Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 Ne4

ECO D53

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense is a chess opening line in the Queen's Gambit Declined complex, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 Ne4.

It is catalogued under code D53 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO).

The defining move Ne4 is chosen by Black on move 5.

4 named continuations branch from this position, including the Russian Variation and the Teichmann Variation.

Named variations

• Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Russian Variation — ECO D56
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Teichmann Variation — ECO D56
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Bernstein Variation — ECO D57
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense, Main Line — ECO D57

Study this line with a grandmaster

This position is covered in the Opening Tricks Hall of Fame course: a GM-authored repertoire you study move by move, then practice against a human-like AI opponent.

Every chess term used here is defined in the chess terms glossary. Browse all opening courses or the full ECO code index.