It's known as the Queens Pawn Opening, QPO.

So, Queen's Pawn Game, QPG.

It's an ok move, but not the best since it limits the mobility of his Bc1. Better would've been 2.Nf3 which could turn into things like the Colle's Franketort System, the London System, and even, the Catalina System. Also better was 2.c4, with which, we have the Queens Gambit (QG) that can either be accepted or declined.

Conservative and slow, but solid.

Except that this was a 1.d4 d5 opening, so by playing this, you've blocked the c pawn. I wouldn't have reemphasized that, since GM Susan Polgar doesn't stress it. But, teardrop34 said something about it. In that game, black had played 1...Nc6, but it was continued with ...d5, as opposed to, ...e5. The result was the same, and the game was annotated, which Jeremy posted, "White goes for an Advance French set-up whilst Black cannot at the moment play c5." The inability to play c5 also goes for you here.

Playable, but the reason why I don't play it is that I don't know how to continue afterwards! I like to keep the c-pawn free to advance. I would have chosen 2...Nf6, here.

Not really. There's no space in the center which is space advantage. Right now, it's even, and I believe that white has a very small advantage just because the c pawn advanced, just like what you see in the QPG. So, Nc3 would not cause an issue for white.

Erika, that is a very far-sighted comment on strategy! Yes, White is staking out a large territory for himself.

A good decision. Also playable were 3...Nf6 and 3...e6. But if you really wanted to get into an early tactical fight, 3...e5(!?) would have been worth a try. That move has an impressive pedigree, strong grandmasters Ivanchuk, Moiseenko and Rapport having played it with fair success. A possible continuation runs: 3...e5 4.cxd5 Qxd5 (Black is prepared to take the hit from the White knight) 5.Nc3 Bb4 (pinning the knight against the king) 6.a3 Bxc3ch (6...Ba5?? 7.b4! would have cost Black a piece) 7.bxc3 Nf6. White would probably harass Black's pieces by 8.c4 Qd6 9.d5 ... but even after 9...Nb8, Black would have a lead in development.

This is also what I would've done, but I'm not sure that it was best. I remember elyhim telling me a variation on now, how black can punish white for lack of center control. I don't know how the entire line works; but with what I posted above, better might have been 4.e5. And, eventually, you'd be able to play this move without having to worry about black getting ahead in center control.

Joe is relying on the memory that in certain very similar positions, there develops a battle between White's centre (d- and e-pawns) against Black's majority on the Q-side. But I don't reckon that this is quite THAT kind of position. White's recapture is so obvious and good (recovers the pawn, develops the bishop on an active square, has an eye on f7) that hardly anything else comes into consideration. I would have saved time on the clock by playing this in a heartbeat.

The knight will have to come off the rim later, so you've lost two tempi to make White lose one.

I was going to emphasize it. Although I know why you played it, the N isn't well placed and, you'll eventually run into problems.

Now, this is undemocratic, Erika! Give the other pieces a go! To be sure, it forces upon White a decision, but he has available a really strong tactic that will place the knight in danger.

White overlooks a strong tactic, but even having lost time, White's one developed piece is in the centre; Black's is on the edge. 'Nuff said. The tactic was 5.Qa4ch! forking King and knight. Nor could the knight retreat to cover the check (5...Nc6) because then comes 6.d5, attacking the now pinned knight, and Black can not save it. So Black would be forced to reply to the check by 5...c6, protecting the knight with the queen on d8, and once again threatening .....Nxc4. White plays 6.Be2, whereat Black probably does best to chase away the Queen by 6...b5, giving the knight somewhere to escape from the threats of Bd2 and b4. I reckon you should study this position (after 5.Qa4ch), and the moves I've suggested, to see how it all works. Position after 5.Qa4ch!

Leaving open 6.Qa5ch again, though this time, Black CAN reply 6...Nc6, as the f6-knight prevents 7.d5. So White probably does well to look for alternatives...

