Chess Opening Theory/1. d4

1. d4 · Queen's Pawn Opening
1. d4, known as the Queen's Pawn Opening, is a popular initial move in chess, ranking second only to 1. e4 in terms of games played. It is a cunning move by White to control the center of the board and prevent Black from easily playing ...e5. Additionally, it discourages Black from developing their b8 knight to c6, where it could be vulnerable to White's pawn advance to d5. The development of the c1-bishop is not a priority for White at this stage. Instead, 1. d4 is aimed at slowing down Black's development rather than accelerating White's.

At this point, Black must decide how to face White's aggression. Traditionally, the two most popular replies are /1...d5/ and /1...Nf6/, as most other moves tend to allow White a broad center with 2. e4. Allowing the broad center was frowned upon in classical times, but is more of a matter of preference today. Another reason /1...d5/ and /1...Nf6/ are the main replies considered is that many of the alternatives transpose into main lines anyway. One notable exception is the Dutch Defense (/1...f5/), whose character prevents 2. e4 whilst remaining unique. /1...d5/ directly challenges White's plan to establish a broad center with a 2. e4 follow-up. If 1...d5, White can instead play 2. c4, the Queen's Gambit, hoping to divert Black's pawn from its job of attacking e4. The Queen's Gambit is the champagne and caviar of White openings and is a huge reason for the popularity of 1. d4. /1...Nf6/ prevents an immediate 2. e4 while maintaining flexibility to play a number of Indian systems or move back into a system typical of /1...d5/.

To play 1. d4 correctly, the White player should learn the basic Queen's Gambit positions, the King's Indian, Queen's Indian, Nimzo-Indian positions, and even some of the Benoni positions. This may seem intimidating to the beginner, but fortunately it is not as difficult as it may sound at first.

Furthermore, there are several practical advantages to becoming familiar with playing 1. d4 as White:
 * 1. d4 openings tend to be more forgiving than 1. e4 openings so far as traps are concerned. Pieces should be mobilized quickly, but it is less common for a natural-looking move to lead to a sudden demise, in contrast to several 1. e4 traps such as the Philidor Defense, Hanham Variation.
 * While there are many transpositions between the different 1. d4 openings, this is true because the underlying strategic goals are very similar. The Queen's Indian has much in common with some of the main variations of the Queen's Gambit Declined — much more so than the typical Caro-Kann has with the French Defense or Ruy Lopez in the 1. e4 world.
 * Today, at master level, the 1. d4 openings are more frequently encountered than 1. e4 openings, though the reverse is true of amateur level. 1. c4 and 1. Nf3 frequently end up transposing to a 1. d4 opening.
 * In world championships, 1. d4 openings are encountered 5 times as much as 1. e4 openings are.

Statistics

 * Approximate chances*
 * White win 38%, Draw 33%, Black win 29%.


 * Estimated next move popularity
 * Nf6 52%, d5 28%, e6 6%, g6 3%, d6 3%, f5 3%, c5 2%. Other moves 1% or less.

*May vary according to rating, higher rating groups tend toward draws at higher rates than others

Theory table

 * 1. d4