Questions tagged [1.d4]
1. d4 is one of White's two most common first moves. It tends to produce closed games.
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London system move order nuances Qb6 without Nc6
In the London system, playing early Nd2 is recommended to react against Qb6. For example if we take this move order
[FEN ""]
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nd2 Qb6 6....
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How good is this unnamed White opening system? d4, Nf3, e3, c4, Nc3 (in some order)
White is playing a QGD Tarrasch with colors reversed.
It's a bit like the Colle except that White plays a little bit more ambitiously, by moving his c-Pawn to c4 rather than to c3, and by developing ...
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How to avoid QGD/Slav lines as black against 1.d4?
I have come to be a bit sick of Queen's Gambit Declined/Slav Defense type positions as black. But I struggle to find anything to play against 1.d4 which doesn't soon transpose into that.
It seems ...
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Achieving e4 pawn push after 1.d4 opening
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 ...
user13438
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Why after 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 is so common but after 1. c4 Nf6, 2. d4 is so rare?
I am using Lichess's master database and after 1. d4 Nf6, 71.63% of the game continues with 2. c4. However, after 1. c4 Nf6, only 5.22% of the game continues with 2. d4. Are they not essentially the ...
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Poison Qb2 and prerequisites for Vaganian
What does black achieve with 1.d4 c6?
Contributor mentions 1. d4 c6 2. Bf4 Qb6. Database shows few such openings, all responding 3.b3 with white winning no matches. Should white offer Qxb2 poison? ...
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Rep Suggestions for Petrosian System in Gruenfeld
I was wondering what people suggest against the Petrosian System in the Gruenfeld. I'm "club strength" and am just starting to learn the Gruenfeld. I'm especially curious about this c5-b5-...
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Why are side pawns better than center pawns in this position?
So center pawns are usually regarded as more powerful than side pawns, which is why I have a question about this position.
After 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c5 the engine and theory recommend playing 3. e3 to ...
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Looking for a defense against 1.d4
I wanted to learn a good opening against 1.d4 that does not involve the second move being 1...d5. I personally don't like symmetric positions very much. To give you an idea of the type of openings I ...
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I cannot for the life of me settle on some openings for black [closed]
I've started to pick chess back up after a few years where I wasn't playing. (~1750 rating) I can't figure out what to play as black against either d4 or e4
For a long time, I've been very happy with ...
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Aggressive response to 1.d4? [duplicate]
As black, against 1.d4, which aggressive response do I have?
I looked at queen's gambit accepted, queen's gambit declined, king's Indian defence and the Slav defence. But all of this options appear to ...
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Why is the Budapest Defense considered not fully sound or even dubious? What theoretical difficulties arise for Black?
[fen ""]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 (4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3) (4. e4 Nxe5 5. f4) (4. e3 Nxe5 5. Nh3)
White can choose from multiple setups, most common are 4. Bf4, 4. Nf3, 4. e4 or even ...
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Why does Black want to trade off their King's Bishop in many d4 lines?
I feel that in many lines starting with d4, such as the Queen's Gambit Declined, or especially the Nimzo-Indian, Black is more than happy to trade their King's Bishop for White's knight on c3. For ...
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Achieving Catalan-like structure against Slav response
Being primarily a 1. d4 player, I often face Slav defense. However, I have much more experience and understanding of Catalan structures and would like to get something similar against the Slav ...
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Ideas and tactics behind the 4.h4 (or 5.h4) attack vs. the Gruenfeld?
What are the main ideas and tactical themes behind the early h2-h4 attack vs. the Gruenfeld? I mean, the 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.h4 (or 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h4, which seems to me a fairly related line) ...
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Move orders in the 6.Qc2 Anti-Meran Semi-Slav
After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 White can play the so-called Shabalov-Shirov Gambit with 7.g4!? on the grounds that 7...Nxg4 allows 8.Rg1 and the important g7 Pawn is ...
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Why doesn't white take after 8..c5 in the Grünfeld, Spassky variation?
