Queen's Pawn: 1...e6 2.Nf3 c5

Queen’s Pawn: 1…e6 2.Nf3 c5

Definition

The move-order 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 c5 is a flexible reply to the Queen’s Pawn Opening that keeps Black’s intentions hidden for as long as possible. After declining to commit the c-pawn on move 1, Black first plays the French-style …e6 and only then strikes at the center with …c5, inviting transpositions into a variety of openings.

How the Line Is Used in Practice

• Benoni Territory: If White continues with 3.c4, Black can enter a Benoni structure after 3…cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6.
• Tarrasch-French Hybrid: With 3.e4, the game resembles a French Tarrasch, but Black has avoided early …d5 commitments.
• Queenside Fianchetto Plans: Black may delay …d5 and instead adopt plans from the English Defence (…b6, …Bb7) or from the Czech Benoni (…d6, …e6, …c5).
• Transpositional Weapon: By altering the order of …e6 and …c5 Black can sidestep pet lines such as 2.c4 without allowing the standard Tarrasch Defence.

Strategic Themes

The core idea is elasticity. Black postpones …d5 and keeps the light-squared bishop’s route ambiguous (…Be7, …Bb4, or even …b6-…Bb7).

• Immediate Central Tension: The pawn on c5 challenges d4. White must decide whether to support the pawn with e3/c3, exchange on c5, or advance the d-pawn.
• Pawn-Structure Flexibility: Depending on how White reacts, Black can aim for Benoni, Queen’s Gambit Declined, French, or even Hedgehog setups.
• Piece Activity: Because …e6 slightly hems in the c8-bishop, Black often emphasizes rapid knight development (…Nf6, …Nc6) and queenside counterplay (…a6, …b5).

Historical & Theoretical Notes

• The line began appearing in master practice in the 1930s, but it never received a universally accepted name. “Franco-Benoni” and “English Defence move-order” are the two most common labels.
• Victor Korchnoi, known for his love of flexible structures, employed it several times in the 1978 Karpov–Korchnoi World Championship match to avoid Karpov’s preparation against the Benoni.
• Modern engines have enriched the theory by discovering dynamic pawn sacrifices after early …d5 breaks, increasing the line’s popularity in rapid time controls.

Illustrative Example

One typical branching point:

After 6…Bb4+, Black transposes to a dynamic Benoni-type middlegame while having avoided the most venomous Anti-Benoni systems.

Interesting Tidbits

• Because both sides can steer the game into multiple recognized openings, grandmasters sometimes write “1…e6 2.Nf3 c5!?” in their notes, adding the exclamation-question mark to highlight the line’s psychological sting.
• In online blitz, Magnus Carlsen has used this move-order to provoke early inaccuracies, arguing that “people forget their preparation after just one sidestep.”
• ChessBase statistics show that positions reached after 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 c5 score roughly 50 % for each side, indicating that the surprise factor does not compromise objective soundness.