you can't really avoid the London. unless you know your opponent is going to play the London. then you can respond 1.d4,c5 and go into some type of Benoni.
there are many defenses to the Queens pawn opening. the real defining factor is what white plays on move 2. the main choices for black are d5, Nf6, and c5. play can go in multiple directions from there.
I really like the QGA. In my opinion d5 move orders are easier to play against d4 sidelines than Nf6.
Accepting the pawn immediately unbalances the game and puts pressure on White to regain it. It gives black time to get organized and if White isn't timely in regaining the pawn then it truly becomes a gambit.
I really like the QGA. In my opinion d5 move orders are easier to play against d4 sidelines than Nf6.
Accepting the pawn immediately unbalances the game and puts pressure on White to regain it. It gives black time to get organized and if White isn't timely in regaining the pawn then it truly becomes a gambit.
I agree. the QGA also limits whites options. if 2.c4,... d5xc4. the other options are the London, the Blackmar Diemer gambit, the Veresov, or the Colle. the Trompovski and the Torre attack are questionable without a knight on f6. and if an eventual c4 by white, chances for a transposition back to the QGA are possible.
I like the Indian defenses, especially the Nimzo. I tried my hands at grunfeld and KID, but they were too versatile to fit my needs. I still play them occasionally though. Another opening which I like a lot is semi slav. It's the perfect opening for a club player who doesn't like to read a lot of theory.
I play 1...e6. It leads to one of the following:
French Defense - 2.e4 d5 or 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4
Jobava Attack - 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4
Dutch Defense - 2.g3 f5, 2.c4 f5, 2.Nf3 f5, etc.
Slav defense! However, I am thinking of changing to the semi slav, or the schlecter slav, as the slav I play (slav accepted), people dont realize they can play a4, so I end up getting those chaotic position where im up a pawn but I have a lot of weaknesses.
Gives me the ick! Also, exchange sucks.
I play the Tarrasch Defense - 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nf3) c5.
Tarrasch (which I've more or less kept up with) including von Hennig-Schara gambit (trying to learn Dubov Tarrasch but its hard to get enough practice to feel confident in it) and KID (which I haven't kept up with but enjoy its positions). I've tried the stonewall Dutch in blitz games and it's OK but too little complexity for me to play all the time. Bill
I play the Tarrasch Defense - 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nf3) c5.
I feel like tarrasch is sooo underrated. Barely anyone uses it, and its always known as "the other way" to do the QGD.
Tarrasch is good👍
I like anything that has a chance to take the game into crazy complications. In the past....in serious games..... I have used KID, Grunfeld, Chigorin Queens gambit, albin countergambit, budapest gambit, Benko gambit, and leningrad dutch. I have also prepared to play cambridge springs queens gambit but my opponents avoided it by playing the exchange line. I also tried playing the tarrasch in some casual games, which lead to some interesting tactical play.
Tarrasch (which I've more or less kept up with) including von Hennig-Schara gambit (trying to learn Dubov Tarrasch but its hard to get enough practice to feel confident in it) and KID (which I haven't kept up with but enjoy its positions). I've tried the stonewall Dutch in blitz games and it's OK but too little complexity for me to play all the time. Bill
One of the reasons why I like the Tarrasch Defense is because my King never comes under attack. Are there any other defenses that can be said about. Actually, once my King got attacked but I played very carelessly. I tried playing the Dubov Tarrasch in a couple of games, but both times my King was attacked. Admittedly, I know little about the Dubov, and now hardly even recall how it goes, so maybe I just didn't know what I was doing. But it was enough to cause me to run back to my usual Tarrasch lines in which my King feels so safe. I don't play the Hennig - Schara Gambit anymore, I always wind up just a pawn down trying to draw the endgame.
Tarrasch (which I've more or less kept up with) including von Hennig-Schara gambit (trying to learn Dubov Tarrasch but its hard to get enough practice to feel confident in it) and KID (which I haven't kept up with but enjoy its positions). I've tried the stonewall Dutch in blitz games and it's OK but too little complexity for me to play all the time. Bill
One of the reasons why I like the Tarrasch Defense is because my King never comes under attack. Are there any other defenses that can be said about. Actually, once my King got attacked but I played very carelessly. I tried playing the Dubov Tarrasch in a couple of games, but both times my King was attacked. Admittedly, I know little about the Dubov, and now hardly even recall how it goes, so maybe I just didn't know what I was doing. But it was enough to cause me to run back to my usual Tarrasch lines in which my King feels so safe. I don't play the Hennig - Schara Gambit anymore, I always wind up just a pawn down trying to draw the endgame.
Most of the time white players go for the symmetric Tarrasch against me so I've tried von Hennig-Schara to see something different. It's been OK in blitz. I especially like have success with Tarrasch vs the English.
Against 1 c4 I play the Tarrasch Defense formation and I'd say around 80% of the time my opponents play d4 early on at some point, willingly transposing it into a 1 d4 2 c4 usual Tarrasch Defense.
What do you like to play against the queen's pawn opening? Asking this because I'm looking for a new opening against the London System, Queen's Gambit, etc.