I would like to present a quick survey of the opening which will be played in our next correspondence tournament.
It is the Queen's Gambit, which is characterized by the opening moves:
1. d4 d5 2. c4
This article is written not so much to give advice on how to play the opening but rather to explain very briefly what theory has to say. I want to bridge the gap between those of us who regularly checks lines in books, databases, game collections, etc. and those who find theory frightening, boring or incomprehensible. I hope this will be helpful to at least some of you. Just remember that opinions on theory differ greatly between players, and that knowledge of theory isn't that important anyway below expert level.
Any questions, corrections, additions, etc. is very much appreciated, since this is mostly written from memory.
WHAT'S THE POINT?
The Queen's Gambit dominates the so called closed games, 1. d4 d5, and for good reason. It combines activity and solidity, and serves attacking maniacs just as well as more strategically minded players.
With his second move c4 white puts pressure on black's center and threatens to play 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 after which he has a lead in development and an extra center pawn. Black should react to this threat.
Unlike most other gambits 2. c4 is not regarded as a real pawn sacrifice. There is no realistic way for black to immediately hold on to the pawn is he chooses to capture it, as long as white plays correctly. However, if white neglects to protect the pawn it may get lost later in the game.
Black has to decide whether he wants to 1) support his center, 2) give up his center, or 3) counterattack in the center.
The classical and indeed most common approach is to support the center by either 2...e6 or 2...c6. About 80% of the games continue in this way.
The usual way of giving up the center is by the simple 2...dxc4. (About 10% of the games) Others prefer the slightly dubious 2...Nf6, 2...Bf5 or 2...g6.
Counterattacking by either 2...e5 or 2...Nc6 is very popular, especially at club level, while 2...c5 seems risky.
Let's examine the moves in order of popularity:
---
THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED
2...e6
Black prepares to take back on d5 with a pawn while simultaneously aiding his kingside development. This has long been considered the most solid response and has been dubbed "The opening for the world championships" by Kasparov in his DVD on the subject. Black's aim is to strike back in the center with c5 at an appropriate moment, and if possible to exchange some pieces to free his slightly cramped position. The drawback is finding a useful role for the light square bishop, which is hemmed in by the pawn on e6.
As the QGD doesn't put much pressure on white, he has many options for developing his pieces. Very often white is simply preparing for black's central breaks with c5 or e5. He has a nominal advantage in his greater control of territory, but not much more.
The Ortodox Defence (3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7)
The super-solid tried and tested ultra-classical way of playing the Queen's Gambit. Both sides play as many logical moves as possible. The main line moves include: Nc3, Nf3, Bg5/f4, e3, Bd3, 0-0, etc. for white and Be7, Nbd7, 0-0, h6, c6/b6, etc. for black. White does the best he can to keep black passive, but it's difficult to actually obtain a tangible advantage. Despite black's unassuming approach his position harbors great potential, like a coiled spring.
The Tarrasch Defence (3. Nc3 c5)
If black wishes to obtain counterplay, hitting back in the center right away is a good bet. After the normal 4. cxd5 exd5 black will inherit an isolated d-pawn but in return gets greater mobility for his pieces. White usually answers by fianchettoing his king's bishop.
The Catalan (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3)
Developing the light squared bishop to g2 tends to lead to complicated middlegames, with rich play in the center. Black will often use the fact that the c4 pawn is temporarily undefended to gain some time for development.
The Exchange Variation (3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5)
A popular option is to play cxd5 early to force black into taking back with a pawn. This creates a somewhat inflexible pawn structure where white is generally thought to have the slightly better chances. Black has his own trumps though, such as freer play on the kingside.
---
THE SLAV
2...c6
Similar to the QGD but with some twists. Black keeps options open for his white squared bishop and introduces the idea of playing dxc4 followed by b5. This is often a very real threat which white has to take into consideration. The downside is that black is committed to the c6 move which makes challenging the center with c5 a tempo loss. Another difference with the QGD appears if white chooses to exchange on d5. In the exchange Slav the structure becomes symmetrical. Something the bear in mind.
Play often continues 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 after which black has an important choice between 4...dxc4 (Main Line), 4...e6 (Semi-Slav), 4...a6 (Chebanenko Slav) or 4... g6 (Schlechter Slav). White can also opt for a slower game by playing e3 on his 4th move (Slow Slav).
