C20-C29:

Unusual 2nd Moves

Written by GMs Nigel Davies, Tony Kosten, Victor Mikhalevski & Olivier Renet
Last updated Wednesday, April 20, 2011

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fter 1 e4 e5, two of White's most popular 2nd moves are undoubtedly 2 f3 and
2 c3. However, in the early codes of our 'C20-C29 book', the sleepy knights
hardly stir! Instead, we get a fascinating assortment of rarer ideas, followed by

lots of actionpacked goodies with 2 c4 hitting the frail f7pawn, and finally a slumbering
knight awakens, sees what it's been missing, and springs out of its b1-block with 2 c3 in
the vivacious Vienna Game! A personal favourite of mine is the individual 'C26 book',
entitled "Starring Smyslov's smart system". What a pointscorer that one is! So, prepare
yourself for a feast, and then have lots of fun and success trying out the many lines in your
own (winning!) games. GM Paul Motwani
All the game references highlighted in blue have been annotated and can be downloaded in
PGN form using the PGN Games Archive on www.chesspublishing.com.

Contents

1 e4 e5 2 c3
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2 d4 exd4 3 xd4 (3 c3 Danish Gambit [C21]) 3...c6 Center Game [C22]
2 c4 f6 (2...c6 3 e2 Bishop's Opening 2...Others [C23]) 3 d3 c6 Bishop's Opening
2...Nf6 [C24]
2 a3 Other 2nd moves [C20]

2...f6
2...c6 3 c4 f6 (3...c5 Vienna Game 2...Others [C25]) 4 d3 Vienna 3.Bc4 Nf6 [C28]

3 f4
3 c4 xe4 4 h5 Vienna 3.Bc4 Nxe4 [C27]
3 g3 Vienna 2...Nf6 3.g3 [C26]

3...d5
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4 fxe5 xe4
Vienna 2...Nf6 3.f4 [C29]

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Others 2nd moves [C20]

Last updated: 16/03/07 by Olivier Renet

1 e4 e5 2 c3

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A kind of accelerated Ponziani? White intends to build a broad pawn centre with d2d4 but
all this takes time.
Other rarities include the Portuguese Opening with 2 b5 after which 2...c6 3 a4 f6 4
e2 c5 5 f3 d5! 6 exd5 0-0 gave Black good compensation for the pawn in
Vescovi,GSokolov,I/Malmo 1995 (14).
After Mengarini's 2 a3 Black should adopt a setup in which the move of White's apawn
is relatively pointless, for example 2...f6 3 c3 (3 d3 d5 4 f4!? a reversed ... f5
Philidor! Surtees,MPalliser,R/British Championship, Swansea 2006) 3...c5
(3...c6 4 f3 g6 makes sense, see C47) 4 f3 d6 5 h3 c6 6 d3 a6 7 g3 0-0 8 g2
e6 and Black was OK at this point in Wahls,MBrueckner,T/Bundesliga 1991
(21).

2...f6 3 d4 xe4
Black's simplest may be 3...d5 4 dxe5 xe4 with easy equality.

4 dxe5 c5?
Either missing or underestimating the reply.
Another way to blunder was with 4...d5 5 exd6 xd6? allowing 6 a4+, but 5...xd6 is
OK.

5 g4 xf2 6 xg7 f8 7 g5
and White was already winning in the game Morphy,PButtin,P/Paris 1858 (29).

Danish Gambit [C21]

Last updated: 14/08/03 by Nigel Davies

1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 c3

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3...e7!?
An interesting and economical answer to the Danish. Black prepares ...d7d5 followed by a
knight recapture, but without having to worry about his knight being attacked by e4
e5.

4 cxd4 d5 5 e5 f5 6 c3 e7 7 f3 0-0 8 d3 c6 9 e2 f6 10 a3 fxe5 11

dxe5 h4 12 xh4 xh4
and Black had a good game in Voigt,MHector,J/Hamburg International, Germany 2000
(27).

Center Game [C22]

Last updated: 14/08/03 by Nigel Davies

1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 xd4

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3...c6 4 e3 f6
Another good way to play it for Black is with 4...g6 when the fianchettoed king's bishop
will both protect Black's king and strike out along the h8a1 diagonal. One example
is 5 c3 g7 6 d2 f6 7 0-0-0 0-0 8 g3 d6 9 h4 e7 10 f3 e6 11 ge2 d5
when Black got a good game in Silva,FSantos,C/Porto Open, Portugal 2000 (29).

