Queen's Pawn Game: Krause Variation – How to Play as Black

The defining feature of this position is the pawn tension in the centre. White has played c3 to keep the d4 pawn solid, but they haven't yet committed to capturing on c5 or advancing with e3/e4. As Black, your main idea is to keep the pressure on d4 while completing your development. The most natural follow-up is ...Nf6, developing a piece and eyeing the e4 square. If White ever takes on c5 (dxc5), you recapture with ...Bxc5 and gain a lead in development — the statistics back this up: dxc5 is White's worst-scoring option at just 43.2% for White. That's a winning percentage for you. Your second crucial idea is ...Qb6 after White plays Bf4, pinning the b2 pawn against the bishop and creating immediate tactical discomfort. In short: develop quickly, target d4, and be ready to pounce if White releases the tension early.

Stockfish's top recommendation for White is Bf4, with the continuation Bf4 Nf6 e3 Qb6. This lines up with the most-played move in practice: Bf4 appears in nearly 93,000 games and scores 51.3% for White — a solid but unremarkable result. After Bf4, your automatic reply is ...Nf6, developing and asking White what they intend to do in the centre. White's typical follow-up is e3, after which you play ...Qb6, putting Black's key idea into action. The queen attacks b2 and eyes the d4 pawn, creating a lively middlegame. Notice that White hasn't captured on c5 yet — if they do at any point, you simply recapture with the bishop and gain time. The Bf4 setup is solid but gives Black clear counterplay. Your task is to stay active and not let White consolidate their extra central space for free.

Let's look at the numbers for the five most-played White moves (all from the database):

- Bf4 (92,933 games, White 51.3%) — the engine's pick and the most popular, but Black's 46.1% win rate here is perfectly respectable.
- e3 (78,936 games, White 48.7%) — interestingly, this scores worse than Bf4 for White. Black scores 47.5% wins. After e3 you can develop naturally with ...Nf6 and ...Be7.
- Bg5 (45,752 games, White 52.0%) — this is White's best-scoring option, pinning the knight if it comes to f6. Be ready for ...Nf6 to be met with Bxf6 or simply develop with ...Be7.
- g3 (37,675 games, White 50.9%) — a fianchetto setup. Black's plan is the same: ...Nf6, ...Be7, and ...0-0.
- dxc5 (26,780 games, White 43.2%) — this is a gift for Black. After ...Bxc5 you have nice development and White has wasted a tempo. If you see this from White, be happy.

The takeaway: the position is close, Black's chances are real, and the most forgiving line for White (dxc5) is also the least common. You have every reason to be confident.

The most common mistake Black makes in this line is to play too passively. After the natural Bf4 Nf6 e3 sequence, many Black players go ...Be7 or ...Nbd7 without putting immediate pressure on White's centre. The engine's continuation shows why ...Qb6 is so strong — it forces White to deal with the threat to b2, which can't always be defended trivially. If White responds with Qc1 or Qb3, you've already provoked a concession. Another typical error: capturing on c5 too early if White hasn't played dxc5. If White plays dxc5 themselves, you take with the bishop and enjoy active play. But if you snatch on c5 unnecessarily, you can let White build a strong centre with e4. Stay patient, keep the tension, and use ...Qb6 as your main weapon.