The idea in one sentence
A Queen's Gambit with a fianchettoed bishop on g2: White lets Black take on c4 and wins it back while the bishop presses on the long diagonal.
♔ White's plans
- Fianchetto the bishop on g2, aimed at b7 and the queenside
- Win back c4 with Qc2 or Qa4
- Press on the queenside and the long diagonal
♚ Black's plans
- Take on c4 and try to keep it or free the game with ...c5
- Develop the c8 bishop, the hardest piece
- Neutralise the g2 bishop
Pawn structure. Queen's Gambit pawns, with White's bishop on the long diagonal.
How to learn it
- Read the idea and the plans: every move below serves one of them.
- In the story, ask of each move: what does it do, what does it stop, what does it prepare, why not the other one?
- Drill your side. At the key moves you name the idea first, then play the move.
- Missed moves come back first next time, and in your journal.
The defining moves
- 3.g3 prepares the fianchetto.
- 4.Bg2 puts the bishop on the long diagonal.
- 6...dxc4 takes the gambit pawn.
- 7.Qc2 wins the pawn back.
The line follows the moves masters play most (Lichess masters database), each checked by Stockfish 19 at depth 22; where the book move is not Stockfish's first choice, the story says so. Scores are in pawns from White's side: +0.30 is good for White, −0.30 for Black.