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Train this openingAbout this opening
Both sides have staked out the center and neither pawn can advance, so the game becomes a race to develop and to attack e5. Nf3 does both jobs in one move, which is why it is the most played move here. Bc4 aims at f7, the only square defended by the king alone, and sets up fast attacking tries. d4 strikes immediately and opens lines before Black is ready, at the cost of trading your own center pawn. f4 is the King's Gambit, offering a pawn to tear open the file toward the black king. These lead to very different games, but all of them are decided by who gets developed and castled first.
- Play Nf3 to develop and hit e5 in a single move.
- Point the bishop at f7 with Bc4, the weakest square Black owns.
- Break with d4 to open lines while Black is still developing.
- Castle short and bring a rook to e1 behind the pawn.
- Knight: f3, attacking e5 and heading for d4 or g5
- Bishop: c4, pointing at f7
- Pawn: d4, the break that opens the position
- Rook: e1, behind the pawn once you castle
- Knight: c3, covering d5 and e4
An open game where both kings go short and the rooks meet on the e-file. Whoever finishes development first usually gets the attack, and a loose piece decides a great many of these.