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The Queen's Pawn Opening: The Solid Strategic Foundation in Chess

#2

"The picture is created by AI, I can't change it"

  • You surely can ask AI for a correct 8*8 picture with queens and with the pawn before the queen?

"It is an indirect means for White to control the center (as opposed to 1.e4 which directly occupies the e4 - square)."

  • No. 1 d4 directly occupies central square d4 and controls central square e5, just like 1 e4 directly occupies central square e4 and controls central square d5. The main difference is that after 1 e4 white can usually follow up with d4, while after 1 d4 white often has to settle for e3.

"The endgame has a relatively weak connection with the opening."

  • Of course endgame and opening are connected.
    'the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame' - Capablanca

"White can then regain the c4-pawn through 3.e3 (preparing to recapture the pawn with Bxc4) or 3.Qa4+ (tactical pinning)." * Preferred after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 are 3 Nf3 (preventing 3...e5) and 3 e4 (occupying the center. 3 e3, 3 Nc3, 3 Qa4+ (premature queen sortie) are considered inferior.

"Slav Defense: 2...c6" * The main drawback is that 2...c6 takes away the natural square for Nb8, so black must settle for Nbd7

"Classical Defense: 2...e6" * The main drawback is that 2...e6 shuts in Bc8. Also 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cxd5 exd5 allows white to trade a wing pawn c4 for a central pawn e6.

"(1) King's Indian Defense: 2...g6" * It only becomes King's Indian Defense after 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4: after 3...d5 it is a Grünfeld Indian Defense.

"a favorite of attacking players like Kasparov." * Attacking players Bronstein, Fischer, Kasparov favored it, but Kasparov gave up on the King's Indian Defense after this loss:
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1070932

"After Black plays 2...e6, it prepares 3...b6" * That is the Queen's Indian Defense

"or 3...d5" * Transposing to the Queen's Gambit Declined

"After White plays 3.Nc3, Black plays 4...Bb4 to form the Benoni Variation" * No. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 is the Nimzovich Indian Defense. Benoni is 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5

"(3) Benko Defense: 2...c5" * 2...c5 is the Benoni. It only becomes Benkö after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 (now or later)

"One should prioritize avoiding one's own weaknesses." * Modern opinion is that it is OK to play with one weakness, be it an isolated pawn, a backward pawn, doubled pawns... as long as there is some dynamic compensation.

"It doesn't pursue the flashy tactics of an immediate opening kill." * Alekhine played some crisp attacking games with 1 d4.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1007985
Also the young Kasparov
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1069983

"The picture is created by AI, I can't change it" * You surely can ask AI for a correct 8*8 picture with queens and with the pawn before the queen? "It is an indirect means for White to control the center (as opposed to 1.e4 which directly occupies the e4 - square)." * No. 1 d4 directly occupies central square d4 and controls central square e5, just like 1 e4 directly occupies central square e4 and controls central square d5. The main difference is that after 1 e4 white can usually follow up with d4, while after 1 d4 white often has to settle for e3. "The endgame has a relatively weak connection with the opening." * Of course endgame and opening are connected. 'the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame' - Capablanca "White can then regain the c4-pawn through 3.e3 (preparing to recapture the pawn with Bxc4) or 3.Qa4+ (tactical pinning)." * Preferred after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 are 3 Nf3 (preventing 3...e5) and 3 e4 (occupying the center. 3 e3, 3 Nc3, 3 Qa4+ (premature queen sortie) are considered inferior. "Slav Defense: 2...c6" * The main drawback is that 2...c6 takes away the natural square for Nb8, so black must settle for Nbd7 "Classical Defense: 2...e6" * The main drawback is that 2...e6 shuts in Bc8. Also 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cxd5 exd5 allows white to trade a wing pawn c4 for a central pawn e6. "(1) King's Indian Defense: 2...g6" * It only becomes King's Indian Defense after 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4: after 3...d5 it is a Grünfeld Indian Defense. "a favorite of attacking players like Kasparov." * Attacking players Bronstein, Fischer, Kasparov favored it, but Kasparov gave up on the King's Indian Defense after this loss: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1070932 "After Black plays 2...e6, it prepares 3...b6" * That is the Queen's Indian Defense "or 3...d5" * Transposing to the Queen's Gambit Declined "After White plays 3.Nc3, Black plays 4...Bb4 to form the Benoni Variation" * No. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 is the Nimzovich Indian Defense. Benoni is 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 "(3) Benko Defense: 2...c5" * 2...c5 is the Benoni. It only becomes Benkö after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 (now or later) "One should prioritize avoiding one's own weaknesses." * Modern opinion is that it is OK to play with one weakness, be it an isolated pawn, a backward pawn, doubled pawns... as long as there is some dynamic compensation. "It doesn't pursue the flashy tactics of an immediate opening kill." * Alekhine played some crisp attacking games with 1 d4. https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1007985 Also the young Kasparov https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1069983
#3

Interesting that wrong chess boards with wrong piece placement shows up here as a thumbnail!

Interesting that wrong chess boards with wrong piece placement shows up here as a thumbnail!