Chess Openings - The Closed Game

The Queen's Pawn Opening, 1. d4, is very popular, though slightly less so than the King's Pawn Opening. When black responds by matching the Queen's Pawn move, 1. d4 d5, we have The Closed Game. Closed Games tend to be dominated by strategic, rather than tactical play. This means that positional considerations and slow maneuvering are common.

From a strategic standpoint, the Queen's Pawn move is excellent for both white and black. It attacks important centre squares, and opens developmental lines for the Queen's Bishop and the Queen.

Although the Closed Game and Open Game look similar at first glance, the resulting play is dramatically different. The fundamental difference comes from the protection of the centre Pawns. In Open Games, players can easily thrust the d Pawn into the centre as it is protected by the Queen from the start. In Closed Games, players can't advance the e Pawn into the centre without first establishing support. For this reason, the centre files are likely to remain blocked and closed for some time - hence the name "Closed Game."

How Common is the Closed Game?

Very Common at all Levels

The Queen's Pawn Opening is very common, and as a result, all players should be comfortable playing either side of the opening. White plays the Queen's Pawn Opening about 40% of the time. Black answers symmetrically (The Closed Game) about 30% of the time.

White's Second Move

By far the most common, and probably the best, second move for white is to advance the Queen's Bishop Pawn: 2. c4. This is the famed Queen's Gambit, and we discuss it next in detail.