Queen's Pawn Opening (1.d4)

• At a glance

  Queen's Pawn Opening (1.d4)

  457 games, 56.5%: your best ground with White. One question decides it: when to bring your queen to b3.

  19 cards, one idea each. Swipe to move on.

• The big idea

  1.d4 is your most profitable opening: 457 games, 238 wins, a 56.5% score, when you run at 49.6% across both colors and 51.1% with White.

• The big idea

  Your system is simple: Bf4 or Bg5 right away, e3, Nf3 or Nd2, and a c3-d4-e3 pawn triangle that gives nowhere.

• The big idea

  The deal: you don't try to refute Black's defense, you set up a structure and let your opponent show their hand. The price: you give Black time to develop the c8 bishop and hit d4 with …c5.

• The big idea

  What you buy: positions you know by heart, where your opponent has to find the right plan.

• The big idea

  The leak is elsewhere, and it has a name: Qb3. Against a black bishop out on g4 with your pawn on c3, your queen on b3 wins games.

• The big idea

  Against a bishop on f5 with your pawn on c4 and your knight on c3, it walks into a pin: the position after 8.Qb3 Bb4 in the 2…c5 line, you've had it 7 times, for 0%.

• The big idea

  This course teaches you to tell the difference at a glance.

• Principle

  The c3-d4-e3 triangle first

  Your games: 30× · 60% of points

  Against …c5 and …Nc6, you recapture exd4 and then play c3: d4 is held by a pawn, and the d1-b3 diagonal opens for your queen.

• Principle

  Qb3 once the c8 bishop has left

  Your games: 28× · 61% of points

  The c8 bishop is b7's only defender. As soon as it goes to g4 or f5, Qb3 targets b7, and with the pawn on c3, d5 at the same time.

• Principle

  With Nc3 and the king on e1, no Qb3

  Your games: 7× · 0% of points

  Pawn on c4, knight on c3, king in the center: Qb3 invites …Bb4, which pins the c3 knight to your king. The knight can't move anymore, and all of Black's pressure lands on it.

• Principle

  Castle before the queen

  Your games: 3× · 67% of points

  When …Bb4 is possible, Nf3, Be2 and O-O come before Qb3. Once your king is on g1, the pin on c3 is worth nothing.

• Principle

  Against …Qb6, queen to b3

  …Qb6 targets b2, which your dark-squared bishop no longer guards. Qb3 covers b2 and offers the trade: that's why c3 has to come before Ngf3.

• Imbalance

  Your dark-squared bishop outside the chain

  Your games: 152× · 48% of points

  Bf4 comes out before e3: your bishop isn't locked behind your pawns. In return, b2 loses its defender, and …Qb6 becomes an idea for Black.

• Imbalance

  The d4 pawn after c4

  Your games: 16× · 44% of points

  With c3, d4 is supported. With c4, you play for the initiative, but d4 no longer has a neighboring pawn to defend it, and the c3 knight becomes the target of …Bb4.

• Imbalance

  The black bishop out early: b7 is weak

  When Black plays …Bf5 before …e6 and …c6, b7 is left alone. c4 and then Qb3 target it before the black queen can come to guard it.

• The trade-off

  What you gain

  • 457 games, 56.5%: your best family with White, 6.9 points above your overall score.
  • A single system (Bf4 or Bg5, e3, the c3-d4-e3 triangle) against almost every defense.
  • Against 1…Nf6, 2.Bg5 scores 58% over 89 games: your opponent is out of their theory by move two.
  • Qb3 against a bishop out on g4: a simple plan that wins in your games.
• The trade-off

  What you give up

  • Against 2…c5, your most frequent reply, you drop to 48% over 86 games.
  • The automatic Qb3 against …Bf5 and …Bb4: 7 games at 0% in the same position.
  • Your king often stays on e1 while your queen works on the queenside.
  • Against the Trompowsky with …c5 and …Nc6, 5.Ngf3 leads to 10 games at 35%.
• That's all

  Your turn

  These ideas only stick once you play the moves. The chapters make you find the right ones.

  Start chapter 1

Card 1 of 19: Queen's Pawn Opening (1.d4)

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