Chess opening · ECO D32
Tarrasch Defense
Against 3.Nc3, Black plays 3...c5 in the Tarrasch Defense, a second strike at White's center on top of the pawns on d5 and e6. Black is ready to open the position even if it leaves the d5 pawn with no neighbors. In exchange, the pieces get open files and diagonals, and the c8 bishop is not stuck for long. White's job is to blockade that pawn, trade pieces, and pile up on it.
- Rank by weighted share
- #148 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5
- 3... c5Black challenges d4 at once instead of waiting with ...Nf6. The c-pawn now attacks d4 while d5 is attacked by the c4 pawn and the c3 knight, so both centers are under fire and a run of pawn trades usually follows within a few moves.
How the isolated d-pawn appears
The usual path starts with cxd5 exd5. The e-pawn has now moved to d5 and the c8 bishop's diagonal is open. If the c-pawns are later traded off, Black's d5 pawn has no pawn on the c-file or the e-file to protect it.
That pawn cuts both ways. It controls c4 and e4, giving Black's knights and bishops forward squares, but it can also become a fixed target that White attacks with pieces from every direction.
The g2 bishop against d5
A standard setup for White puts the bishop on g2, pointing along the long diagonal at d5. The knight on f3 stands in the way at first, so every time that knight moves, the pressure on d5 grows. A rook on d1 and a queen on b3 or a4 can join the attack later.
Black answers with quick development: ...Nc6, ...Nf6, ...Be7 and castling, then ...Be6 to support d5 or ...Bg4 to put pressure on the f3 knight.
Fianchetto against the d-pawn
4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O
Black's d5 pawn is not isolated yet, because the c5 pawn still stands beside it. White often trades with dxc5 at a moment when Black must recapture with the bishop, and only then does d5 lose its last pawn neighbor.
Top replies by rating
Below 1600, Nf3 and e3 trade the lead and cxd5 sits third. From 1600 up cxd5 tops every band, with its widest lead at 2000 and up.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200–1399 | e3 28% | Nf3 28% | cxd5 26% |
| 1400–1599 | Nf3 33% | e3 25% | cxd5 24% |
| 1600–1799 | cxd5 32% | e3 24% | Nf3 23% |
| 1800–1999 | cxd5 48% | e3 21% | Nf3 20% |
| 2000 and up | cxd5 65% | Nf3 21% | e3 15% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.