The Exchange Variation is a variation of the Chigorin Defense, catalogued as ECO D07. The line runs 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. e3 e5 5. Nc3 Bb4, reaching the position shown below after 10 half-moves.
Both sides have pawns in the centre (White on d4, Black on e5), and one pawn capture is available, so the structure has not settled yet. Development is level at one minor pieces each. It is White to move after five moves.
On the Chigorin Defense generally: An unorthodox reply to the Queen's Gambit developing the knight to c6 instead of supporting d5 with a pawn. Favored by Chigorin and recently by Morozevich.
You can play through this variation move by move in your browser — Learn mode walks the line with an explanation at each step, and Drill mode replays it from memory so you find out whether you actually know it. No account is required.
All Chigorin Defense variations
The Exchange Variation goes 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. e3 e5 5. Nc3 Bb4. It is a variation of the Chigorin Defense and is catalogued as ECO D07.
The Exchange Variation is ECO D07. ECO codes group openings by their move order, so nearby codes cover closely related lines of the Chigorin Defense.
Stockfish evaluates the position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. e3 e5 5. Nc3 Bb4 at +0.34 at depth 18, which is a slight pull for White, within normal opening margins. Engine evaluation is only a starting point — at club level the practical value of a line is mostly about whether you know its plans better than your opponent does.
Both sides have pawns in the centre (White on d4, Black on e5), and one pawn capture is available, so the structure has not settled yet. Development is level at one minor pieces each. It is White to move.