QGD Exchange Variation:Ideas for White

Hello friends!I am here to take a look at the Queens Gambit Declined,Exchange Variation,which is a very good reply to this old-fashioned opening.The Exchange on d5 was so powerful,that players like Konstantinopolsky even gave up the opening!Even though nowadays,new ways are found to meet it,It can be played either agressively or positionally.The three main ideas(for white)are:

The Minority Attack,

The central f3 Pawn Break and,

The Kingside Attack[Pillsbury's way]

The exchange variation-

Let's see the Minority Attack in action-

da Hari, ente idea copy cheyalle!

athithiri mushinjunu poyi ketta....

What the computer thinks about the third move is of no importance. I like Nc3 more because it pressures black more in my opinion.

My coach who is a GM believes that computers are completely worthless in the opening.  

I can offer a line of reasoning for discounting the opinion of computers in the opening phase of the game.

 Computers can only examine the possible moves out to the limit of their search depth. Then they need to evaluate (not calculate) the resulting position, and assign a value to it. Computers are markedly poorer at evaluating the merits of a position than they are at calculating sequences moves, because the evaluation depends entirely on applying an evaluation function to a static position... and no mathematical evaluation function can be as nuanced as the opinion of an experienced GM.

 Perhaps this will change when heuristics ("learning from experience") is incorporated into commercial chess programs, but at the moment chess engines are markedly weaker in the opening than they are later on in the game.

tnk   s

6Nf3 is probably quite a slack move order because black can solve light square bishop problem with 6...c6 7e3 bf5 after which has very little problems at all. 

With something more exact like 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 nbd7 after any of 8.Qc2, 8.nf3 or 8.ne2 black has 8...h6, intending 9.Bh4 Nh5!. Exchanging the dark-squared bishops which eases black's task. Black has been doing quite ok with this in top-level games.

I've found good results with this opening. I was able to sidestep a lot of theory since stepping into d4 openings its a way for me to get my feet wet. I have employed Bg5 to get my bishop out, but am not sure whether to trade it for a knight or hold on to it for kingside defense against the kingside onslaught. Any thoughts?

Aside from the minority attack, there are two general plans.  The first is to play Nge2-g3, castle kingside, and roll up the center with f3, e4, etc.  The second plan is a kingside attack with 0-0-0, Nf3-e5, f4, g4, etc.  With today's better defensive players, the minority attack is thought to be a draw.

The plan mentioned earlier of h6, bh4, nh5 exchanging black squared bishops is particularly effective when white attempts the minority attack.

BxN can be played in several different lines, but black will get compensation in two bisops and increased black square control. In fact with a pawn in the centre, developing classical opening like the Queens Gambit declined black will be able to find equality against any idea, despite what the statisics nuts might think.

I usually play 6.e3

This is more flexible, in case I want to develop my knight to e2.

Black cannot play 6....Bf5 because of 7.Qb3, forking d5 and b7.

So after 6.e3 I can follow up with 7.Qc2, and 8.Bd3. The either 9.Nf3 or 9.Nge2

oh!onnu nirutheda thendikale

Umm, to be fair this is matching the gibberish in other opening forum threads at the moment.

I love this place. but not because of any insight I get concerning chess...

Indeed. I play 1. ... Nf6 because it's flexible. Not because of analytics. It fits my repertoire because depending on my opponent, I can go into the KID (my main defense) or a QGD-type defense vs the English, Torre, London, CZ, Colle etc. Of course, after 2. Nf3 or c4 I'm more than inclined to go into mainline QGD (after 2. ... d5) either Lasker's or Tartakower. But to the OP's question: not much more improvement can be made. Just thoroughly enjoy the appeal of this opening. Grasp it's many nuances my friend. Best wishes.

Ah, your coach is right.

See... this sort of dumdum typifies the mistake of most player... they take what is a fairly simple game... and complicate to idiocy. Paralysis by analysis... trying to show how clever they are. A patzer below 2k has no right to play KID.

And talking of idiocy... the minority attack is just that. A Minority attack. A decent player will equalise easily.

Did you hear that??

Everybody please change your entire opening repertoires!! His Highness Lion VanHalen has a hangnail!!!