5 c3 e7 6 d2 d5 7 exd5 xd5 8 g3
8 xd5 xd5 White would be unable to castle queenside because of the attack on the a2
pawn.

8...cb4 9 0-0-0?

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Relatively best is 9 xd5 xd5 10 xb4 (10 xg7 xc2+ 11 d1 f8 12 xc2 f5+ 13 c1 0-00 14 f3 b4) 10...e4+! with some advantage to Black.
9 xg7? f6 attacks both g7 and c2.

9...xc3 10 bxc3
Forced, as either 10 xc3?
or 10 xc3? is answered by 10...xa2+

10...xa2+ 11 b2 e6 12 e2 c5!
and with ...Qb6+ threatened White was in all sorts of trouble in Smith,A
Ferguson,M/Birmingham ENG 2000 (24).

Bishop's Opening 2...Others [C23]

Last updated: 14/08/03 by Nigel Davies

1 e4 e5 2 c4

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2...c6
A logical if somewhat slow looking move, aiming for ...d7d5. Alternatives are as follows:
a) 2...c5 3 b4!? (A kind of accelerated Evans Gambit) 3...xb4 4 c3 c5 5 d4 exd4 6
xf7+ xf7 7 h5+ g6 8 xc5 e7 9 d5+ e6?! (9...g7 is better) 10 xe6+
dxe6 11 cxd4 was better for White in Delanoy,AKamenecki,S/Cannes Open 2000
(38).
b) 2...f5 3 xg8?! (Rather than grab material like this, White should play either 3 d3
or 3 d4 ) 3...xg8 4 exf5 d5 5 h5+ g6 6 fxg6 xg6 7 e2 c6 8 0-0 g4 9 xh7 h6 and
Black had a strong attack in the game Fisher,ASteinitz,W/London 1872 (24).
c) 2...c6 3 f4 f6 4 f3 xe4?! (4...exf4 is much better) 5 d5! f6 6 xc6 dxc6 7 fxe5
g4 8 d4 and White had a clear edge in Strijbos,MDeyirmendjian,J/Avoine Open
1995 (21).

3 e2
This slow move is not the critical test of 2...c6.
3 d4 looks much more logical as after 3...exd4 4 xd4 White's queen can't be attacked by
Black's queen's knight because the c6 square is occupied.

3...d6 4 c3 f5 5 d3 f6 6 exf5?!
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Giving Black a preponderance of central pawns.
6 f3 is better.

6...xf5 7 d4 e4 8 g5 d5 9 b3 d6
and Black's well fortified and centralised army gave him the advantage in Bruehl,C
Philidor,F/London Blindfold Simul 1783 (47).

10

Bishop's Opening 2...Nf6 [C24]

Last updated: 20/04/11 by Victor Mikhalevski

1.e4 e5 2.c4

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2...f6 3.d3
This quiet move has been all the rage in recent years.
3.d4

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The Urusoff Gambit, which has attracted the attention of gambiteers worldwide. 3...exd4
4.f3 xe4 (Much safer is 4...c6, which transposes into a Two Knights Defence.)
5.xd4 f6 6.c3 c6 7.g5 d5 8.0-0-0 e7 9.h4 bd7 (An alternative is 9...e6,
though this still offers White dangerous attacking chances after 10.he1 bd7
11

11.d3 (or 11.d4!? ) ) 10.he1 dxc4 11.xf6 gxf6 12.e4 0-0 13.g3 and despite
the extra piece it was difficult to see a defence for Black in Avrukh,BSkripchenko
Lautier,A/Anibal Open, Spain 2001 (21).
3.e2 c5 4.d3 0-0 Short,NKramnik,V/London ENG 2010.

3...c6
3...c6 could transpose into the Two Knights, but White has other possibilities, 4.c3 b4
5.ge2 d5 6.exd5 xd5 7.0-0 for instance.
3...c5 is also possible, 4.f3 0-0 5.0-0 (5.xe5?! d5 6.exd5 e8 7.d4 xd4! 8.xd4 c6) 5...d6
6.c3 b6 7.bd2 c6 8.b3 with symmetry, and close to equality, Karjakin,S
Smeets,J/Nice FRA 2010.

4.f3 d5

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The most ambitious.
4...e7 A solid answer. 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 (6.h3 is equally harmless, for example 6...0-0 7.b3
bd7 8.c3 d5 9.e2 dxe4 10.dxe4 c7 as in Jasim,ASafin,S/Dubai UAE 2001.) 6...0-0
(An interesting alternative is 6...bd7 7.b3 f8!? as in Hendriks,WVan der
Sterren,P/Dutch Interclubs 2001.) 7.e1 bd7 8.bd2 b6 9.b3 e6 and Black
had a very solid game in Kamsky,GYusupov,A/Tilburg 1993.

