Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bf4 · ECO D35–D37 · 9 named lines
How do you reach the Harrwitz Attack?
The Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bf4. Along the way the game passes through Queen's Pawn Game → Queen's Gambit → Queen's Gambit Declined → Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation → Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense → Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, which is why you will see those names on the way into it. Transpositions reaching the same position by a different move order are counted as the same opening on this page.
What do club players choose at the decision point?
One move earlier, 9,716 club games reached the position where the Harrwitz Attack is chosen. This is what players rated 1200–2200 actually played:
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf3 | 31% | 3,033 | |
| Bg5 | 28% | 2,699 | |
| cxd5 | 17% | 1,676 | |
| e3 | 9% | 901 |
The main line, move by move
- 1. d4 — the position is now the Queen's Pawn Game
- 1... d5 — the position is now the Queen's Pawn Game
- 2. c4 — the position is now the Queen's Gambit
- 2... e6 — the position is now the Queen's Gambit Declined
- 3. Nc3 — the position is now the Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation
- 3... Nf6 — the position is now the Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense
- 4. Bf4 — the position is now the Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack
Related openings: Slav Defense · Queen's Gambit Accepted
Data updated 9 August 2026. Game sample: Lichess July 2026, rating band 1200–2200. Opening names and lines: lichess-org/chess-openings (CC0).