Queen's GambitD06
1. d4 d5 2. c4. White offers the c-pawn to pull Black's d-pawn away from the middle. White can almost always win the pawn back, so it is not a real giveaway.
Move by move
2. c4: pawn to c 4
- White: d4, pawn to d 4.
- Black: d5, pawn to d 5.
- White: c4, pawn to c 4.
What each side wants
⚪ White: If Black takes, play e3 or e4 and win the pawn back with your bishop.
⚫ Black: Take it and don't try to hold on to it, or guard d5 with ...e6 or ...c6.
White made the last move, so after this it is Black's turn.
⚠️ Holding on to the pawn
2... dxc4 3. e3 b5 4. a4 c6 5. axb5 cxb5 6. Qf3
After 2...dxc4 3.e3 b5 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5 6.Qf3, the white queen attacks the rook in the corner along the long diagonal, and Black loses a big piece. The lesson: in the Queen's Gambit, let the pawn go.
Three things every opening does
The Queen's Gambit follows the three ideas strong players use in every opening. Get a pawn or two into the middle of the board, because pieces in the middle can reach more squares. Bring out your knights and bishops before you move the queen a lot, so she is not chased around. And castle early, so your king is tucked behind a wall of pawns and your rook joins the game. When you forget the moves, those three ideas will still help you find a good one.
Try it
Play it against Peabody on Play, then solve today's puzzle. Openings that start the same way:
Name, code and moves from the Lichess openings list (CC0), checked . The words are Peabody's own, and every move on this page is checked by Peabody's chess engine.