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Train this openingAbout this opening
Black lets you build the center and plans to attack it later with pieces and a timely c5 or e5. It is a hypermodern idea, and the risk for Black is real: if the attack on the center never comes, you are simply better with more space. d4 is the most played move here and it is the critical one, because the whole defense is designed against a big center and you should give Black what the setup is built to fight. Nf3 is playable but tame. Note the score: White does well here, which tells you how often the counterattack arrives too late at club level.
Plans
- Play d4 and build the biggest center you can hold.
- Add e4 and f4 for space, then attack on the kingside.
- Develop Nc3 and Be3 and castle long for a pawn storm.
- Meet the counterattack in the center by holding, not trading.
Where the pieces belong
- Pawn: d4, the center Black intends to attack
- Pawn: f4, extra space and the base of a kingside push
- Knight: c3, holding e4
- Bishop: e3, supporting d4 and the queenside
- Queen: d2, connecting rooks and eyeing the long diagonal
You have space and Black has flexibility. Hold the center and attack on the kingside, because if the position opens before Black is coordinated the extra space wins by itself.
Variations
Pirc Defense
2. d4