5.b3 a5!
5...d6 is the old mainline, 6.exd5 xd5 (6...cxd5 see Kamsky,GGelfand,B/Bazna ROM
2009) 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 d7 (8...g4 Black is ready to sacrifice a pawn for the
initiative, 9.h3 h5 Morozevich,ASmeets,J/Novi Sad SRB 2009, when 10.g4 g6
11.xe5 is critical.) 9.d4 Tiviakov's move, 9...exd4 10.xd5! cxd5 11.xd4 c5!
Morozevich,AGelfand,B/Biel SUI 2009.

6.c3
6.a4 b4+ 7.c3 d6 Kurnosov,IVolokitin,A/Budva MNE 2009.
12

6...b4
Renewing the threat of ...a4.

7.a3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 a4 9.a2 d6 10.0-0 0-0 11.g5 bd7

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12.h4
White could try to set some problems with 12.exd5 cxd5 13.e1

12...c5 13.f4 cxe4!

A correct piece sacrifice.
13...fxe4 14.fxe5! Rublevsky,SSvidler,P/KhantyMansiysk RUS 2007.

14.dxe4 xe4
soon leading to a perpetual in Karjakin,SGashimov,V/Monaco MNC 2011.

13

Vienna Game 2...Others [C25]

Last updated: 14/08/03 by Nigel Davies

1 e4 e5 2 c3 c6
The passive 2...d6 gave White a good game after 3 c4 f6 4 d3 c6 5 f4 g4 6 f3 exf4 7
h3 xf3 8 xf3 bd7 9 xf4 e5 10 e2 xc4 11 dxc4 d7 12 0-0-0 in
Ivanchuk,VAzmaiparashvili,Z/European Club Cup, Crete 2001 (28) as White had
strong pressure on the d6 pawn.
2...c5 can be answered by the interesting 3 f4 xg1 (3...d6 is safest with a King's Gambit
Declined) 4 xg1 d6 5 d4 h4+ 6 g3 xh2 7 g2 h1 8 fxe5 dxe5 9 e3 gave
White a strong initiative in Nielsen,NLilja,R/Politiken Cup, Copenhagen, Den
2000 (19).

3 f4

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After 3 c4 Black should probably avoid the natural 3...c5 (3...f6 is better) because of 4
g4 when 4...f6 (4...g6 5 f3 is also unpleasant for Black because of the weakness
of his kingside
but 4...f8 is an old idea of Hugh Alexander which is worth considering.) 5 d5! xf2+ 6
d1 f8 7 h3 d4 8 d3 d6 9 h4 xh3 10 xh3 a5 11 f1 xc4 12 d7 f6 13
xf6 1-0 was the famous miniature, Mieses,JChigorin,M/Ostend 1906, Black
resigning because of 13...xf6 14 xf6+ gxf6 15 h6+ g8 16 e6#

3...exf4

14

After 3...c5 White should probably transpose into a King's Gambit Declined with 4 Nf3,
as 4 fxe5 can be met by a dangerous gambit with 4...d6. In this position White
should still decline the pawn with 5.Nf3 as after 5 exd6 xd6 6 f3 g4 7 e2 0-00 8 d3 f5 Black had a powerful initiative in Helsen,SAkhayan,R/Borgerhout Open,
Belgium 2002 (22).

4 f3 g5 5 h4
Introducing the famous HamppeAlgaier Gambit.
Another possibility is 5 d4 when 5...g4 6 c4 gxf3 7 xf4 (7 xf3 xd4 8 xf7+ xf7 9 h5+
was Stephenson,NBielby,P/Durham Championship, England 1 1973 (20)) 7...fxg2?
(7...f2+ would cleverly block the ffile.) 8 xf7+ xf7 9 h5+ was Perez,F
Alekhine,A/Madrid 1943 (12).

5...g4 6 g5 d6!

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More precise than 6...h6, when 7 xf7 gives White dangerous compensation.

7 d4 h6 8 xf7 xf7 9 c4+ g7 10 xf4 e7

and White had difficulties demonstrating that he had adequate compensation in Forster,R
Almasi,Z/Horgen 1995 (26).

