Queen's Pawn Game
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| Moves | 1.d4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | A40–A99 D00–D99 E00–E99 |
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| Parent | Starting position | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | d4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the most general sense the term Queen's Pawn Game can refer to any chess opening which starts with the move 1.d4. It is the second most popular opening move after 1.e4. The name is usually used to describe openings beginning with 1.d4 where White does not play the Queen's Gambit. The most common Queen's Pawn Game openings are:
In the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO), strict Queen's Pawn Games (1.d4 d5) are classified in the coding series D00–D05. Other openings where Black does not play 1...d5 are named Semi-Closed Games and classified as:
In the 19th century and early 20th century, was by far the most common opening move by White (Watson 2006:87), while the different openings starting with 1.d4 were considered somewhat unusual and therefore classed together as "Queen's Pawn Game".
As the merits of 1.d4 started to be explored, it was the Queen's Gambit which was played most often—more popular than all other 1.d4 openings combined. The term "Queen's Pawn Game" was then narrowed down to any opening with 1.d4 which was not a Queen's Gambit. Eventually, through the efforts of the hypermodernists, the various Indian Defences (such as the King's Indian, Nimzo-Indian, and Queen's Indian) became more popular, and as these openings were named, the term "Queen's Pawn Game" narrowed further.
This move prevents White from establishing a full pawn centre with 2.e4. The opening usually leads to a form of Indian Defence, but can also lead to versions of the Queen's Gambit if Black plays ...d5 at some point. Since 1...Nf6 is a move that is likely to be made anyway, the move is a flexible response to White's first move. White usually plays 2.c4. Then Black usually plays 2...e6 (typically leading to the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian, or Queen's Gambit Declined), 2...g6 (leading to the King's Indian or Grünfeld Defense), or 2...c5 (leading to the Benoni Defense or Benko Gambit). Rarer tries include 2...e5 (Budapest Gambit) and 2...d6 (Old Indian Defense). Also White can play 2.Nf3 which like Black's move is not specific as to opening. A third alternative is the Trompowsky Attack with 2.Bg5.
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