusted by most elite players, it has not been refuted and some very strong grandmasters have played it. The Albin Countergambit (2...e5) is generally considered too risky for top-level tournament play. Similarly, the Marshall Defense (2...Nf6) is very rarely seen in grandmaster play, as most theoreticians consider it definitely inferior for Black.