15

Vienna 2...Nf6 3.g3 [C26]

Last updated: 28/05/06 by Olivier Renet

1 e4 e5 2 c3 f6
Also after 2...c6 White can proceed with 3 g3 when 3...c5 4 g2 a6 5 ge2 d6 6 d5
f6 7 0-0 0-0 8 c3 xd5 9 exd5 e7 10 d4 gave White a slight space advantage in
Schmittdiel,ESmejkal,J/Polanica Zdroj 1991 (30)

3 g3

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This slow plan is a most interesting way of playing the Vienna, with White playing for an
eventual f2f4 unless Black reacts in the center. And when Black plays ...d7d5 he
opens up a diagonal for the bishop on g2.
Alternatively White can play 3 c4 c5 (3...b4 4 f4 exf4 5 e5 was Alekhine,AEuwe,M/Blitz
tournament, The Hague 1921 (12), 3...xe4 is C27, and 3...c6 is C28) 4 d3 d6 (4...c6!?
5 f3 b5 6 b3 d6 was De Barberis,MSkembris,S/Torino, Italy 2000 (14)) 5 f4 g4
(Both 5...a6 6 f3 c6, as in Emms,JOlesen,M/Hillerod 1995 (16), and 5...c6 6 f3
transpose into a King's Gambit Declined) 6 f5 f2 7 h5 and White had a powerful
attack in Emms,JJackson,A/Port Erin HUN 1999 (15).

3...d5
Probably Black's best. Slower plans tend to favour White because of his possible pawn
levers with d2d4 or f2f4, for example:
a) 3...c5 4 g2 d6 5 ge2 c6 6 a4 (6 0-0 a6 7 h3 0-0 8 h2 d4 9 f4 and White had
attacking chances on the kingside in Motwani,PJanssen,F/Eksakt Weekender,
16

Tilburg 2001 (32).) 6...e6 7 d3 d4!? (7...d7 8 h3 preventing ...h3 as in

Tseitlin,MHumer,W/Wattens 1991) 8 h3 e7 9 ac3 b6 level, Zvjaginsev,V
Sokolov,I/Poikovsky RUS 2006.
b) 3...b4 4 g2 0-0 5 ge2 e8 6 0-0 d6 7 h3 gave White the more promising prospects in
Motwani,PWesterinen,H/Gausdal 1992 1992 (31).
c) 3...c6!? 4 d4 b4 5 g2 d5 was an interesting plan used in Wahls,M
Ivanchuk,V/F.I.D.E. World Ch., Las Vegas 1999 (15).

4 exd5 xd5 5 g2 xc3 6 bxc3 d6

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Personally I think it's better to delay putting Black's knight on c6 so as to have the option of
neutralizing White's bishop on g2 with either ...c7c6 or ...a8b8 followed by
...b7b6 and ...c8b7.
Even so, 1...e5 specialist Mark Hebden prefers 6...c6 and after 7 f3 c5 8 0-0 0-0 9 e1
f6!? (9...e8 10 d4 exd4 11 xe8+ xe8 12 cxd4 gave White the initiative in Motwani,P
Hebden,M/Millennium Blitz, Lichfield 20 2000 (28)) 10 b1 (10 d3!?) 10...b6 11
e2 d7 he had a very reasonable game in Cooper,LHebden,M/Bradford ENG
2002 (26).

7 f3 0-0 8 0-0 c6
For 8...d7 9 e1 see Motwani,PJonsson,B/Hafnarfjordhur 1992 (30).

9 b1
White might also consider the immediate 9 d4 when 9...g4?! is Van Mil,J
Nieuwelink,K/Dutch Interclubs, Sas van Gent 2000 (20).

9...b8 10 d4 h6 11 e1 f6 12 h3
and once again White had a slight initiative in Motwani,PFritz 5/Brussels 2000 (25).

17

Vienna 3.Bc4 Nxe4 [C27]

Last updated: 05/04/04 by Nigel Davies

1 e4 e5 2 c3 f6 3 c4 xe4 4 h5

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4...d6 5 b3
5 xe5+ should be met by 5... 5...e7 (and not 5...e7? in view of 6 xg7! f6 7 g4)

5...e7
A safe way to play this position for Black is with 5...g6, for example 6 xe5+ e7 7
xe7+ xe7 8 d5 d8 as in Dragojlovic,ADervishi,E/Cutro 2000 (49).
After the natural 5...c6 Black has to play a controversial exchange sac: 6 b5 g6 7 f3
f5 8 d5 e7 9 xc7+ d8 10 xa8 b6 is the game Simmons,MHector,J/Jersey
JCI 2003 (23).