The Main Line (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4)
In this variation black tries to solve the problem of his light squared bishop. Because of the threat of b5, defending the c4-pawn, white is obliged to play 5. a4 if he wants to recapture it. Black uses this tempo to play 5... Bf5 and regain control over e4.
The Semi-Slav (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6)
Black puts up a solid and higly flexible central formation. It might not be immediately apparent but this variation leads to some of the most complicated lines in the entire Queen's Gambit complex. White generally answers 5. e3 (The Meran) or 5. Bg5, but 5. g3 is equally poisonous.
The Exchange Slav (3. cxd5 cxd5)
Despite it's reputation for being horribly dull, the exchange slav should not be underestimated. Slight missteps in the move order can sometimes lead to lost positions. White can play for an advantage without much risk, but any black player with a good strategical understanding should welcome this change in structure.
The Noteboom Variation (3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 dxc4)
I just wanted to alert people to this quirky variation which scores heavily for black. It leads to extremely asymmetrical positions where white has to make some difficult choices. White often adopts move orders to avoid the Noteboom altogether.
---
THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED
2...dxc4
Black concedes the center in return for free development. Consequently piece play tends to play a larger role than in the QGD and Slav. As so often is the case, black wants to challenge the center with c5, but if he doesn't time this counter correctly he runs the risk of ending up in a passive position. It should be noted that black, unlike in the King's Gambit, is ill advised to try to hang on to the pawn. The QGA has a solid reputation but might be a bit trickier to play than the QGD, because of black's lack of central control.
White has three main choices, 3.Nf3, 3.e3 and 3.e4, but 3.Nc3 and 3.Qa4+ is also seen from time to time.
The Main Line (3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3)
For a long time this has been the main battleground of the QGA. White plays Nf3 to stop black from playing e5 and then continues by simply regaining the pawn by Bxc4, gaining a nice tempo for development. Black's main approach is to expand on the queenside with c5, a6 and b5 and then develop his light squared bishop on b7. Another good option is to pin the white knight with 4.Bg4.
After black takes cxd4 white usually takes back with a pawn, obtaining an isolated queen's pawn. White often plays for initiative in the center, trying to get in the d5 break, and on the kingside, combined with undermining black's queenside expansion with a4.
The Exchange French, wait what?! (3.e3 e5 4.Bxc4 exd4)
If white doesn't play Nf3 black's best choice is supposed to be to strike back in the center immediately with 3...e5, and important theme to remember. As 4.dxe5 is pointless (black exchanges queens and either wins back the pawn on e5 with Nc6 or defends the pawn on c4 with b5/Be6) this turn of events actually reaches a position from the exchange variation of the French. (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 etc.) Play opens up quickly and gets a distinct '1.e4' feel to it.
I would also like to reiterate that trying to keep your pawn with 3...b5 cannot be advised. It's not, as I've claimed in an earlier post, unplayable, but at the very least risky. (I think it was Neverness who kindly pointed this out to me. ^^) I suggest you look it up as there is a silly trap in this line, which have gifted too many white players too many points.
The Central Variation (3.e4 e5)
If white tries to grab the center with the more aggressive e4 black's best bet is again to strike with e5 to exploit white's loose central formation. White shouldn't advance with 4.d5, which just leaves the dark squares and gives black excellent counterplay with Nf6 and c6. Instead a line continues 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 after which we reach a position similar to some e4-gambits. Play gets very sharp and black needs to know his stuff.
---
THE MARSHALL DEFENCE
2...Nf6
Although often played by amateurs I would say this is one of black's worst options. After 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.Nf3! (to control e5) white will play e4 on the next move and set up a broad pawn center with gain of time. White basically gets exactly what he wants in the Queen's Gambit and black will have to fight an uphill battle against white's advantage in space and activity. However, this kind of unbalanced counterattacking style suits some players perfectly and any overconfident white player (like me) might see his center crumble swiftly.
