Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3
Colle System
1.2.3.
What Is The Colle System?
3.e3 shuts in the c1 bishop, a price White pays on purpose. It frees Bd3, c3, Nbd2 and 0-0, a setup with one goal. Every piece is placed so that the e3-e4 break opens the centre exactly when White's forces already point at Black's king. After the break, the d3 bishop and a knight landing on e5 create mating threats, Bxh7+ among them.
Black's reply decides the game you get. 3...e6 is the Traditional Colle and the version White hopes for: the c8 bishop sits behind its pawns. 3...Bf5 and 3...Bg4, the Anti-Colle, develop that bishop first and take the force out of e4. 3...g6, the Gruenfeld Formation, answers e4 with a bishop on g7 that blunts the d3 diagonal. Skip the e4 break and the setup gives you nothing.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| e6 | 25% | 690 | |
| Nc6 | 18% | 484 | |
| Bg4 | 16% | 447 | |
| Bf5 | 15% | 406 |
The Named Lines Of The Colle System
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Anti-Colle | 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 Bf5 |
| Grünfeld Formation | 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 g6 4.Bd3 Bg7 |
| Traditional Colle | 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.Bd3 d5 5.c3 |