The Amateur's Mind: Understanding The c4-d5 Pawn Tension in the Queens Gambit

[@AC-sk7uv]

Coach Andras, this is a really well chosen lesson. Adult improvers always hear “don’t memorize theory, understand the main ideas of openings instead” but clearly there’s a large disconnect. And its very difficult to figure out where to find those main ideas! More videos like this would fill a really large hole in current chess teachings I think - maybe you could expand this into a series?! I can only hope! Well done.

[@sayan64]

I love this pawn tension videos. Request: i have problems in positions where there are two pawn tension on adjacent squares. c4d4 and c5d5 like in tarrasch or d4 e4 and d5 e5 in some Spanish. I have problems calculating the captures and the positions that arise from them. Would love some videos on this topic

[@lukastux3024]

So important to understand the opening and not just remembering prep!

[@trboenvrnb4tingio4rn]

This was great! I'm learning the QGD for black right now and this was something I wasn't quite grasping. Lesson learned!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Glad you enjoyed it sire, next one to come soon!

[@hallboy5]

My goodness, this is gold! I’d never heard these concepts before- taking in the center with a flank pawn if they don’t defend with another pawn. Makes so much sense when you explain it!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Welcome to chess education friend! Be sure to sub and watch my videos:)

[@Oldlard]

I started watching thinking I knew all about this and to my credit I did understand all the reasons for pushing the c-pawn in the Queens Gambit. Just when I was feeling pleased with myself Coach gets the penny to (finally) drop that all of those same reasons apply to black pushing c5. Suddenly a dozen memorised variations sprang to mind where black plays c5 and I realised I didn't understand the positions half as well as I thought I did. Humble pie has been served.

[@michaelmolenaar1460]

These are the best videos! No courses are covering these important concepts even in their chessable courses. Just like the E5 video in sicilian that you did years ago. Thank you Andras!

[@sebastianstern4752]

Excellent lesson

[@mitchgeiger6932]

This is super instructive for me. I always had trouble weighing the c-d capture against leaving the tension for the opponent to help me develop my kingside bishop. The concepts are very nicely laid out.

[@esneilmartinez9209]

Thanks a lot coach, hopefully people will understand that pawns in the center worth more in the opening/middlegame...never better explained!!

[@joeldick6871]

Another great video, as usual.

[@chimbiepaladin4629]

Perfect video. I actually think I would play the moves you said should be played... Because if I can set up a classical center do it! But also I don't know the d4 lines as well so I am usually in thinking mode. But I would have played those moves cautiously. This video has driven home the clarity. Made perfect sense, and I feel a more confident chess player now!

[@slobonesbbqsmokehaus-frank7348]

Great lesson in understanding this fundamental concept! Looking forward to the follow-up video.

[@akumezzy1092]

I’m happy I found your channel and sad it took me so long to find this treasure trove

[@allennyros1527]

Thanks dude, this was a huge help! I admit, I didn't not think immediate C4xD5 was the play but, it makes perfect sense

[@ryanoneal8480]

I really appreciate the way you break down the reason behind moves and theory. A lot of opening videos on youtube are just, here are the moves, memorize these lines, I'm sure that's fine for more advanced players but for beginners like me, your style is much more helpful. I think you are up there with Daniel Naroditsky when it comes to how good your content is educationally.

[@AsirIset]

This is so amazing!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Glad you liked it!

[@treasonouspigeonpeckers957]

This has helped me a lot. As a Queens Gambit player, you made me understand the Marshall Defense and how the same concept applies as Black

[@matthewhaworth8127]

Great content as always, would love to see more analysis like this on other misplayed openings

[@martijnkoop7097]

Thank you for this, very helpful! I hope you will also make a video about the reason behind the Janowski variation for black in the QGD, since it is more popular lately.

[@danielholta5721]

One of the best bideos i've seen on the queens gambit declined!

[@justsomeboyprobablydressed9579]

This video does a great service. As a low-rated 1.d4 player, after 1.d4 d5 2.c4, about 40% of my opponents play 2...Nf6. I always play 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.Nf3 followed usually by 5.e4 and get, with no enjoyment, a strong opening advantage. I really want to practice QGD, Slav, Nimzo-Indian and other main lines, but the vast majority of my opponents simply refuse to play the well-proven best opening moves.

[@DanielSouza-rs6wo]

Love these lessons. Great video the other day as well with your student, Daniel. Clarified the concept of opposition in very easy to understand explanations. Thanks!

