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Is there a reasonable way for me to start with 1.d4 and be able to push (without gambitting) the e-pawn to e4. I am happy to do this without playing c4 first, and also it is ok if I get this pawn exchanged with Black's d-pawn (or f-pawn) as long as I get a piece (say the knight from c3) to recapture on e4.

Basically, I want my pawn on d4 and my knight on e4.

Is there any logical move order to (almost) force this?

Why is it somehow easier to do this with e and d switched: push 1.e4, 2.Nf3, then push d4.

  1. the reason I don’t want 1.e4 version is that I want to end up with a pawn on d4 rather than on e4.
  2. 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 and now I have neither c4 nor e4 pushes. I like the look of this opening but with White I get nothing or even am often worse.
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    1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5!
    – David
    Commented Jan 7, 2023 at 15:21
  • 3 ... Nbd7 and black is at least equal - The stats on the Lichess master's database have white winning 26%, draws 37% and black winning 37%. Chess is a two player game - if black really wants to stop your plan you will have to find another way of furthering your evil intentions, and that is by exploiting the downside of whatever black has played. No opening can be played with total disregard for the other side, even the London system.
    – Ian Bush
    Commented Jan 7, 2023 at 20:14
  • @IanBush Agreed. It seems like there is no satisfactory way to achieve e4 after 1.d4 unless Black allows it. So, Scotch is for now an attractive option for me to achieve what I call ''a center with 1 pawn and one piece.''
    – user13438
    Commented Jan 7, 2023 at 22:31
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    @IanBush the games that make those stats arise contain many inaccurate moves by White. For example the most common continuation is 4.Nf3 (which deviates from the plan of pushing e4 entirely). 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 may not be the most challenging opening White can play, but it's more complicated than finding one position where Black scores well and call it a day.
    – David
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 10:44

2 Answers 2

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I haven't played or studied it myself, but White's aim in the Colle System is to play e4 after due preparation starting with 1. d4. Quoting Wikipedia:

The Colle System, also known as the Colle-Koltanowski System, is a chess opening system for White, popularized in the 1920s by the Belgian master Edgard Colle and further developed by George Koltanowski. Quoting Wikipedia:

The Colle is characterized by several moves. White's center pawns are developed to d4 and e3, the king's knight is developed to f3, the king's bishop is developed to d3, and the queen bishop's pawn (c-pawn) is developed to c3. Common continuations include development of the queen's knight to d2 (Nbd2) and kingside castling (0-0). A major theme of the Colle System is the ambition to play a well-timed e4, where the square is defended by the bishop at d3, the knight at d2 (following Nbd2), and possibly the rook at e1 (following 0-0 and Re1). Although sometimes described as a specific sequence of moves, the Colle System is not a fixed line of play, but rather a system for White where the moves may be permuted at the player's discretion. When a game opens with most or all of the above moves, to the exclusion of moves which typify other openings, the game may be described as "a Colle System".

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    Wanted to suggest the London system. The Colle is also working. He can't force E4 in the opening, so this best bet would be to go with the Colle or London system and play for the e3-e4 break in the middlegame
    – Hauptideal
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 16:41
  • Thank you. It definitely meets the criteria. Never crossed my mind, as Colle has this negative connotations with it. But I will give it a try.
    – user13438
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 18:25
  • I love the colle system, its like the london but the plans feel more fluid, very nice for lower rated players
    – brekker
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 3:17
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There is a standard opening which has your idea as one of the ideas of the opening. That is the Veresov opening. Basically white starts with the moves d4, Nc3, Bg5 and then at some stage the move Qd3 or the pawn move f3 prepares the e4 push.

Here is the 2014 game Nakamura - Karjakin where Nakamura achieved e4 followed by Nxe4 on move 10. Annotations are by YouTuber Kingscrusher. You can see his video covering this game here.

