Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 h6
What Is The Capablanca Variation?
With 4...h6 you question the g5 bishop a full move before castling commits your king. 5.Bh4 keeps the pin, but h6 gives your king luft and supports a later ...g5 to break it by force. 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 concedes the bishop pair a full tempo sooner than the Anti-Tartakower, and your position contains no weakness to attack.
After 5.Bh4, play returns to familiar QGD ground where h6 is pure profit. Because White developed with Nf3 rather than Nc3, 5...Bb4 even comes with check, and Cambridge Springs ideas with ...Qa5 against c3 do not yet apply. Your job is the freeing ...c5 break. White's is to finish development and push e4 first. The player who lands his break on time wins the middlegame.
How Do You Play Against The Queen's Gambit Declined: Capablanca Variation?
No record covers this position. Black has inserted ...h6 to ask the bishop on g5 to declare itself, which costs a tempo and gains a small but permanent amount of kingside space.
An inserted ...h6 is only useful if the bishop retreats, so consider taking on f6 and making the tempo work for you instead. Bxf6 hands Black doubled pawns and you the structural target. Bh4 keeps the pin and accepts that ...g5 might come with tempo later. Either is playable, and the choice should follow from whether you want a structural game or a piece game, not from habit.
The Named Lines Of The Capablanca Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Anti-Cambridge Springs Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.a3 |