Chess Opening Theory/1. Nc3/1...Nc6

Now leaving opening theory: This page represents a rare sideline. Before making new pages for following moves, please consider line notability.

A funny sideline, Black passes the decision to play a pawn in the centre back to White. This is flexible and affords White a wide range of plausible continuations, the most ambitious being 2. d4 or 2. e4.

2. d4 d5 enters a closed opening. In closed openings one usually wants to have the option of c4 and ...c5, which here the knights prevent. However, since it is blocked for both White and Black, the game is equal. 3. e4 transposes into the Bogoljubow variation of the Nimzowitsch defence (1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3).

2. e4 e5 transposes to the Max Lange defence in the Vienna game.

1. Nc3 Nc6