I was looking through the titular variation and am confused why there are no master games with 9.dxc5. Is it simply because white doesn't want to give up the central pawn, even if they can gain a ...
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Difference between 7. Qc2 vs 7. Qa4 in the Catalan
This is a position from the main tabia of Catalan Opening:
[FEN "rnbq1rk1/ppp1bppp/4pn2/8/2pP4/5NP1/PP2PPBP/RNBQ1RK1 w - - 0 7"]
[StartPly "12"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6....
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Why not 1.d4 Nf6 2.d5?
Why isn't 1.d4 Nf6 2.d5 a good move? It gains space in the center. As beginners we are told that after 1.d4, 1...d5 directly opposes White's ambitions in the center, stopping d4-d5 (similarly, in some ...
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Why is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bg5 almost never played?
Why is
[fen ""]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bg5
almost never played? Isn't it a logical opening move? OK, it goes against the rule of "Knights before Bishops in the Opening", but is a general rule ...
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Why is 7 Bd3 in the Cambridge Springs QGD more often met with 7...Ne4 than 7...dxc4?
My question relates the Cambridge Springs QGD when Black deviates from the main line by playing the well-known inaccuracy 7 Bd3.
[FEN "..."]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 c6 6. ...
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Who revitalized 5. Bf4 vs the Queen's Gambit Declined?
It seems to me that after the popular move order
[fen ""]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7
the most popular option - at least at top GM level - is currently 5. Bf4. Yet, back in the 1980s ...
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What are the main plans for black and white in the main-line Slav after 5...Bf5 6.e3?
I'm thinking about adding the Slav defense to my opening repertoire. I'm looking at the following line, which I believe is the main line:
[fen ""]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 ...
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Move-order issue in the Grunfeld: ...Nc6-a5 vs ...Nc6-e7
My question relates to certain lines given by Avrukh (2018).
[FEN "..."]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3 e5 9. d5
Here 9...Ne7 is the most popular ...
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King's Indian move order
Isn't 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 (Old Indian Defense) a more flexible move-order than 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 (King's Indian Defense)?
I don't see why any Black player who wants to play the King's Indian would ...
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On the Mason Attack
What are the main points, tactical or otherwise, backing up the Mason Attack?
I got the idea reading about the London System, but the Lichess engine calls it "Mason Attack". It starts out as follows:
...
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What's the best answer to 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.a3?
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.a3, what is the best reply?
Assuming that I, as Black, am a Nimzo-Indian Player, there is no hope for a Nimzo now. Would you go for 3...d5 (QGD with no particularly useful a3 ...
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What are good sources to learn the Torre Attack?
I am particularly interested in the Torre Attack against the King's Indian formation. What dvd or books, etc. are good, or is it best to dig up old games and Chess Informants?
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Black's reply against anti-Grünfeld (3.d5)
This is not the most famous anti-Grünfeld out there, but the move 3. d5 is a bit unconfortable for a Grünfeld player, at least for me.
Main moves are 3...Bg7 and 3...c6 challenging the d5 pawn right ...
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Plan against QGD Janowski variation (3...a6)
This is the so called Janowski variation of the QGD is the following
[FEN ""]
[StartPly "6"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 a6
It's quite rare, even if sometimes played at top level.
White usually ...
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Modified move-order in the KID 4. ..0-0. What is the point and how to react?
A main line in the King's Indian Defense is this 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6. However, black could castle instead of d6:
[FEN " "]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O
Is this a more-...
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What's the problem with the Austrian Defense? [duplicate]
So, I looked on the lichess analysis board and played around with it for a while, and I couldn't find any reason why 2...c5 isn't considered an accurate response to 1 d4 d5 2 c4. Does anyone know why ...
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What to play vs. 1. d4 when Sicilian is my favorite defense?
I've been playing chess since my childhood however just recently got into chess very seriously and my online balance was approx. 90-60 out of 150 games and then I lost 25 games due to a broken phone. ...
