Disrupt 1.d4 Austrian Defense for Black + PGN Jul 14, 2025 Chessable

Break Free with the “Double Queen’s Gambit”
Strategy of the Austrian Defense

The plan is simple. You mirror White’s strongest move order. You crank up the central tension — so much so that they can’t keep the position closed. So when the center explodes, you’re not stuck defending a lone center pawn. You’re taking over an open board!

You hit White with a dose of their own medicine — 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5!

The Austrian Defense or the “Double
Queen’s Gambit” blows the center wide
open. So White can kiss their usual
space advantage goodbye!

And just like that, they can’t stop the center from clearing out.

Your bishops get clear diagonals. Your knights leap into the center… while your rooks and queen take over the open files.

Complete piece harmony
in less than 12 moves!

Enter Disrupt 1.d4: Austrian Defense for Black.

This complete and criminally underrated counter to 1.d4 was a life-saver for Grandmaster Jan Gustafsson.

You’ve probably heard of Gustafsson.

Peak rating of 2652. Peak world ranking of #85. A 5-star commentator for Chess24. And in the analysis room? He helped Magnus Carlsen prepare for his 3 successful title defenses.

But even for Gustafsson, keeping up with 1.d4 grew tiring.

New ideas kept popping up in his trusted Nimzo-Indian and Slav. The dreaded Catalan was always lurking.

And worst of all? These theory-heavy openings left Black cramped, defending a lone center pawn like their life depended on it!

So he teamed up with Candidate Master Vjekoslav Nemec.

He’s a speed chess specialist, best-selling Chessable author, and fellow opening expert.

But while Gustafsson dives deep into super-GM lines… Nemec lights up the board with offbeat systems that hold up at the highest levels.

With their powers combined…

They Turned A “1 in 2,000” Sideline Into
A Complete Repertoire Against 1.d4

The “Double Queen’s Gambit” Austrian Defense doesn’t just blow the game open for your pieces.

It hits White with serious surprise value, too!

It’s seen in just 1 out of 2,000 master games after 1.d4, and it’s just as rare at the club level.

So most players will slip up early — allowing you to not just equalize, but take over the initiative!

Depending on how they mess up, you will wedge a pawn to d4 to disrupt their queenside.

All while your pieces develop with tempo, as if you’re playing White!

White must tread lightly around your d4-
pawn, while your pieces reach their best
squares in one swoop!

Steer the game into a favorable “fianchetto vs isolani position.”

One where you’re not just blockading their pawn three ways to Sunday… you’re also attacking it head-on, tying up White’s pieces in defense.

Blocked thrice, attacked twice — White’s
d4-pawn is a target not a weapon

Poke and prod with your “dancing queen.”

And before long, White’s pawns and pieces are stepping on each other’s toes… while yours move in perfect harmony.

Gustafsson and Nemec also cover second-move tries, like the London System (2.Bf4), Stonewall Attack (2.f4), and Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (2.e4).

Best of all, they complement their thorough coverage with a course design that makes the lessons stick!

💥 Get up to speed fast with 2x Quickstarter guides. Focus your time where it counts, White’s Queen’s Gambit or their tricky sidelines. Then you have the rest of the course as your deep-dive reference.

💥 Build your intuition with strategy and tactics drills. So you can find strong moves even when you’re “out of book.”

💥 Double down on critical positions with Memory Markers. These key moments shape the direction of the game and how smoothly your next moves unfold.

💥 Then replay the model games, and learn how to snowball your strong start to a crushing advantage!