{"id":3163,"date":"2022-03-11T02:04:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T02:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/?p=3163"},"modified":"2022-07-03T10:30:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-03T10:30:14","slug":"the-queens-pawn-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/the-queens-pawn-opening\/","title":{"rendered":"The Queen\u2019s Pawn Opening: 1. d4 and Its Many Advantages"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wpwc-reading-time\">&#x2B50;&#x2B50;&#x2B50; Take  6  minutes to read and improve your chess game &#x27A1;&#xFE0F; : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com<\/p>\n<p>The Queen&#8217;s pawn opening, 1 d4 is the second most popular opening in chess right after 1.e4, and it&#8217;s one of my personal favorites because I get a lot of flexibility. It can be used to start an attack or as a methodical way to develop your pieces and make sure you&#8217;re solid before going on the offensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is the most popular opening for one of the greatest Grandmasters, Garry Kasparov, and utilized most frequently by other elite grandmasters like Levon Aronian, Shakriyat Mamedyarov, and Vladimir Kramnik<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mamedyarov is such a fan, the Azerbaijani has made the Queen&#8217;s Pawn Opening move 1. d4 in over 80% of his games when playing white pieces making the <a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/the-best-first-moves-in-chess\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">first move in chess games<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" src=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-31.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-31.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-31-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What is the Queen&#8217;s pawn opening?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Queen&#8217;s pawn opening is one of the most popular and exciting openings in all of chess! It starts with the move 1.d4, putting a pawn in the center and controlling the important e5-square. There are many different lines and openings that arise from d4, so it&#8217;s a great way to start your game if you want to be unpredictable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The QPG has a long and rich <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/chess-history-timeline\/\" title=\"history\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">history<\/a>. It was extensively studied by the world&#8217;s best players in the 19th century, including Philidor, Anderssen, Morphy, Steinitz and Lasker. These players developed many different lines and openings that are still played today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>With a pawn that can&#8217;t be readily opposed, you gain room in the middle.<\/li><li>Retention of the pawn extends central pressure<\/li><li>1.d4 is considered more methodical and strategic development than 1.<a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/how-chess-moves-are-written\/\" title=\"e4\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">e4<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Queen&#8217;s Pawn opening refers to any opening beginning with 1 d4, from there, there are a whole host of ways things can progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Queen&#8217;s Pawn Opening Tactics and Strategies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Queen&#8217;s pawn opening is defined only by the first move of 1. d4, beyond that there is so much more that can happen as we shall see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The table below outlines the range of openings that transpire depending on how each side plays. They are the most common occurrences of the result of the queen&#8217;s pawn first move.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"466\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-33.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-33.jpeg 466w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-33-200x300.jpeg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What to do after 1 d4 when playing Black pieces.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a list of potential responses from black and how they are referred to in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) &#8211; I present them in order of preference from over 1 million master games on chess.com which can be analyzed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chess.com\/explorer?moveList=d4&amp;ply=1\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While this list numbers all of the 20 possibilities, the top 7 account for 99.33% of all master&#8217;s responses, so it would be adventurous, to say the least,  to look outside of these options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-theme-palette-2-color has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-text-color has-background\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Black&#8217;s Response<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">Frequency**<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">% Of Games<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;Nf6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">624,094<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">59.44%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;d5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">264,094<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">25.17%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;e6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">47,288<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4.50%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;d6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">32,171<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3.06%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;f5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">31,646<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3.01%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;g6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">30,155<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2.87%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;c5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">13,343<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1.27%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;Nc6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">2,282<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.22%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;c6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">1,890<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.18%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;b6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">1,280<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.12%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;b5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">965<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.09%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;e5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">285<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.03%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;a6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">190<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.02%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;Na6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">60<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.01%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;h6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">49<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.005%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;f6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">16<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.002%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;h5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">14<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.001%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;g5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">7<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.0007%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;a5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">7<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.0007%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1&#8230;Nh6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">1<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.0001%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3>What Are the Openings Called?