---
THE CHIGORIN DEFENCE
2...Nc6
Black develops a piece and puts pressure on white's d-pawn, which somewhat limits his options. He cannot play 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 as the pawn on d4 is now hanging. Blocking your c-pawn is generally regarded as anti-positional in most Queen's Pawn openings, but here black aims for flexibility and dynamism rather than classical central pawn play. A typical continuation of the Chigorin is 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxd5 after which the position is greatly unbalanced. White has the long term advantage of central control and the bishop pair but black's lead in development is already getting serious. Both players can be happy with the position, although some cautious white players might go for something more circumspect.
---
THE ALBIN COUNTER GAMBIT
2...e5
This dreaded defence scores mightily at club level and has alone deterred many from playing the Queen's Gambit proper. (Often white will play Nf3 at move 2 instead, which limits his options later.) Black's idea is to answer 3.dxe5 with d4!, greatly inhibiting white's natural flow of development. He can then continue in true gambit fashion with f6 or try to regain his pawn with Ne7-g6-xe5. Long castling is common, with an all out attack on the kingside to follow.
I won't go into what white should do, but I want to point out that there is a stupifyingly devilish trap in the Albin which everyone should be aware of. If you see an underpromotion at move 7 you know you've fallen for it.
---
THE BALTIC DEFENCE
2...Bf5
This move is difficult to explain. Black's point is, believe it or not, to put pressure on white's queen's knight. Play can continue 3.cxd5 Bxb1 4. Qa4+ (Rxb1 Qa5+ winning a silly pawn) c6 5.Rxb1 and I have no idea why black should want this. Still better than the Marshall defence though.
---
THE SYMMETRICAL DEFENCE
2...c5
This defence might be better than its reputation. Mamedyarov, Piket, Smeets, among others, have played it with some success. If there is a refutation I couldn't find it. The main line is 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nc3 (!) Qa5 6. Nxd4 and white seems to have some nominal advantage. Black can vary with 3...Nf6 and we are likely to see massive exchanges in the center, leaving black with not much to play for, but perhaps not that much to fear either.
---
ALEKHINE'S VARIATION
2...g6
This move doesn't seem to have any independent importance as it is very likely to transpose to the Grunfeld Defence. (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) White should play 3.cxd5 Nf6 4.Nf3 to force black into a bad version of the Grunfeld, but this will probably have little importance below master level.
---
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to join the correspondence team!
It is the Queen's Gambit, which is characterized by the opening moves:
1. d4 d5 2. c4
This article is written not so much to give advice on how to play the opening but rather to explain very briefly what theory has to say. I want to bridge the gap between those of us who regularly checks lines in books, databases, game collections, etc. and those who find theory frightening, boring or incomprehensible. I hope this will be helpful to at least some of you. Just remember that opinions on theory differ greatly between players, and that knowledge of theory isn't that important anyway below expert level.
Any questions, corrections, additions, etc. is very much appreciated, since this is mostly written from memory.
WHAT'S THE POINT?
The Queen's Gambit dominates the so called closed games, 1. d4 d5, and for good reason. It combines activity and solidity, and serves attacking maniacs just as well as more strategically minded players.
With his second move c4 white puts pressure on black's center and threatens to play 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 after which he has a lead in development and an extra center pawn. Black should react to this threat.
Unlike most other gambits 2. c4 is not regarded as a real pawn sacrifice. There is no realistic way for black to immediately hold on to the pawn is he chooses to capture it, as long as white plays correctly. However, if white neglects to protect the pawn it may get lost later in the game.
Black has to decide whether he wants to 1) support his center, 2) give up his center, or 3) counterattack in the center.
The classical and indeed most common approach is to support the center by either 2...e6 or 2...c6. About 80% of the games continue in this way.
The usual way of giving up the center is by the simple 2...dxc4. (About 10% of the games) Others prefer the slightly dubious 2...Nf6, 2...Bf5 or 2...g6.
Counterattacking by either 2...e5 or 2...Nc6 is very popular, especially at club level, while 2...c5 seems risky.
Let's examine the moves in order of popularity:
---
THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED
2...e6
Black prepares to take back on d5 with a pawn while simultaneously aiding his kingside development. This has long been considered the most solid response and has been dubbed "The opening for the world championships" by Kasparov in his DVD on the subject. Black's aim is to strike back in the center with c5 at an appropriate moment, and if possible to exchange some pieces to free his slightly cramped position. The drawback is finding a useful role for the light square bishop, which is hemmed in by the pawn on e6.