6 f3 0-0?!
This natural move is a serious mistake.
Black should play 6...c6 7 xe5 0-0 (7...xe5?! 8 xe5 0-0 9 d5 e8 10 0-0 f8 11 f4 left
Black under pressure in a game Alekhine,AEuwe,M from the 1935 World
Championship match) 8 d5 d4! with equality.

7 h4 c6
18

After 7...g6 White would play 8 xe5 f6 9 f4 e8+ 10 f1 g7 11 d4 c6 12 h5 with a

strong attack.

8 g5 h6 9 g6 xg5 10 hxg5 xg5 11 xg5 hxg5 12 d3

and despite the exchange of queens Black was under strong pressure in Gufeld,E
Tarve,U/Tallinn, Estonia 1969 (25).

19

Vienna 3.Bc4 Nf6 [C28]

Last updated: 12/05/09 by Victor Mikhalevski

1 e4 e5 2 c3 c6 3 c4 f6 4 d3 b4

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After 4...c5 5 f4 d6 White has an interesting option in 6 f5 (6 f3 is a King's Gambit
Declined) when 6...e7 7 g5 c6 8 xf6 gxf6 9 h5 d5 10 b3 left Black under
pressure in Conquest,SThorfinsson,B/Reykjavik Open, Iceland 2000 (23)
A good fighting move is 4...a5, aiming to get the bishop pair after which 5 ge2 c6!?
(5...e7 Black is not in a hurry to capture the bishop, which can't escape the exchange
anyway. 6 0-0 0-0 7 a4 xc4 8 dxc4 Mamedyarov,SAronian,L/Nalchik RUS 2009) 6 a4
(6 a3 xc4 7 dxc4 d6 8 b3 e6 gave Black a good game in Cornette,M
Godena,M/Lausanne SUI 2001 (18).) 6...xc4 7 dxc4 c5 8 0-0 d6 9 d3 e6 10
b3 0-0 11 e3 xe3 12 xe3 a5 Black has nothing to fear in this opening and has
already equalized, Mitkov,NFriedel,J/Schaumburg USA 2006.

5 ge2
Black can answer 5 f3 with 5...d5 6 exd5 xd5 7 0-0 xc3 (7...xc3 8 bxc3 xc3 is bad
because of 9 g5 xa1 10 xf7+ with a strong attack) 8 bxc3 g4 with a double
edged game in Djurhuus,RFyllingen,R/Norwegian Ch., Asker, Norway 2 2000.

5...d5 6 exd5 xd5 7 0-0

After 7 a3 xc3+ 8 bxc3 e6 Black had nothing to worry about in Adams,M
Motwani,P/London 1989 (44).

20

7...e6 8 xd5 xd5 9 f4

as in Ale,CGeus,R/Correspondence 1983 (12).

21

Vienna 2...Nf6 3.f4 [C29]

Last updated: 08/11/06 by Olivier Renet

1 e4 e5 2 c3 f6 3 f4 d5 4 fxe5
I don't recommend 4 exd5 xd5 5 fxe5 xc3 6 bxc3 h4+ 7 e2, when White's king
found himself in all sorts of trouble in Hamppe,KSteinitz,W/Vienna 1859 (23).

4...xe4 5 f3

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After 5 d3 Black's simplest line is 5...xc3 (5...h4+?! 6 g3 xg3 7 f3 h5 8 xd5 is
probably very good for White, 5...b4!? 6 dxe4 h4+ 7 e2 xc3 8 bxc3 g4+ 9 f3 dxe4
10 d4 h5 11 e3 xf3 12 gxf3 e1+ 13 f4 h4+ 14 e3 e1+ is a known 'drawing
line', though White can deviate from it with 12 Bb5+ or 11 Kd2 if he wants.) 6 bxc3
d4 with good play.

5...e7 6 e2 xc3 7 dxc3

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XIIIIIIIIY
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White aims for f4 and 0-0-0.
7 bxc3 0-0 8 d4 f6 9 f4 fxe5 10 xe5 d7 and Black had a good game in
Szczepkowska,KMatras,A/Brzeg Dolny POL 2001 (16).

7...c5 8 f4 c6 9 f2
9 0-0-0 e6 10 h4 h6 11 g3 d7 12 g2 0-0-0 is very comfortable game for Black,
Adams,MAnand,V, Linares 1994.

9...h6!
A good move forestalling g3 and controlling the important g5square. Black wants to
decide where he wants to castle later on.

10 e2 b6
See Istratescu,AKarpov,A/Bucharest 2005.

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