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Train this openingAbout this opening
White develops the knight before committing the c-pawn, keeping the London, the Colle and a transposition to the Queen's Gambit all available. Nf6 is the most played reply here and mirrors the flexibility. Nc6 is nearly as popular but blocks your own c-pawn, which is the move most likely to cause you trouble later, because c5 is the break that frees this structure. Bf5 and Bg4 are the moves worth knowing: getting the light-squared bishop outside the pawn chain before you play e6 solves the one problem that queen's pawn openings usually give Black.
Plans
- Play Nf6 and stay as flexible as White is.
- Get the light-squared bishop out before a pawn on e6 shuts it in.
- Keep the c-pawn free so you can break with c5.
- Castle short and meet a central push by holding the middle.
Where the pieces belong
- Bishop: f5, outside the chain before the position closes
- Knight: f6, covering e4
- Pawn: c5, the break that frees your game
- Pawn: e6, played after the bishop is already out
- Knight: d7, keeping the c-pawn free to advance
Quiet and flexible, usually transposing into a London or a Queen's Gambit. Get the light-squared bishop out early and Black's usual problem in these structures never appears.
Variations
Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense, Pseudo-Slav
Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c6
Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack, Euwe Variation, Modern Line
c6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bh4 Qb6