[@JohnBrazel]

Mission accomplished. Watched video, learned chess stuff, had aha moments. Thanks buddy!

[@Noko099]

A new sub here. Sooo glad that I found this channel. Super educational and interesting. And I really like how he explains things. Excited to watch other videos. Thank you very much, coach 🙏

[@Jj82op]

This is great, personally I did know about this relationship with the pawns from other opening videos but this concept about understanding the purpose of the moves is very underrated. I as a KID player (from both sides) have watched the "understanding your opennings" videos about the KID and it was very eye opening about how I should aproach learning theory. I appreaciate the dedication that you give in your content, awesome!!

[@jacob.vandrplas3415]

im on board man. am working on your centre reloaded course, and some fellow students there in the comments pointed me towards this series. great stuff !

[@justinmiller2598]

Great content as always, Coach!! Center is King!

[@MattduCouloir]

I looked it up in the Lichess database and was surprised to see people like Karpov, Kortchnoi, Seirawan, Ivanchuk, etc playing 3. Nc3 after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6. Another move order issue I see is playing 1… d5 against 1.c4 hoping to transition to a QG. It is also a misunderstanding of the QG in my opinion because white can take a center pawn right away and activate his knight once black take back with the queen.

[@michaelf8221]

I'm pretty sure that's only because of weird move order transpositions. There's no way they would actually play that in the game.

[@WeThin]

I hardly play chess anymore but love watching your vids anyway. Truly an inspiration.

[@lucad.2262]

Great job, as always. I'd just like to mention, Sielecki recommends delaying to retake on d4 in his repertoire. That could lead to many complications for unprepared players.

[@daves9492]

Some definite "aha" moments there - great stuff!

[@NickVisel]

This is a great video. Going into my bag of “good advice” for d4 players (and everybody who must suffer against the London).

[@jamesjames1718]

Man, i love you, i hope to see a video about how to play symmetrical positions ,since books did not touch much on it, and coming from you i'm sure it' ll be great ! THX!

[@popcat2309]

I knew the correct move Pawn takes d5 at 4:42. Daniel Naroditsky had explained the rationale behind it in one of his speedruns. But yeah still didn't know many other stuffs you explained in the video. Thanks !

[@acsu96]

I will look forward to the e3/e4 video a lot. There are a lot of lines like in the QGA, Slav Meran, or Samisch Nimzo where I have found myself deliberating either about e3 or e4 or when to push e3-e4... This kind of opening thinking has started to inform my thinking more lately. If I see a weird move I don't recognize in a tournament game, I try to see if the "thematic" response looks not losing on the spot and try it at least once. In the exchange Caro-Kann someone played 3. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 which was new to me, but I figured I could try playing 6...e5 if the usual Bf4 was not played. That kind of thinking sounds similar to what you're espousing here, so I hope to apply it to other openings I play too. And of course the more classical one plays, the more inclined one will be to actually think through the move orders and purposes of each and every move as opposed to blitz autopilot...

[@georgestamps]

Thank you for the video! Looking forward to the e3/e4 video.

[@CerveauJetable]

Thank you coach Andras for your videos, it helps me a lot understanding chess !

[@RedGaming23]

Amazing stuff. Love this series. I saw episode 2 of this already. Keep more coming please :)

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Thanks, will do!

[@boomshanker61]

Great video Andras, thank you

[@tomas-wi8dy]

Clear!👍

[@rumpelRAINS]

I love these videos.

[@gusserflys]

as always coach... excellent.. thanks

[@todesque]

Terrific lesson, coach. Thank you!

[@QubitLogic]

Wow, super useful, - thank you very much for this lesson!!!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

You're very welcome! Thanks for the dono!

[@blueguitarist]

This is relevant to my interests

[@jby382]

This was excellent, thank you. Would love to see aj expansion on this for the mid game. When to (and when not to) collapse the tension between these pawns later on from black and white perspectives.

[@ClemensAdolphs]

In your most recent "Coach reacts" video you talk about beginners boxing themselves in with statements like "Can't abandon the backrank". I think for this c4-d5 tension situation, players probably box themselves in via "I've heard it's better to keep the tension"...

[@ChessCoachAndras]

good point, but I think it is more often just not asking a simple but important "why?"

[@EdooGamingH]

Excellent video, thanky you!

[@cobeferraro3464]

Very thematic.