!? So, as an example of what Michael noted earlier, better was 6.Bd2. First, this leaves his K vulnerable to exposure now that the weakest pawns has advanced. More importantly, attacking the N with B to d2, is where you've be forced to lose time, and when you retreat, white can then develop either N and wind up ahead in development. In fact, in learning the basics with GM Susan Polgar, just as a free course to see how it'd be, she said that the most important guideline was not leaving the N on the rim. And, she noted that GM Karpov or Kasporov lost a game just by placing his N on the rim.

Not a great move, but it is I think testing. Black has one strong move that immediately challenges White's centre, but it would not be easy for you to find, Erika: 6...c5! 7.dxc5 Nc6 - yep: giving up a pawn to weaken the centre.

True, but you still might have issues with your Na5.

A tempo gainer? Not really, but it gets a piece out there!

Which is also what I would've done.

White's best was actually 7.Qa5ch Nc6 8.Nc3 with an edge. This bishop move is OK-ish, but this bishop has now moved 3 times. Black ought now to exchange: 7...Bxe2.

Actually, this outright drops a piece: 8. Bxg4 Nxg4 9. Qxg4.

Instead of pulling back this soon, better would've been 7...Bf5, 7...Be6 (which I don't like quite as well), or even 7...Bd7. As now, he can and will exchange your more active B for his less active one which makes things easier, simplifies, the position for white. And, that's something that you don't want to do, as I learned from Ken. Yeah, I completely overlooked that the Q is on the same diagonal. Haven't done that in a while.

Black overlooks that the bishop is attacked by White's bishop AND queen, but is defended only by a knight. Two to one. Black ought to have exchanged on e2 (no problemo!), though 7...h5 might have been worth thinking about, with the idea 8.Bxg4 hxg4, and opening up the h-file for the rook. Black would probably have to forget about castling, though. No, exchanging was best.

Having said that, better was 8.Bxg4.

8.Bxg5 Nxg4 9.Qxg4 won White a knight.

And, you still should've retreated.

I disagree with Joe on this one. Given the reprieve, exchanging was exactly the right thing to do. There is an art to exchanging, which comes gradually with experience. Its motivation here is to avoid a loss of time, but also, the White light-square bishop is the more mobile of White's pair, on account of the all those pawns on dark squares in the centre.

Materialwise, yes. But, it's not quite even since you exchanged your more active piece for white's less active one. So, white is a little better off then black, for now.

But if the bishop had retreated, then it would have become less active. And let's not forget that Black has two minor pieces out -- White, none!

No, I agree with Erika - the game is about even, not only in material, but dynamically as well. White has the more space, and a strong centre; Black is more active, and much closer to completing her development. So I'd be expecting to see 9...e6, here...  

This is an even game at this point. Taking with the knight instead of the queen would have been better.

Preparing to complete your development and castle which is good. But, I would've played 9...Ne4 as it threatens to fork Q+R and win material with 10...Ng3, and if white stops it with 10.Qf3 or 10.Qf2, 10...Qd5 is a good reply. And, the N is in the center which would give you a space advantage, now with more space in the center. That would especially be so here since the N is right in the center, and that's not to mention how far white's behind in development.

Now, although in my view 9...e6 was a very good move towards developing, Joe makes a telling observation here - good strategic insight, and tactical vision as well. The reason for White's recapturing with the queen, was to advance the e-pawn and eliminating the weak points at e4 and e3. 9...Ne4 would have stymied that plan. NOT ONLY THAT, but it would also have threatened 10...Ng3, forking queen and rook. So, objectively speaking, Joe's suggestion was probably Black's best option - but in my view 9...e6 was a very good 'second best'.

I wouldn't have checked here due to how white can stop it. Instead, I would've played 10...Ne4 for the reason I outlined earlier.

Now 10...Ne4! would have been really damaging to White, with threats of forks on g3, and the subsequent bishop check on b4 would have been given added force. Even so, Black might already be beginning to establish an ascendancy in this game.

Yes, 10...Ne4 is better. That said, I've seen several of the gamegold10 annotated games and I am seeing clear improvement. Nice work.