rat defence 1. d4 d6

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allheart

hey guys, can anyone explan to me as to why 4. dxe5 is a bad move for white? looking at grandmaster games none of them took on e5

waffllemaster

After dxe5 Qxd8+ Kxd8 black has an easier time finishing development and a pawn in the center so he's at least equal if not a tiny bit better.

If white doesn't take then he has more center and his development will be as easy as black's so a tiny bit better for white.

Losing the ability to castle is ok when there's no ability to do a mating attack (this is often ok after the queens come off the board).

pelly13

Because Black can easily draw or might even be better. I've played this defense a couple of times and never lost (3 out of 4). After 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5?! dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8 Black has no worries and will put his rooks on the d-file and his pawns on c6 and f6.