[@hannesje2]

more content like, this was very helpful

[@liamholbrook744]

This was great, thanks Andras! Could you dedicate another video explaining when to take on d5 when the pawn is defended by e6 and c6?

[@jonathanfilion7372]

As an amateur, I found myself playing that flawed move order with black often against d4 openings. The reason I think it happens is because 1. In my mind, taking in the center immediately puts me behind in development when white already is getting a few pieces in the game 2. It feels like white can easily win back the center pawns since we don't have have the immediate defense of the c and f pawns I understand this probably isn't the case, but as an amateur it's difficult to see benefits of the position when taking vs. not taking

[@ericwagner6839]

this is a banger chandra

[@juanzambrano220]

Omg i think that i love this guy *.*

[@tonyaldridge8917]

Amazing vid 👍

[@Evilanious]

Ok. I gotta try this before I watch: the point of the queens gambit is that white wants to get center control by trading his c-pawn for black's d pawn. If black prevents this by the qgd or slav we at least have pressure on the center and we can give black an iqp if he tries to push the e-pawn to the center or we can get a Carlsbad structure with good chances. If black takes on c4 he can still equalize provided he does something about white's center with e5 or c5 and develops his light square bishop somehow. So, how did I do?

[@VideoCollectionsMagic]

Me with 2100 lichess being like "oh yea, I must never skip videos about basics from now on"

[@noahz]

CENTAH

[@noahz]

In all seriousness though, this is a great video. More please!

[@stuarthayward4756]

Andras is exceptional. Peerless amongst youtube coaches.

[@dm_nimbus]

The other common response to 1.d4 is 1...Nf6, so, having watched this in the morning, I was meditating a bit on it now before bed and wondering why then we play 2.c4 and not a move which prepares e4, such as 2.Nc6. Then I see that we don't prevent 2...d5 that way, leaving the knight awkwardly blocking the c pawn and hindering our ability to challenge the center. Does that sound about right?

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Yup!

[@frenchma333]

Thank you :)

[@joeldick6871]

We want to build a pawn what?

[@FromTheMountain]

I like the thorough explanation of why cxd5 is good for white, but I think the way you phrased it is somewhat inaccurate. If "the point" of 2. c4 is to threaten cxd5, how come black can easily defend against this by playing 2. .. c6 or 2. .. e6? In my mind, it is more logical to think of 2. c4 as a move that opens up space for our pieces (the c-file for the rook, the d1-a4 diagonal for the queen, the b1-h7 diagonal for the bishop), and the fact that you are threatening cxd5 is just a nice side effect. It's sort of like how 3. Nc3 attacks the queen in the Scandinavian: the point is not to threaten the queen, it is to play a useful, developing move, that is made more attractive by the fact that it comes with tempo.

[@hosiahjones]

Gigantic not ginormous 😇

[@ChessCoachAndras]

ginormous is a joke word made out of gigantic and enormous. I am sure you knew that?!

[@mekelius]

I checked the advance french and there too! over 50% of the time people don't punish this!

[@vivalakid]

[@parker_chess]

Nice video! It baffles me all the time when people give up the center in my games. So many people lack this basic fundamental understanding. Also why the london is a dubious opening from a theoretical standpoint you are allowing black to play c5 and get good position right from the get go.

[@bluefin.64]

The London System is not dubious, it's sound. It became popular at top levels, usually in rapid or blitz, but sometimes in classical, after Magnus started playing it. He used it to get his first ever win against Giri during the 2016 Bilbao Masters, a classical event.

[@parker_chess]

@@bluefin.64 I didn't see the London get played a single match in the candidates.

[@bluefin.64]

@@parker_chess That doesn't refute any fact I mentioned, and if an opening not being played in the candidates means it's unsound, then you can throw out the Caro-Kann, the Slav, the Rossolimo and Moscow anti Sicilians, and a bunch of other openings and variations.

[@pianissimo7121]

I am happy that the only Ah ha moment i had is when i learnt people play such nonsense.

[@thomasthomas8049]

I think people premove 3. Nc3

[@nicoterradas]

Most of these games who make it to the database are blitz and bullet games… that explains the enormous amount of stupid opening moves Andras.

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Not really in my opinion. You either know these basic concepts or you don't. It's not like a miscalculation.

[@Cyberangel39]

If you filter out the Bullet games, there is still a majority of people playing 3.Nc3.

[@Hypercube1729]

*I'm in this video and I don't like it.*