Classical Centre Game (3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3)
Queen on e3, long castling and the 8.Qg3 pawn sacrifice for the initiative.
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 O-O 7.O-O-O Re8 8.Qg3 Rxe4 9.a3 Bd6 10.f4 Re8 11.Bd3 Bf8
Move by move
- 1.e4 – White occupies the centre and frees the queen and the f1-bishop. In the Danish and the Centre Game, speed of development will matter more than pawns.
- 1...e5 – Black replies symmetrically, contesting d4 and freeing the f8-bishop. Now White can open the game at once with d4.
- 2.d4 – White attacks e5 and opens the centre. After 2...exd4 White chooses between the gambit 3.c3 (Danish) and the immediate recapture 3.Qxd4 (Centre Game).
- 2...exd4 – Black captures: the most natural reply, since defending e5 with 2...d6 leads to a passive game. The d4-pawn becomes either bait or a target to win back.
- 3.Qxd4 – Centre Game: White regains the pawn at once with the queen. In return the queen on d4 is exposed and Black will gain time by attacking it.
- 3...Nc6 – Black develops while attacking the queen: White must move it and loses a tempo.
- 4.Qe3 – The most popular square: the queen stays central, controls e5 and g5 and does not get in the way. The c1-bishop will go to d2 to prepare long castling.
- 4...Nf6 – Development that attacks e4: Black prepares ...Bb4 to increase pressure on the pawn.
- 5.Nc3 – The knight defends e4 and prepares Bd2 and O-O-O.
- 5...Bb4 – The bishop pins the c3-knight to the king: while the pin lasts, the e4-pawn is less well defended than it looks.
- 6.Bd2 – The bishop defends the c3-knight and clears the back rank for long castling, which will remove the pin completely.
- 6...O-O – Black castles and prepares ...Re8 against the e4-pawn on the open file.
- 7.O-O-O – Long castling: the rook goes straight to the d-file and the king leaves the e-file. With kings on opposite wings, both sides will look to attack.
- 7...Re8 – The rook attacks e4 on the open file: the pawn is now hit by rook and knight and defended by the c3-knight and the e3-queen.
- 8.Qg3 – An ambitious move: the queen abandons e4 to aim at g7 and Black's kingside, offering the pawn for the initiative.
- 8...Rxe4 – Black accepts and takes with the rook. But the rook on e4 is somewhat exposed and the b4-bishop is not defended by anything.
- 9.a3 – White attacks the undefended b4-bishop: Black must decide at once where to retreat it or whether to exchange on c3.
- 9...Bd6 – The bishop retreats while attacking the g3-queen along the d6-g3 diagonal: Black gains a tempo in turn.
- 10.f4 – The pawn blocks the d6-bishop's diagonal, controls e5 and prepares Bd3, which will attack the e4-rook.
- 10...Re8 – The rook returns to e8 before Nxe4 or Bd3 can bother it, staying on the open file. Black keeps the extra pawn.
- 11.Bd3 – The bishop develops towards h7 alongside the g3-queen and prepares Nf3 and Rhe1. For the pawn White has active pieces and control of e5.
- 11...Bf8 – The bishop returns to f8 to guard g7 and the kingside. Black is solid and a pawn up; White must finish development and create threats.
How to exploit the position
Black is a pawn up and solid with ...Re8 and ...Bf8; White has castled long, has queen and d3-bishop aimed at the kingside and the f4-pawn controlling e5. For the pawn, White must create threats before Black completes development.
- Nf3 and Rhe1: develop the last piece and contest the e-file against the e8-rook.
- Nf3-g5: with the g3-queen and d3-bishop aimed at the kingside, the knight hits h7 and f7.
- f4-f5: gains space, takes squares from the c8-bishop and prepares Bg5 against the f6-knight.
- Black wants ...d5 to block the d3-bishop and develop the c8-bishop: keep the d1-rook ready on the d-file.
Master tips
The e4-pawn for the initiative
With Qe3, Bd2 and O-O-O White is willing to give the e4-pawn for active pieces and opposite-side castling.