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Looking for way to “punish” the d5 push after 1. d4 Nf6
All is said in the title. I find the move 2. d5 after 1. d4 Nf6 pretty annoying even if it's probably not a great move. What are suitable moves to "punish” this opening play? I will add that I am ...
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Does 1) d4 Nc6 have a name?
1) e4 Nc6 is Nimzowitch Defence.
The 1) d4 Nf6 defences are classed as Indian Systems (King's Indian, Queen's Indian, Bogo Indian, Old Indian, etc.) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Defence
...
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Strongest / most aggressive 1. d4 openings
I'm curious to know what are some of the 1. d4 openings (Queen's Pawn), especially if they are highly agressive and/or are regularly used at higher GM level of play.
I really want to learn all I can ...
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Tarrasch defense with 6. dxc5
Chesstempo database gives white over 65% in all the variations after 6. dxc5 (130 games with both players 2200+). It has been used by Anand and Ivanchuk. So why the main line 6. g3 is way (2800+ games ...
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Why is the g3 and Bg2 set up so strong vs the Dutch?
Why is the g3 and Bg2 plan so strong vs the Dutch? For example, in other main openings (KID, Gruenfeld, Queen's Gambit, Queen's Indian) it's just an alternative to the "classical" systems, those with ...
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What are the ideas behind the Blackmar-Diemer gambit?
I have a new chess student who likes risky openings. We conducted an exercise where we played the first 4 or 5 moves to see which openings come naturally to him. He chose the Scandinavian Defence and ...
user1108
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How to play against the Noteboom variation?
In online games I sometimes have this happen:
[fen ""]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nc3 dxc4
and Black plays the famous "Noteboom variation". I checked my database and I have in fact lost every ...
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The Borg against d4?
Until recently, I played the London System, which served be well and was very solid, but every game I played was very similar and dull.
However, I have now started playing "Grob's Attack" as white, ...
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Which variation of the Grunfeld Defense for White will lead to the most strategic and least sharp position?
[fen ""]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5, which variation of the Grunfeld Defense leads to the most solid and strategic position? If possible, I prefer a variation ...
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After 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6, should White play 3. cxd5?
I play the Exchange variation as White when Black plays 2...e6 against the Queen's Gambit. Should I play 3. cxd5 to avoid the transpoition to the Slav 3. Nc3 (hoping for 3...Nf6 4. cxd5) c6!?
[FEN ""]...
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Why is 2...e6 the most common move after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4, but not after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3?
This is the case on the Chesstempo database, and the Chessbase database.
I don't understand why. Wouldn't people who favour Nimzo-type setups play 2...e6 against both moves, and people who favour ...
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Why is it said that beginning with 1. Nf3 2. c4 avoids the Benoni but beginning with 1. d4 2. c4 does not?
I have read a lot of messages on different Forums about the merits of beginning with 1.Nf3 or beginning with 1.d4.
And a very big number of people said essentially this:
One of the advantages of ...
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Can the Nc3+e3 Chebanenko Slav, the Exchange Slav and the 4...Bg4 Slow Slav transpose into each other?
I would like to know if the following three variations can transpose into each other?
The Nc3+e3 Chebanenko Slav: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6
The Exchange Slav: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 ...
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In the Slav, after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6, what are all the differences between 4. Qc2 and 4. Qb3?
In the Slav, after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 :
What are all the differences between 4. Qc2 and 4. Qb3 ?
Which one of them is better to reach some Catalan type positions?
Which one of them tends ...
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Openings vs 1. d4
So, I played quite a bit a few years ago, at the 1500-1600 level, and now I'm getting back into things a bit. I figured I'd use the chance to shore up my opening repertoire.
At the moment, I play 1. ...
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Suitable defence for 1.d4
I am a 1900 (approximately) and still get depressed every time my white opponent opens with 1.d4. I just don't seem to find my way with this opening. Currently i play nimzo and QID but both are quite ...
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e3 vs e4 in 1.d4 openings
In some openings, like Nimzo-Indian, the usual e-pawn move is e3, while in openings like the KID, White can play e4.
Is there some guidelines to know when you can play e2-e4?
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