The move 1.d4, often called the Queen's Pawn opening, generally leads to closed and strategic positions where plans unfold more slowly than in Open Games. The classical cornerstone is the Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4), in which White offers a flank pawn to gain central influence. If Black accepts with 2...dxc4, the Queen's Gambit Accepted leads to fluid positions where White recovers the pawn through piece pressure, while the Queen's Gambit Declined (2...e6) is a solid classical defense built on a strong pawn center. The Slav Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6) provides another solid option, reinforcing the d5 pawn and supporting later ...dxc4 breaks.
The Indian defenses form the hypermodern response to 1.d4. The King's Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7) is a fighting system in which Black allows White a broad center and later attacks it with ...e5 or ...c5 pawn breaks. The Nimzo-Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4) immediately pins the c3 knight and exerts long-term pressure on the queenside, while the Grünfeld Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) directly counterattacks White's center. Together these defenses reward patient, piece-based play and remain deeply theoretical at the highest levels.
White also has many system-based and flexible ways to play the d4 opening. The London System, beginning with 1.d4 and an early Bf4, is easy to learn and produces similar structures regardless of Black's setup, while the Colle System (1.d4, 2.Nf3, 3.e3) is similarly solid and system-based. The Catalan combines 1.d4 with a g3 fianchetto, frequently employed against ...e6 setups. The King's Indian Attack and Stonewall Attack are flexible systems that can arise against many Black defenses, the Trompowsky Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) is an aggressive sideline, and the Veresov (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5) is an uncommon attacking try. Beyond d4 itself, the English Opening (1.c4) and the Réti Opening (1.Nf3) are flexible hypermodern weapons that can transpose into many systems. Gambit players can choose the Benko (Volga) Gambit (3.d5 b5), the Budapest Gambit (2.c4 e5), the Albin Counter-Gambit (2.c4 e5), or the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4), each trading a pawn for activity, development, or long-term initiative.