The Varation of My Choice for the QGA and the QGD playing Both Sides

I just thought that it would be helpful to have my own variation of the QGA and the QGD.  So I will post it.  First is the QGD that moves into the semi-slav.

1 d4…d5  2 c4…c6  3 Nc3…e6  4 e4 (The Knight on c3 protects the e4 pawn, the Bishop on f1 protects the c4 pawn and the Queen on d1 protects the d4 pawn even though the d4 pawn doesn’t need protection through most of the opening.)  The point of this move is to apply pressure on d5.  If white were to win d5 with out any threats from the c6 and e6 pawns, there would be no question about who had the superior position (for those that need it spelled out, white is superior with far greater development and center control)  4 … Nf6  5 Bf4 (attacking the knight on b8 and guarding the important d6 square ( if black were to put his bishop on the d6 square the important a3-f8 and b8-h2 diagonals would be black’s)) 5…Nbd7  6 Nf3…g6  7 Be2…Bg7  8 0-0 …0-0  9 Qd3 (Black can only watch in dread as white makes the Alekhine’s gun only with the Queen in the front and not the rear)  9…Ng4.  Here is where I end on the QGD.  Now here is the QGA.

1 d4…d5  2 c4…dxc4 (although I would not normally take the c4 pawn as black as white has the superior position.)  3 Nf3 (the black pawn is not going anywhere!)  3…Nf6 (It would be unwise to try to hold the c4 pawn as black.  Be6 protects the pawn but it blocks the e pawn for black and it forces black to fianchetto in order to castle Kingside.)  4 e3 (builds a pawn chain and attacks the pawn on c4 with the bishop on f1)  4…Bf5  5 Nc3…Nc6  6 Bxc4…Bb4 (Pins white’s knight but white has a solution to this minor problem.)  7 0-0…0-0 (black quickly follows suit as not to fall behind in development.)  8 Bd2…Qd6 (this time it is black preparing for the Alekhine’s gun but, through pure coincidence, the Queen takes the nose again!)  9 Bb5…Rd8.  This is followed by Rd7 and then Rad8 (or R8d8).

Scandinavian Defense, Chess

I have been involved in chess for a good while now and I have learned the Queen’s Gambit Accepted (QGA) and Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD).  Then I found myself as black (white always goes first) and white had gone with e4 preparing for the King’s Gambit.  Having practiced opening  on the Queenside (with 1 d4…d5  2 c4…dxc4) and not the Kingside, I needed a different reply than e5 which opens on the Kingside.  Luckily there was an opening with 1 e4…d5.  This defense is called the Scandinavian Defense or the Center Counter Defense.  After 1 e4…d5 comes 2 exd5… Qxd5 or Nf6.  All of this d4…d5 exd5 stuff is called Algebraic Notation.  Hopefully the link will help any beginners viewing my site.  After Qxd5 comes Nc3.  This is typical because it attacks the queen and gains a tempo, hence white has a slight advantage.

Some of my favorite chess books include: How To Beat Your Dad at Chess and the sequel, Chess Tactics for Kids.  Nunn’s Chess Openings by John Nunn is a book that has a lot of complicated Algebraic Notation and is not for beginners.  But if you can manage to comprehend it it becomes a wonderful book.

Also I want to acknowledge Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.  The book helped me see different ways of checkmate.  Even though it is only a book of puzzles, it’s diagrams help me see different positions and visualize different defenses to different positions.