Pedro Larsen: Level 79 Chess Rival (2274 ELO)

Queen tier · Dynamic Genius · plays the Queen's Gambit Declined

• Level: 79 of 100
• Tier: Queen
• Rating: 2274 ELO
• Opening: Queen's Gambit Declined
• Style: Dynamic Genius
• From: Spain
• Age: 18
• Plays: Black (you have White)

How Pedro plays

Pedro is eighteen and plays like a coiled spring. On paper his opening is one of the most respectable in chess, but he treats the Queen's Gambit Declined as a launch pad rather than a fortress. He develops calmly, castles, and then looks for the moment to play ...c5 and turn a solid structure into a dynamic one, often accepting hanging pawns on c5 and d5 in return for open lines and active pieces.

That is the kind of position where he shines: lots of piece activity, pawn breaks in the air and tactics just under the surface. He calculates quickly and loves the initiative. The flip side is impatience. When the position is static and he has nothing to attack, Pedro tends to look for activity that is not really there, and a slightly passive position he has to hold for twenty moves is the game he least wants to play.

At 2274 ELO, Pedro plays at master strength. Outright blunders are rare, so you need a sound opening, a clear plan and accurate calculation in sharp moments. A draw against him is a good result; a win means you played a very good game.

Queen's Gambit Declined: the line Pedro plays

Pedro defends with the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, then ...Nf6, ...Be7 and early castling. The main book line is the Tartakower, with ...h6 and ...b6 so the light-squared bishop can go to b7. It is one of the most respected defences in chess and hard to break by force.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg5 O-O 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.Bd3 Bb7

• 2...e6: ...e6 holds d5 and opens the dark-squared bishop, at the cost of locking in the c8 bishop for now.
• 5...O-O: Castling early: Black finishes the kingside before deciding on the centre.
• 6...h6: ...h6 asks your bishop to choose between h4 and a trade on f6.
• 8...Bb7: ...Bb7 is the Tartakower point: the 'bad' bishop finds a long diagonal.

Learn it move by move: Queen's Gambit Declined walkthrough

How to beat Pedro

1. If he takes on hanging pawns on c5 and d5, do not attack them head-on. Pile rooks onto the c- and d-files and wait for him to push one, then blockade the pawn left behind.
2. Play dxc5 against his ...c5 break only when it leaves him an isolated pawn, not a healthy active pair. Keep the tension otherwise and let him decide how to resolve it.
3. Steer toward quiet, slightly better positions with no immediate targets. His ambition tends to push him into speculative activity, and a calm defensive task suits his temperament far less than complications do.
4. The Exchange Variation (cxd5 exd5, then Bd3, Qc2, Nge2 and castling) gives White a clear, low-risk plan: the minority attack with b4-b5 against Black's queenside pawns. It is easier to play well than the main lines and works at every level.
5. The book answers 1.d4 and 1.c4. Open 1.e4 and he is out of book at move one.

What beating Pedro teaches you

Pedro teaches you how to handle hanging pawns: when to pressure them, when to wait, and how to blockade the weakness that appears once one of them advances.

Neighbours on the ladder

• Nika Costa: level 78
• Akiko Vega: level 80