Explore IQP (isolated queen's pawn) positions from real Lichess games. Learn how masters attack with and defend against the isolated d-pawn.
The isolated queen's pawn (IQP) is one of the most important structural themes in chess. A pawn on d4 with no supporting pawns on the c or e files is both a strength and a weakness: it controls central squares (c5 and e5) and provides dynamic piece play, but it can become a target in the endgame. This structure arises from many openings including the Queen's Gambit Accepted, Nimzo-Indian, and Caro-Kann.