Good morning everybody.
I have a couple of questions regarding the Queen gambit (playing white).
Since I’m a complete rookie, they can be stupid, but I’d like to know the opinion of more expert players.
A) Would you develop / exchange your dark squares bishop before moving e2 – e3? I’d say “YES”, but if no black knights is that kind to be pinned by Bg5, I only feel I’m losing a lot of moves to retreat my bishop from opponent’s advancing pawns. Am I right?
B) This one is a very general question. When Black accept the gambit, I usually develop by attacking the offending pawn, and it usually leads to position with a lot of options (perhaps because me and my opponent are doing a lot of mistakes ) but if black refuses the gambit, once I’m satisfied with my development, should I play cxd5? I open a file for my rooks, I get rid of a opponent central pawn…but I don’t know exactly where I’m going. I know this choice strongly depends from the actual position, but if both opponent play by the book, what is/are the best option for white?
Thank you everybody.
Luca.
A) I usually develop the dark squared bishop before playing e3, unless the position does not allow me
B) You can play cxd5 even early on, provided it's taken by the e pawn. If your opponent takes with the e pawn, all you have to do is play Rab1, b4, a4 and b5, attacking the pawn on c6. Black will be either left with an isolated d pawn or backwards c pawn. Cheers.
Well, to explain the basic ideas of QG including the minority attack is a bit tough. You cannot say this and that is good and bad.
There‘s a reason why „open games“ (1.e4) are recommended for complete rookies.
The Queen's Gambit is a very big family of openings, with the Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA, 2...dxc4), the Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD, 2...e6, several variations), the Catalan (2...e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3), the Slav (2...c6), the semi-Slav (where Black plays e6 and c6), the Chigorin Defense (2...Nc6), the Tarrasch Defense (2...e6 3.Nc3 c5), the Baltic Defense (2...Bf5), the Albin countergambit (2...e5), the Marshall Defense (2...Nf6?!), the Austrian Defense (2...c5?!) and maybe some that I forget. You will also transpose to those lines if you play 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 followed by 3.c4. So it's going to be difficult to give general answers to your questions, but let's try anyway.
1) In the QGA, the safest line for White involves e3 before developing the dark square bishop : 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3. There are other lines as well (3.e4 is a major alternative, keeping the diagonal open for the bishop).
In the QGD, it is usually inferior to lock in the dark square bishop. To answer your 2nd question at the same time, here are the main lines with cxd5 :
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4
And here are some lines, equally playable, without cxd5 :
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.e3 (with h6 or Nbd7)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 h6 (with 6.Bh4 Ne4 or 6.Bxf6 Bxf6)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5
And in between, the Ragozin (where White can play cxd5 or not):
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bb4 (5.Bg5 dxc4 or 5.cxd5 exd5)
In the Slav and semi-Slav, the dark square bishop sometimes stays for a long time on c1.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 (the Merano variations)
But you can also have the move Bg5 in the semi-Slav :
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 (with dxc4 or h6)
In the Tarrasch, the bishop can develop on g5 or on b2, but the e-pawn will often remain on e2 for quite some time :
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 and now 9.Bg5 or 9.b3 have been played.
Basically, you will have a choice about your dark square bishop in most openings derived from the Queen's Gambit family, but for some of them it is better to play Bg5 or Bf4 before playing e3.
2) The exchange cxd5 is an option against almost all Black's defenses in the Queen's Gambit family. It is never compulsory, but sometimes it's the best way to gain an advantage.
In the QGD, the best move order for White if he wants to play cxd5 is 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5. Earlier or later on, it doesn't work so well. The main argument for this move order is that you combine the pin on the f6 knight with the development Nge2 which gives you the option of the central pawn roller (f3-e4). That's why Black often plays 3...Be7 instead of 3...Nf6 nowadays. Then 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 is playable for both sides.
In the Slav, 3.cxd5 cxd5 is considered dull and drawish but annoying for Black who doesn't get the slightest winning chance. This might be true at the top level, but at our level it's just as good and instructive as anything else. Planlessness will be punished on either side. It's not better than other variations, it's a choice in White's hands. 3.Nf3 with 4.Nc3 or with 4.Qc2 is equally playable.
In the Baltic, 3.cxd5 is considered as the main try for an advantage, after which the exchange 3...Bxb1 is almost forced.
In the Chigorin, you can play 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 or 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 e5 or 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 (5.dxc6 or 5.gxf3). These lines are not theoretically superior to another line without cxd5 : 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e4 Bg4 6.Be3 followed by Bxc4. It is a matter of choice (for both players when White chooses 3.Nc3, as Black can then allow a later cxd5 or not).
Actually, the development of the dark square bishop and the exchange cxd5 are the main choices in White's hands in all the openings derived from the Queen's Gambit. It is a good sign that you raised these questions, it means you felt intuitively something very important about 1.d4 openings as a whole.
You don't have to follow the same path against all Black's responses. You may want to play Bg5 in the QGD but 5.e3 in the semi-Slav. You may want to play cxd5 in the Chigorin but avoid it in the Slav. These are matters of taste. Varying your choices will make you avoid the worst mistake as a developing player : playing the opening on "autopilot".
@A-Cielbleu Very interesting answer, a lot of things to be studied. Thanks for the nice words regarding my intuition about 1.d4 openings, but they're nearly a need: being absolutely bad in combination (1 out of 3 of my blunder are just situation I don't exploit because I don't see the right combination) I "save" myself by being better in highlighting oppponent weak spots. Exploiting them is another story :)
I'll also make treasure about your suggestion not to play openings "automatically". I already lost some occasion by playing that way...
Replies to A, slightly going off-topic:
If you pin or attack a knight, make sure you have a good reason to do so. In the Ruy Lopez, you can gain a tempo and use it as a developing move, because you can exchange and weaken your opponent's control over the center.
Otherwise, if you are not considering trading bishop for knight, don't attack the knight! If you don't trade, you will be attacked and lose a tempo.
I used to believe that pinning the knight was a good move, and whenever I was attacked I would take the knight, weakening my opponent. I'd say this was fine but only if I could strengthen my center.
I pinned knights if pawns attacked the squares such as c4 for developing, but I've found that while the kingside bishop can be strong, the queenside bishop can simply be developed on a flank and be far-range, influencing several pieces and the position.
I usually only fianchetto one bishop, but sometimes fianchettoing two is OK, perhaps even giving you an advantage. The main drawback is that it takes two moves to develop the bishop. I see this as less of a problem is the flank pawn being pushed is also attacking or defending.
I bookmarked this thread because of A's reply. Great stuff, I review it occasionally because I prefer Queen's Gambit openings. or a Reti transposition into a QG opening :)
@InnateAluminum (#6)
(By A meaning question A of course)
There are also other plans. Kasparov won some games with cxd5 exd5 and then Nc3, Qc2, Bg5, o-o-o, e3, Bd3, Nge2, g4, h4.
:O I meant A-Cielbleu, haha.