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>1&#8230;Nf6 Indian Game<\/li><li>1&#8230;d5 (Leads to 2 c4 Queens Gambit)<\/li><li>1&#8230;e6 Horwitz Defense\/Semi Slav<\/li><li>1&#8230;d6 (Leads to 2. e4 Pirc Defense)<\/li><li>1&#8230;f5 Dutch Defense<\/li><li>1&#8230;g6 Modern Defence<\/li><li>1&#8230;c5 Old Benoni Defense<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Black playing Nf6 or d5 in response to the Queen&#8217;s Pawn opening contributes over 84.6% of all first moves for black after 1 d4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is recommended to learn some theory for this and lines for either accepting or declining the Queen&#8217;s gambit with the black <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/chess-piece-names\/\" title=\"pieces\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">pieces<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Horwitz Defence can be an interesting option for black and will turn quickly into the french defense normal variation as white moves 2. e4<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>1&#8230;Nf6 Indian Game<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nf6 in response to the Queen&#8217;s Pawn Opening immediately attacks the center with a Knight for the Indian game instead of developing a pawn. This is the most popular response by far with 59.44% of the million or so games in the database played by masters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a swathe of possibilities from here with the Gr&#xFC;nfeld, Nimzo Indian and Benoni, but there are many other options. Just be aware that whichever way this goes, white is looking for a slower game of development and will have a very strategic plan up their sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>1&#8230;d5 (Leads to 2 c4 Queens Gambit)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Reciprocating the Queen&#8217;s pawn is played around 25% of the time and invites the Queen&#8217;s Gambit, should white wish to go down this route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 72% of games, you&#8217;ll find it offered, not because they are Netflix fans but because it prevents white from playing 2. e4, and taking full control of the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accepting the Gambit is the most frequent outcome (2&#8230;dxc4), whilst if you follow engine advice you&#8217;ll probably decline with 2&#8230;e6 &#8211; You will end up losing the pawn on c4 in time though, so that gambit is not a giveaway for white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>1&#8230;e6 Horwitz Defense\/Semi Slav<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>e6 is played in response to 1 d4 only in 5% of games but deserves a mention. This is a good move for Black as you keep your cards close to your chest and let white have some central advantage and play their hand openly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Expect 2. e4 transposing to the French Defense<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why Play The Queen&#8217;s Pawn Opening Over Other Openings?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Queen&#8217;s Pawn opening is favored by players who are approaching the game in a less aggressive manner. Some would argue it is more methodical than 1. e4 and offers more <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/chess-strategy\/\" title=\"strategy\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">strategy<\/a> development, something that will be discussed, argued and disagreed with for all time but certainly, when playing it feels a little slower and a little more cautious in most lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, if white wants to be more aggressive the QPG doesn&#8217;t restrict it. Indeed after building that solid line the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" title=\"Slav\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/the-slav-defense-in-chess\/\">Slav defense<\/a> will be more active than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the <a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/the-trompowsky-attack\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2900\">Trompowsky Attack<\/a> for instance, it is not called &#8216;Attack&#8217; for no reason, an early trade and disrupting black&#8217;s pawn structure can lead into some wild stuff from black who might be taken aback. It is why it is such a popular Blitz game choice for white.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trompowsky-Attack-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Featured image for article about the Trompowsky opening for white in chess\" class=\"wp-image-2902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trompowsky-Attack-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trompowsky-Attack-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trompowsky-Attack-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trompowsky-Attack.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Even the Queen&#8217;s Gambit in the closed d5 response from black is not a real gambit as the pawn can be rapidly recaptured to equalize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key to 1 d4 is that the pawn is not readily opposable and grabs quick control over the e5 square and the longer that control is maintained with the retention of the queen&#8217;s pawn, so long as it is not isolated, the more the central pressure will build into the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/study-chess-middlegame\/\" title=\"middle game\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">middle game<\/a> and trades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Is the Queens Pawn Game Good for Beginners?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Queens Pawn Opening is a good place to start for beginners. Yes Bobby Fischer didn&#8217;t like it, Yes Magnus plays it less than 1. e4 (but he can do what he likes!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you get by studying 1.e4 openings as a beginner is not smashed to smithereens in 5 moves by a better player. The very essence of the measured moves in the opening also provides a base to work from and build and recognize the lines for central control, and there are not too many to remember either which is a bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1 e4, is something you will want to spend many studies on in time, but many a coach will encourage this more measured approach to learning your first openings in chess this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Best Way To Learn All About The Queens Pawn Openings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Set up your chess board, either at home or online, and play through some of the openings leading from the Queen&#8217;s Pawn first move. Play with both pieces and get a feel of what basic principles you need to apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is easier to set up the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/how-to-read-chess-engine-analysis\/\" title=\"analysis\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">analysis<\/a> board on a chess website and study the possibilities there. You&#8217;ll find lessons, videos, and training <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/do-chess-puzzles-help\/\" title=\"puzzles\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">puzzles<\/a> based on the openings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is simply a matter of putting in the study and putting into practice with trying things out in some games to see how well you retain the memory of what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I guarantee, if you spend just 40 minutes a day, 5 days a week for one month, you will be a good 1. d4 player by the end of it. You&#8217;ll not be a grandmaster of course, but 20 hours of dedicated practice is all it will take for you to be very adept with the Queens Pawn Opening and all its options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#x2B50;&#x2B50;&#x2B50; Take 6 minutes to read and improve your chess game &#x27A1;&#xFE0F; : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com The Queen&#8217;s pawn opening, 1 d4 is the second most popular opening in chess right after 1.e4, and it&#8217;s one of my&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[13,16,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3163"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3163"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3575,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3163\/revisions\/3575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}