Queen's Gambit: free opening course

Key ideas

• The c4 pawn attacks d5: if Black ever gives up the centre with ...dxc4, White builds a big centre with e4 or wins the pawn back with Bxc4.
• Pin the f6 knight with Bg5 to increase pressure on d5, the key square in the Queen's Gambit Declined.
• In the Carlsbad structure (after cxd5 exd5) use the minority attack: b4-b5 to create a weak pawn on c6 or d5.
• In the Accepted and the Slav, recover the c4 pawn calmly with e3 and Bxc4, then aim for an isolated d-pawn attack with d5 or Ne5.
• Against early counterattacks (Albin, Chigorin) develop fast, keep the extra pawn or the bishop pair, and don't grab material that opens your own king.

The 6 variations in the course

• QGD Orthodox (4.Bg5): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 … — The classical main line: White pins the f6 knight and develops with Rc1 and Bd3. Black frees the position with Capablanca's ...dxc4, ...Nd5 and ...e5 manoeuvre, and White keeps a small, lasting edge in space.
• QGD Exchange: the minority attack: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 Be7 … — White exchanges on d5 to fix the Carlsbad structure, develops with Qc2, Bd3 and Nf3, then advances the queenside pawns (b4-b5) against Black's c6-d5 chain.
• Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 … — Black takes on c4 and plans to return the pawn for free development. White plays Nf3, e3 and Bxc4, then after ...c5 and ...cxd4 accepts an isolated d-pawn with active pieces.
• Slav main line (4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 … — Black supports d5 with ...c6, then takes on c4 once White has committed the knight to c3. White stops ...b5 with a4, wins the pawn back with e3 and Bxc4, and aims for e4.
• Albin Countergambit (2...e5) as White: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. g3 Be6 6. Nbd2 Qd7 … — Black gambits the e-pawn and plants a pawn on d4. White develops with Nf3, g3, Bg2 and Nbd2, keeps the extra pawn on e5, and later attacks the d4 pawn.
• Chigorin Defence (2...Nc6): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. cxd5 Bxf3 5. gxf3 Qxd5 6. e3 e5 … — Black develops the knight in front of the c-pawn and plays for piece activity. White takes on d5, gets the bishop pair after ...Bxf3, and uses the centre and open g-file.

Traps you will learn (3)

• QGA: holding the pawn with ...b5 — In the Queen's Gambit Accepted Black cannot hold the c4 pawn by force. After 3...b5 4.a4 c6 5.axb5, the natural recapture ...cxb5? empties the long diagonal and Qf3 hits the a8 rook.
• Elephant trap (watch out!) — A trap for White in the QGD: the d5 pawn looks loose after cxd5 exd5, but Nxd5?? Nxd5! Bxd8 Bb4+ wins material for Black because the f6 knight was never really pinned.
• Lasker trap in the Albin (watch out!) — In the Albin Countergambit, 4.e3? lets Black open the e-file. If White then grabs the b4 bishop, ...exf2+ and the famous underpromotion ...fxg1=N+! win.

How the opening courses work

Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.

After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.