When GM Mahammad Muradli completed his first Ragozin course covering the critical lines with 5.Bg5 and 5.Qa4+, a natural question emerged: what about everything else? The Ragozin's unique structure—combining Queen's Gambit Declined themes with the Nimzo-Indian pin—creates a position where White's knight on c3 becomes a tactical anchor rather than an active piece. This fundamental difference shapes all of White's sideline attempts, and understanding how to exploit it transforms these "quiet alternatives" into comfortable positions for Black.
Sequence: Ragozin According to Muradli »
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The Ragozin Defense offers something different—a synthesis that feels almost too good to be true. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4, Black develops naturally, pins the c3-knight, and maintains constant tension in the center. The position breathes with possibilities: tactical strikes with ...c5 or ...dxc4, strategic maneuvering around the isolated queen's pawn structures, and endgames where Black's activity compensates for any positional drawbacks. It's a system where understanding the character of positions matters more than memorizing computer lines—precisely the kind of opening that rewards players looking for practical variations to play.
Sequence: Ragozin According to Muradli »
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For years, 1.d4 players have struggled against one of Black’s most trusted defenses — the Ragozin. Solid, flexible, and endlessly playable, it’s been a favorite of Carlsen, Aronian, Gukesh, and Firouzja. But now, the tide turns. In 1.d4 According to Lucas Van Foreest – Fight the Ragozin, GMs Lucas Van Foreest and Pier Luigi Basso present a complete and modern system built around the critical 6.Bg5, the line that puts Black’s entire setup under both strategic and tactical pressure.
Sequence: 1.d4 According to Lucas Van Foreest »
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FM Egor Lashkin (FIDE Rating 2459) has just published his newest in-depth theoretical research - Principled Repertoire against Vienna and Ragozin. Providing an opening repertoire for White against two of the most respectable responses to 1.e4, requires hard work, subtle understanding, and a lot of dedication. After analyzing the arising positions for months, FM Lashkin managed to create practical problems for Black in all directions. Sometimes, his in-depth analysis goes to the endgame! And what is even more astonishing, the author also explains how we could put pressure in the arising endgame positions.
The current database consists of 8 very huge theoretical chapters, 10 model games, a Memory Booster, and 15 interactive test positions.
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We are thrilled to present you with our BRAND-NEW video training course, Ragozin Defense: Complete Repertoire against 1.d4, instructed by the renowned International Master Marcin Sieciechowicz!
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In his first opening project for Modern Chess, GM Gyula Pap builds repertoire against two of the most popular and reliable openings - Ragozin Defence and Vienna Variation. From the perspective of the ambitious tournament player, this repertoire provides a lot of value. GM Pap goes for relatively unexplored directions where he comes up with in-depth analysis. Psychologically, your opponents will have a hard time fighting against the suggestions in this opening course.
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In the second installment of 'Repertoire for Black against 1.d4', GM Kuljasevic suggests an opening repertoire against 3.Nf3 based on the Ragozin Defense (4...Bb4) and Modern Queen's Gambit (4...a6). Similarly to the Repertoire against the Catalan, the idea is to have one equalizing opening system that you would be comfortable playing against strong opponents, as well as one sharp system that you would use to imbalance the game, get your opponent out of his comfort zone, or just get a playable game without much opening theory, hoping to outplay him in the long run.
In this database, the Ragozin Defense will have the role of a solid equalizing weapon, while the Modern Queen's Gambit will be the sharp one.
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