Consultation Game #6

This is a game between myself and Kieran, we will start when Kieran accepts the challenge. 

Ok

Hey, I made the first move, d4

https://www.chess.com/daily/game/218705006

Here's the game for reference.

Cool! A queens pawn opening, what I’m trying out now

Hey I'm not sure what move to play now, I've heard the Queens Gambit (c4) is good but I don't know why?

It's perfectly respectable, played by everyone from beginner to super GM. You can play it if you like. It might be interesting to go through how you can compensate for the loss of a pawn.  

Deirdre told me an obvious but important point. In chess you can't have everything, you can't defend your pieces whilst creating attacking opportunities and allowing the opponent only bad moves. It doesn't happen, if it did, every game would be the same and boring. So every opening has pluses and minuses.

In this case, in the Queens Gambit, there are 2 versions. The QGA and the QGD, depending on whether black accepts the c4 pawn. The most common is actually the Declined version, where black either plays c6, the Slav Defence, or e5, the classical variation. In both cases, black declines to take on c4, but defends his d5 pawn. In the accepted version, black takes on c4, winning a pawn, but white can develop his knights and bishops whilst black has no initial development and will struggle to hold onto the extra pawn, so material again becomes equal.

Kieran played the Queens Gambit.

Not sure what the best move is at this point. Obviously I can take a pawn but then my pawn is immediately taken back. Another option I can see is Qa4. Anyone got any suggestions?

The whole point of the Queen's Gambit is that black struggles to hold onto the extra pawn on c4 if he takes. White gets a lead in development at the temporary cost of a pawn, that they usually get back any way. The pawn on c4 isn't really under threat, since you can always play Qa4+ or e4 followed by Bxc4 and win it back, for example. Since black declined the gambit, material is equal, so for now just develop normally with either Nc3 or Nf3. 

Matthew gives good advice.

Sounds like a good plan, thanks

Sorry, I just started getting notifications on things I’m following again 😉 

Again in this situation I'm not sure what my strategy should be. Developing pieces seems to be key so I could play Bg5? It puts pressure on the knight. Alternatively I could play Qa4. Any thoughts?

Qa4+ achieves nothing, after black plays c6, Nc6 or Bd7 black gains a tempo.

Bg5, on the other hand, is a main move! 

I didn't want to say that, since I wanted Kieran to realise that Bg5 was best by himself.

Bg5 isn't best or most played.  However, point taken.