[Title "Nakamura - Karjakin, Baku 2014"]
[fen ""]
[Startply "19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 Nbd7 4. Qd3 (4. Nf3 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. Re1 b6 9. e4) 4... c5 (4... c6) 5. O-O-O (5. dxc5 e6 6. O-O-O Qc7 7. Nh3 a6 8. Kb1 Bxc5) (5. Bxf6 Nxf6 6. dxc5 e6 7. e4 Nxe4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Qxe4 Bxc5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 (10... Kf8) 11. O-O-O) 5... c4 6. Qg3 (6. Qf3 e6 (6... Qa5 7. e4 Nxe4) 7. e4) 6... Qa5 (6... a6 7. e4 b5 8. Nxd5 Nxd5 9. exd5) (6... e6 7. Nb5 h6 8. Nc7+ Ke7 9. Qa3+) 7. e4 (7. Nf3 b5 8. e3 b4 9. Ne2 Ne4 10. Qh3 Qxa2) 7... b5 (7... dxe4 8. Bxc4) (7... e6 8. exd5 exd5 (8... Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. Kb1) 9. Re1+ Be7 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. Qxg7) 8. Kb1 (8. exd5 b4 9. Nb1 (9. Nce2 Qxa2) 9... Qxa2 10. Nf3 c3 11. bxc3 Ne4 12. Qf4 bxc3) (8. Nxd5 Nxd5 9. exd5 Qxa2) 8... dxe4 (8... Nxe4 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Ne2 b4) (8... e6 9. exd5 b4 10. dxe6 fxe6 11. Re1 bxc3 12. Rxe6+ Kd8 13. Bxc4) 9. Bxf6 gxf6 (9...exf6 10. Nd5 (10. Nxe4 Be7 (10... Bb7 11. Nc3)) 10... Rb8 11. f3 exf3 12. Nxf3 Bb7 13. Nf4) (9... Nxf6 10. Qe5 Ng4 11. Qxe4 Rb8) 10. Nxe4 (10. Nd5 Rb8 11. Nc7+ Kd8 12. Nd5 Bb7) 10... Bb7 11. Nc5 (11. Nc3 b4) (11. d5 Bxd5 12. Rxd5 (12. Qe3 Bxe4 13. Qxe4 Rc8 14. Ne2 Qb6 15. g3 e6 16. Bg2 b4 17. Nd4 Nc5 18. Qe2 Na4 19. Qg4 Nc3+ 20. bxc3 bxc3+ 21. Nb3 Bh6) 12... Qe1+) (11. f3 Rc8) 11... Nxc5 (11... Bc6) 12. dxc5 Rc8 (12... e6 13. Nh3 Bxc5 14. Qg7 Rf8 15. Nf4) 13. Be2 (13. Nf3 Rxc5 14. Be2 Qc7) 13... Qc7 14. Qh3 (14. f4 Qxc5 15. Nf3) 14... Bg7 (14... Qxc5 15. Qd7#) 15. Bf3 Bxf3 16. Nxf3 e6 (16... O-O 17. Rd7 (17. Nd4) 17... Qxc5) 17. Rhe1 O-O 18. Rd4 Qxc5 19. Rg4 Rfd8 (19... c3 20. Qh6) (19...Kh8) (19... f5 20. Rg3 Kh8) 20. Qh6 Qf8 21. Qxf6 Kh8 22. Qf4 Rd5 (22... Qb4 23. Rxg7 Qxe1+ 24. Nxe1 Rd1+ 25. Qc1 Rxc1+ 26. Kxc1 Kxg7) 23. Ng5 Rf5 24. Qe3 Rd8 25. Rh4 (25. Re4 c3 26. bxc3 Qa3 27. c4 Qb2#) 25... Kg8 26. Rg4 (26. Rxh7 Rxg5 (26... Re5 27. Qc1 Rxg5 28. Qxg5 Kxh7)) (26. Nxh7 Qb4 27. c3 Qa4 (27... Bxc3 28. Qxc3) 28. Rc1 b4 29. Rxc4 (29. cxb4 Qxb4 30. Qe2 Rd2) 29... Kxh7) 26... h5 27. Re4 (27. Rg3 Re5 28. Qc1 Rxe1 29. Qxe1 Qb4 30. c3 (30. Qxb4 Rd1#) (30. Qc1 Rd1 31. c3 Qd6) 30... Qa4 31. Kc1 Qxa2 32. Nf3 Qa1+ 33. Kc2 Qa4+ 34. Kc1 b4) 27... Qb4 (27... Rfd5 28. Rc1 c3 29. bxc3 Rc8) 28. c3 (28. Qc1 Rxg5 29. c3 Qc5) (28. b3 Rfd5 29. c3 Bxc3) 28... Bxc3 29. Qxc3 Qxc3 30. bxc3 Rxg5 31. g3 Kg7 32. Kc2 Rd3 33. f4 (33. h4 Rf5 34. f4 Rxg3) 33... Rgd5 34. R1e2 Kf6 35. a4 (35. a3 h4 36. gxh4 Rf3 37. Rd4 Rxd4 38. cxd4 Rxf4 (38... Rxa3)) 35... a6 36. Rf2 Kf5 37. Re5+ Rxe5 38. fxe5+ Kg6 (38... Kxe5 39. Rxf7 h4) 39. a5 (39. Rf6+ Kg7 40. Rf2 Re3) 39... Rd5 40. Re2 Kf5 41. Rf2+ Kg6 (41... Kxe5 42. Rxf7 Ke4 43. Ra7) 42. Re2 Rd3 43. Re4 Rf3 44. Rd4 Rf2+ 45. Kb1 Rxh2 46. Rd6 Rg2 47. Rxa6 Rxg3 48. Kb2 b4 49. cxb4 (49. Rb6 Rg2+ 50. Kb1 h4 51. Rxb4 h3 52. Rb2) 49... Rb3+ 50. Ka2 Rxb4 51. Ka3 Rb5 52. Ka4 Rc5 53. Rb6 (53. Kb4 c3 54. Kxc5 c2) 53... c3 54. Rb1 c2 55. Rc1 h4 56. a6 h3 57. a7 Rc8 58. Kb5 h2 59. Kb6 Rh8 (59... Kf5 60. Rxc2 Rxc2 (60... h1=Q 61. Rxc8) 61. a8=Q) 60. Rh1 Kf5 0-1
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  • I have attempted such openings by white. This is often what happens: White's play is just weird and clumsy. Unless Black is completely passive, he/she can find faster counter offensives, as happened in the game.
    – user13438
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 10:53

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