The Tarrasch Defence arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 (ECO D32). Black deliberately accepts an isolated d-pawn (after the exchanges in the centre) in return for active piece play and free development.
The defence is named after Siegbert Tarrasch, who valued piece activity above structural defects. The isolated pawn is both a weakness and a source of dynamism: it holds important central squares and supports an advance.
The Tarrasch is a principled, combative answer to the Queen's Gambit for anyone unafraid of playing with an isolani. Spassky and Kasparov both used it with success.
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