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Chess Opening Theory/1. c4/1...e5/2. Nc3

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English Opening
a b c d e f g h
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black pawne7 black kingf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6 black kingb6 black kingc6 black kingd6 black kinge6 black kingf6 black kingg6 black kingh6 black king6
5a5 black kingb5 black kingc5 black kingd5 black kinge5 black pawnf5 black kingg5 black kingh5 black king5
4a4 black kingb4 black kingc4 white pawnd4 black kinge4 black kingf4 black kingg4 black kingh4 black king4
3a3 black kingb3 black kingc3 white knightd3 black kinge3 black kingf3 black kingg3 black kingh3 black king3
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 black kingd2 white pawne2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1 white rookb1 black kingc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook1
a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN)
Moves: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3

English Opening

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2.Nc3

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An instant way of reinforcing the attack on d5, Nc3 is the standard second move of the independent lines of the English opening. This move is also useful because it allows 3.Nf3, although some players prefer to play the Bremen System with 3.g3 preparing for 4.Bg2, and thus increasing control over d5 and keeping two good options for the development of the king's knight (a standard Nf3 or Ne2, which keeps the long diagonal open and offers some protection against the pinning and possible exchange of the other knight).

The flexibility of the English opening also applies for the black side which must choose how to develop after this move. While 2...Nf6 is flexible and provides some control over d5, 2...Nc6 is also possible, leading to sharp variations where white will have the initiative on the q-side with moves such as e3, Nge2, d4, Rb1 and b4, while black will have some counterplay on the opposite wing by advancing his k-side pawns, threatening to put the white king in some serious jeopardy.

Another black option is 2... Bb4, which allows Nd5 chasing the bishop, but the resulting poistion is unclear, so most players choose to play a more passive move such as 3. e3 or 3. Nf3, which allows black to take and try to place pawns on dark squares to create an imbalanced and double-edged position.

Theory Table

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For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3

2 3
English ...
Nf6
Nf3
 
+/=
English ...
Nc6
g3
 
+/=
Kramnik-Shirov

Attack

...

Bb4

Nd5

a5

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References

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  • Nunn's Chess Openings. 1999. John Nunn (Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe Gallagher. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0.