Anna Cramling’s 1.d4 - Part 2

the King's Indian, Nimzo-Indian, Dutch and More 🔥

If you know how to play against 1.d4 d5, that’s good — but it’s only half the job. You also need to be ready for all kinds of ambitious King’s Indians, Nimzo-Indians, the Dutch, and several dangerous gambits.

WFM Anna Cramling and her mother GM Pia Cramling are here to prepare you for that.

After the first part of their repertoire on 1.d4 d5, they’re back with part 2, covering everything you need to fight 1…Nf6 and 1…f5.

While part 1 was more positional, expect part 2 to get fiery and tactical. It’s filled with dynamic positions and unusual moves that both Pia and Anna have trusted for years in their own games.

All lines share one goal: posing Black maximum problems with active play, while keeping everything logical and based on clear plans you can follow without heavy memorization.

Your main battleground will be the Nimzo-Indian, one of Black’s most-played and challenging approaches after 1…Nf6. Anna and Pia go for the Classical Variation with 4.Qc2 and an ambitious early e4 that will often entail further expansion:

capture

The aggressive way to fight the Nimzo-Indian.

In many lines, you skip castling to launch your kingside pawns.

This is common against the aggressive King’s Indian. Anna herself used to dread facing it… until Pia showed her the Makogonov Variation (5.h3).

It’s a quiet pawn move with big ambitions and plenty of poison, often paving the way for kingside attacks:

capture

Not just a space advantage across the board:

you’re also ready to steamroll Black’s kingside.

A preference for the non-mainstream over the traditional shows up even in the renowned Grünfeld. You’ll play the Exchange Variation, but then bring the queen out early and often sacrifice an exchange for concrete compensation:

capture

With the bishop cut off from the kingside,

it can’t defend, and White can attack.

Even against the Benko Gambit, Pia and Anna have found ways to outsmart Black in lines they won’t see coming.

The approach starts quietly: you accept the gambit, then continue with 5.e3 and a5 to secure your extra pawn. True to the repertoire’s style, you’ll soon push your e-pawn, seize a strong center, and steer the game into tactical complications where Black can easily get lost:

capture

After …fxe5, you’ll complicate the position with dxe6,

giving you strong tactical ideas on the light squares.

If your opponent plays the Dutch, you’ll set up with 2.Nc3 and follow up with moves aimed at exploiting Black’s weaknesses. You’ll often harass their king with an h-pawn march, unafraid to sacrifice material along the way:

capture

White wins a pawn, with a sizable advantage.

Tactical Venom: Only the Prepared Will Survive

Many moves in this repertoire look like normal, active developing moves, but harbor tactical tricks only well-prepared opponents will spot and navigate correctly.

A good example can be found against the Modern Benoni, which you’ll fight with the Four Pawns Attack:

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An early bishop check that Black needs to react to.

The only correct way for Black to block the check is the most illogical-looking move: …Nfd7. Just imagine how many of your unsuspecting opponents will block with the undeveloped knight instead! You’ll often win material on the spot:

capture

White will win a piece, and the game.

Combining the Best of Two Generations

All repertoire lines were handpicked by GM Pia Cramling, peak-rated 2550 FIDE and a true legend who topped the women’s world rankings three times. Pia has trusted many of these lines herself for decades and passed her opening knowledge on to her daughter, Anna.

A strong attacking player with a peak FIDE rating of 2175, Anna is in her element presenting these lines that essentially make up her own repertoire. Expect her to explain everything in the accessible, fun style that has made her a favorite of thousands of chess learners.

Recap of What You’ll Get in Part 2:

You’ll learn 650+ active, attacking lines against:

🔥 the Nimzo-Indian

🔥 the King’s Indian

🔥 the Grünfeld

🔥 the Modern Benoni and Snake Benoni

🔥 the Benko Gambit

🔥 the Dutch Defense

🔥 the Budapest and Fajarowicz Gambits

To help you understand and internalize the material, you get:

✅ 27+ hours of video with Anna Cramling

✅ Two Quickstarter chapters: mainlines & sidelines

✅ Overviews of each major Black setup with instructive model games

If you’ve already studied part 1 of Anna’s 1.d4 repertoire, this is a must-have follow-up. By adding it to your repertoire, you’ll not just expand your 1.d4 arsenal, but also shape yourself into a player who can confidently switch between positional control and tactical warfare.

But you can also study this course on its own if you’re simply looking for ambitious, creative lines against 1…Nf6 and 1…f5.

Try it and set the board on fire with the Cramlings’ explosive lines!