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Queen's Gambit · As White · updated October 2026

Play the Queen's Gambit like Maxim Matlakov

A Queen's Gambit repertoire built from 30 of Maxim Matlakov's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Maxim Matlakov chose most often. Where Maxim Matlakov has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Maxim Matlakov or Chess.com.

  • Maxim Matlakov was #50 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,191) and scored 68% against opponents averaging 2,771 in these games.
  • You play Maxim Matlakov's own move in 5 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#50

Chess.com

Rating

3,191

Games

30

in this opening

Score

68%

in these games

Opponents

2,771

average rating

More about Maxim Matlakov

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 8 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 8% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Qa4

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c6 6.a4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3

  3. Line 3 · 8% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c6 6.a4 c5 7.O-O Nc6 8.dxc5 Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bxc5 10.Nbd2

  4. Line 4 · 7% at top level

    2…c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.Bd2

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2…c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2…c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.Qc2 e6 7.Be2 Bb7 8.O-O Nbd7 9.b3

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O dxc4 7.Qa4 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bd2 Be4 11.Qc1

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 Bd6 6.O-O O-O 7.a3 a5 8.Re1

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 a6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxe7

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2…e6 3.Nf3 c6 4.g3

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2…c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Bf5 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Qb3 Qc8 8.g4

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Maxim Matlakov's main line in the Queen's Gambit, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Qa4.

  1. 2…e6 Reply · Maxim Matlakov's games A common reply here is 2…e6. At top level, this comes up about 53% of the time.
  2. 3.Nf3 Your move · Maxim Matlakov's games Maxim Matlakov played 3.Nf3 in 13 games, scoring 62%.
  3. 3…Nf6 Reply · Maxim Matlakov's games A common reply here is 3…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 45% of the time.
  4. 4.g3 Your move · Maxim Matlakov's games Maxim Matlakov played 4.g3 in 6 games, scoring 75%.
  5. 4…dxc4 Reply · Maxim Matlakov's games A common reply here is 4…dxc4. At top level, this comes up about 23% of the time.
  6. 5.Bg2 Your move · Maxim Matlakov's games Maxim Matlakov played 5.Bg2 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  7. 5…Nc6 Reply · Maxim Matlakov's games A common reply here is 5…Nc6. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
  8. 6.Qa4 Your move · Top-50 players Maxim Matlakov has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.

Questions about this course

How does Maxim Matlakov play the Queen's Gambit?
After 1.d4 d5 2.c4, Maxim Matlakov's most common line is 2…e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Qa4. At top level it comes up about 8% of the time.
Is this Maxim Matlakov's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Maxim Matlakov's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Queen's Gambit course based on?
30 of Maxim Matlakov's Chess.com blitz games in the Queen's Gambit as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,771. Maxim Matlakov scored 68% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
11 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Maxim Matlakov?
GM Maxim Matlakov was ranked number 50 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,191 when this course was built.