Queen's Gambit Declined, Cambridge Springs Defense

Cambridge Springs Defense

a b c d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h
Moves	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5
ECO	D52
Origin	First used 1892
Named after	1904 tournament, Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania
Parent	Queen's Gambit Declined
Synonym(s)	Pillsbury Variation

In chess, the Cambridge Springs Defense (or less commonly, the Pillsbury Variation) is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined and begins with the moves:

Black breaks the pin on the h4–d8 diagonal and forms a pin of his own on the c3 knight (exploiting the absence of the White's queen bishop from the queenside). If Black later plays dxc4, there may be threats against the g5-bishop. Note that 5.cxd5 cannot win a pawn because of the Elephant Trap. The main line continues 7.Nd2 Bb4 with the threat of ...Ne4 and pressure along the a5–e1 diagonal.

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) code is D52.

The first recorded use of the Cambridge Springs was by Emanuel Lasker in 1892. The name derives from a 1904 tournament in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania in which the defense was used several times. Practitioners of the opening have included Efim Bogoljubov, Vasily Smyslov, Garry Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen.

The line remains popular among amateurs because there are several traps White must avoid. For example, 7.Nd2 Bb4 8.Qc2 0-0 9.Bd3?? dxc4! (threatening ...Qxg5) 10.Bxf6 cxd3! (a zwischenzug) 11.Qxd3 Nxf6 and Black has won a piece.

White has several choices on his seventh move. The most common are:

Bibliography