My Long Diagonal Home

Verse 1

Pawn to d4, pawn to c4 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6

Knight to f3, bishop d2 for sure 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7

He checked from b4, now he wants to trade

I keep the light squares, that's the choice I made

Chorus

Pawn to g3, bishop to g2 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bxd2+

Knight takes on d2, darling, that's my cue 7.Nbxd2

The long diagonal leads me home

I close the centre, calm and slow

Verse 2

I castle short, he does it too 7...d6 8.0-0 0-0

Pawn to e4, then pawn to d5 9.e4 e5 10.d5

Knight to e1, then knight to d3 10...Nb8 11.Ne1 a5 12.Nd3

My a-pawn and b-pawn roll on through

The queenside's mine, I'll push for c5

Not back to e1, my knight stays on d3

Chorus

Pawn to g3, bishop to g2 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bxd2+

Knight takes on d2, darling, that's my cue 7.Nbxd2

The long diagonal leads me home

I close the centre, calm and slow

The song holds the line as masters play it: fianchetto, recapture on d2 with the queen's knight, castle, e4 and d5 to lock the centre, the knight reroute via e1 to d3, and then the slow queenside roll with a3, b4 and c5 — a quiet, closed system where the queens stay on and the long diagonal is the one thing White never gives up.