As the QGD doesn't put much pressure on white, he has many options for developing his pieces. Very often white is simply preparing for black's central breaks with c5 or e5. He has a nominal advantage in his greater control of territory, but not much more.
The Ortodox Defence (3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7)
The super-solid tried and tested ultra-classical way of playing the Queen's Gambit. Both sides play as many logical moves as possible. The main line moves include: Nc3, Nf3, Bg5/f4, e3, Bd3, 0-0, etc. for white and Be7, Nbd7, 0-0, h6, c6/b6, etc. for black. White does the best he can to keep black passive, but it's difficult to actually obtain a tangible advantage. Despite black's unassuming approach his position harbors great potential, like a coiled spring.
The Tarrasch Defence (3. Nc3 c5)
If black wishes to obtain counterplay, hitting back in the center right away is a good bet. After the normal 4. cxd5 exd5 black will inherit an isolated d-pawn but in return gets greater mobility for his pieces. White usually answers by fianchettoing his king's bishop.
The Catalan (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3)
Developing the light squared bishop to g2 tends to lead to complicated middlegames, with rich play in the center. Black will often use the fact that the c4 pawn is temporarily undefended to gain some time for development.
The Exchange Variation (3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5)
A popular option is to play cxd5 early to force black into taking back with a pawn. This creates a somewhat inflexible pawn structure where white is generally thought to have the slightly better chances. Black has his own trumps though, such as freer play on the kingside.
---
THE SLAV
2...c6
Similar to the QGD but with some twists. Black keeps options open for his white squared bishop and introduces the idea of playing dxc4 followed by b5. This is often a very real threat which white has to take into consideration. The downside is that black is committed to the c6 move which makes challenging the center with c5 a tempo loss. Another difference with the QGD appears if white chooses to exchange on d5. In the exchange Slav the structure becomes symmetrical. Something the bear in mind.
Play often continues 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 after which black has an important choice between 4...dxc4 (Main Line), 4...e6 (Semi-Slav), 4...a6 (Chebanenko Slav) or 4... g6 (Schlechter Slav). White can also opt for a slower game by playing e3 on his 4th move (Slow Slav).
The Main Line (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4)
In this variation black tries to solve the problem of his light squared bishop. Because of the threat of b5, defending the c4-pawn, white is obliged to play 5. a4 if he wants to recapture it. Black uses this tempo to play 5... Bf5 and regain control over e4.
The Semi-Slav (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6)
Black puts up a solid and higly flexible central formation. It might not be immediately apparent but this variation leads to some of the most complicated lines in the entire Queen's Gambit complex. White generally answers 5. e3 (The Meran) or 5. Bg5, but 5. g3 is equally poisonous.
The Exchange Slav (3. cxd5 cxd5)
Despite it's reputation for being horribly dull, the exchange slav should not be underestimated. Slight missteps in the move order can sometimes lead to lost positions. White can play for an advantage without much risk, but any black player with a good strategical understanding should welcome this change in structure.
The Noteboom Variation (3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 dxc4)
I just wanted to alert people to this quirky variation which scores heavily for black. It leads to extremely asymmetrical positions where white has to make some difficult choices. White often adopts move orders to avoid the Noteboom altogether.
---
THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED
2...dxc4
Black concedes the center in return for free development. Consequently piece play tends to play a larger role than in the QGD and Slav. As so often is the case, black wants to challenge the center with c5, but if he doesn't time this counter correctly he runs the risk of ending up in a passive position. It should be noted that black, unlike in the King's Gambit, is ill advised to try to hang on to the pawn. The QGA has a solid reputation but might be a bit trickier to play than the QGD, because of black's lack of central control.
White has three main choices, 3.Nf3, 3.e3 and 3.e4, but 3.Nc3 and 3.Qa4+ is also seen from time to time.
The Main Line (3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3)
For a long time this has been the main battleground of the QGA. White plays Nf3 to stop black from playing e5 and then continues by simply regaining the pawn by Bxc4, gaining a nice tempo for development. Black's main approach is to expand on the queenside with c5, a6 and b5 and then develop his light squared bishop on b7. Another good option is to pin the white knight with 4.Bg4.
After black takes cxd4 white usually takes back with a pawn, obtaining an isolated queen's pawn. White often plays for initiative in the center, trying to get in the d5 break, and on the kingside, combined with undermining black's queenside expansion with a4.
The Exchange French, wait what?! (3.e3 e5 4.Bxc4 exd4)
If white doesn't play Nf3 black's best choice is supposed to be to strike back in the center immediately with 3...e5, and important theme to remember. As 4.dxe5 is pointless (black exchanges queens and either wins back the pawn on e5 with Nc6 or defends the pawn on c4 with b5/Be6) this turn of events actually reaches a position from the exchange variation of the French. (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 etc.) Play opens up quickly and gets a distinct '1.e4' feel to it.
I would also like to reiterate that trying to keep your pawn with 3...b5 cannot be advised. It's not, as I've claimed in an earlier post, unplayable, but at the very least risky. (I think it was Neverness who kindly pointed this out to me. ^^) I suggest you look it up as there is a silly trap in this line, which have gifted too many white players too many points.
The Central Variation (3.e4 e5)
If white tries to grab the center with the more aggressive e4 black's best bet is again to strike with e5 to exploit white's loose central formation. White shouldn't advance with 4.d5, which just leaves the dark squares and gives black excellent counterplay with Nf6 and c6. Instead a line continues 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 after which we reach a position similar to some e4-gambits. Play gets very sharp and black needs to know his stuff.
---
THE MARSHALL DEFENCE
2...Nf6
Although often played by amateurs I would say this is one of black's worst options. After 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.Nf3! (to control e5) white will play e4 on the next move and set up a broad pawn center with gain of time. White basically gets exactly what he wants in the Queen's Gambit and black will have to fight an uphill battle against white's advantage in space and activity. However, this kind of unbalanced counterattacking style suits some players perfectly and any overconfident white player (like me) might see his center crumble swiftly.
---
THE CHIGORIN DEFENCE
2...Nc6
Black develops a piece and puts pressure on white's d-pawn, which somewhat limits his options. He cannot play 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 as the pawn on d4 is now hanging. Blocking your c-pawn is generally regarded as anti-positional in most Queen's Pawn openings, but here black aims for flexibility and dynamism rather than classical central pawn play. A typical continuation of the Chigorin is 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxd5 after which the position is greatly unbalanced. White has the long term advantage of central control and the bishop pair but black's lead in development is already getting serious. Both players can be happy with the position, although some cautious white players might go for something more circumspect.
---
THE ALBIN COUNTER GAMBIT
2...e5
This dreaded defence scores mightily at club level and has alone deterred many from playing the Queen's Gambit proper. (Often white will play Nf3 at move 2 instead, which limits his options later.) Black's idea is to answer 3.dxe5 with d4!, greatly inhibiting white's natural flow of development. He can then continue in true gambit fashion with f6 or try to regain his pawn with Ne7-g6-xe5. Long castling is common, with an all out attack on the kingside to follow.
I won't go into what white should do, but I want to point out that there is a stupifyingly devilish trap in the Albin which everyone should be aware of. If you see an underpromotion at move 7 you know you've fallen for it.
---
THE BALTIC DEFENCE
2...Bf5
This move is difficult to explain. Black's point is, believe it or not, to put pressure on white's queen's knight. Play can continue 3.cxd5 Bxb1 4. Qa4+ (Rxb1 Qa5+ winning a silly pawn) c6 5.Rxb1 and I have no idea why black should want this. Still better than the Marshall defence though.
---
THE SYMMETRICAL DEFENCE
2...c5
This defence might be better than its reputation. Mamedyarov, Piket, Smeets, among others, have played it with some success. If there is a refutation I couldn't find it. The main line is 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nc3 (!) Qa5 6. Nxd4 and white seems to have some nominal advantage. Black can vary with 3...Nf6 and we are likely to see massive exchanges in the center, leaving black with not much to play for, but perhaps not that much to fear either.
---
ALEKHINE'S VARIATION
2...g6
This move doesn't seem to have any independent importance as it is very likely to transpose to the Grunfeld Defence. (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) White should play 3.cxd5 Nf6 4.Nf3 to force black into a bad version of the Grunfeld, but this will probably have little importance below master level.
---
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to join the correspondence team!
