Hi everyone, I am thinking of doing a series of repertoire videos for novice to class 'C' players. I'm only going to cover the White side and basically, I'm recommending 1. e4 2. Nc3 against nearly everything. The idea is to leave options of d4 and f4 open. The only time I don't recommend 2. Nc3 is against 1...d5 and 1...f5?? The aim of the repertroire is to get sharp positions which black will be largely unfamiliar with, and get at least an equal game for white aginast GM-level play.

Here's the main thrust:

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3 g5 5. d4 (Vienna Gambit, aiming for the Pierce Gambit)
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5! 4. exd5!? (Vienna Gambit mainline, aiming for the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit against the rarely played main line)
1. e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 (Nc6, a6, g6, e6) 3. Nf3 (x) 4. d4 (Open Sicilian- although Grand Prix attack might be an option I decide to recommend vs. 2...d6)
1. e4 d6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3. d4 g6 4.f4 (Austrian Attack)
1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 (Classical French, aiming for Alekhine-Chartard Attack)
1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 (Classical Caro-Kann, aiming for "conservative variation"- without h5)
1. e4 b6 2. Nc3 Bb7 3. f4 (x) 4. Nf3 (Owen's Defence, aiming to take the centre)
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. b4!? (Kotrc-Mieses Gambit)
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 4. c4 (Marshall Attack)
1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e5 Nfd7 4. e6!? (Spielmann Gambit)

Looks interesting though I've never played even one of those lines as white- maybe I'll learn something. Looking forward to it!

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. b4!? (Kotrc-Mieses Gambit)

This would have to be the weakest line. Is this sound? I don't think it quite manages to equalize against GM-level play. If avoiding Black's options is the motivation then maybe look into 3.Nf3, which is incidentally Curtains' choice. (Search his game against GM "Orange" aka Gofshtein if i remember right.) EDIT: article here: http://www.clausjensen.com/2008/04/05/a ... inavian-i/

Just food for thought! Otherwise, looks good!

FYI that you could combine Alekhine's and Skandinavian Nf6 by going:

1.e4 d5 2.exd Nf6 3.Nc3
1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.exd

This would be a shortcut to simplify things (particularly since your repertoire allows also 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 d4 which is pretty popular).

However it is a matter of taste-- just throwing it out there as an option.

3..Bb4 is important, though. (Also, it would be a good idea to prepare the MacCutcheon.)


As katar mentioned, the Black players often know 3..d4. It's not bad for White or anything, just something to keep in mind.

Interesting repertoire otherwise.

Thanks katar and Fox, these are important things to keep in mind!

In the Alekhine, I was planning to cover 3...d4 and 3...Ne4 briefly, but 3...d4 may be a bigger problem as it can lead to a very simplified position, which isn't something I'm aiming for with this repertoire. I will need to look at alternatives for white to keep things complex. I've never played this variation before myself as white (I have as black), preferring 3.exd5 Nxd5 4.Bc4, so I guess I could just recommend that.

Oh, I just saw katar's 2nd message and he says that too!

I have known many players who have done the same thing by building a rep around 1.e4/2.Nc3. Apart from the Vienna, when I look at the lines you have chosen, I fail to see the benefit you gain from your move order. By just transposing straight back into the mainlines, you have only limited your own choice and not blacks. Move order tricks which worked even at GM level 20 years ago tend to fall flat even at club level these days, as they became too popular and well known.

What's your motivation? My friend Jon King ( a super solid 2100 ) hated being tricked in the opening. He had no motivation to study funny gambits he might never face. 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 cuts out a lot of garbage pet openings. Jon had his Four Knights/Closed g3 Sicilian/Two Knights Caro/Pirc he just played closed Sician moves/Katar Alekhine Answer/ French 2.d4! d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 You knew when playing Jon what he was gonna do and there was nothing you could do yourself to avoid it.
Another but slightly stronger friend Dean, was just into playing mind games against his opponents, but ended up just being easier for his opponents to prepare against. I play the Sicilian Kan, but Dean never had the option of 5.Bd3 ( the move Kan players do not like ).

Hi Pobble, the ideas of playing 2. Nc3 are:

-A consistent approach makes things easy to remember for a novice- already knowing you have your first 2 moves planned (with follow-up ideas of d4 and f4) can be a psychological boost and is easy to remember.

- Move-order nuances- black can sometimes end up in openings he doesn't like (example: many players avoid 2...d6 in the Sicilian when expecting a Closed or Grand Prix setup and instead play 2...e6 or 2...Nc6 (2...d6 is fine if you don't mind meeting the Grand Prix and 2...a6!? is an interesting try- but one which is extremely rare to see at lower levels)- yet they often know little or nothing outside of their preferred Najdorf. yes, these things won't work anymore at GM level or probably even at 'Class A' level- but can often leave lower-rated players in unknown territory. One example of a position that comes up often due to this reason is 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5? 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5! Nc6 6. d4 +/-

- White loses nothing (unless he wants to play the Marozy Bind, Advance French or Advance Caro-Kann, which I'm not recommending. He can go for the main lines against Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann and Pirc and the Vienna against 1...e5.

- Black may try to "avoid" 2.Nc3 by playing odd moves. I have often seen 2.b6 or 2. d6 played against this move (1. e4 c5 2.Nc3 b6, 1. e4 e6 2.Nc3 b6 1. e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 are all examples I have faced), presumably through fear.

- Mind games. Some people will look at 2. Nc3 (Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann players, especially) and go "He's avoiding the main lines- great!", onlyto find themselves back in a main-line. This switch and switch-back of mentality could give a small psychological advantage.

This repertoire will make you easy to prepare for- so mightn't be best for players over 1600 or so, but at lower levels, people do not really prepare for their opponents in my experience. Even a prepared oppoent should only be able to get an equal game at best (Vienna Gambit mainline is what I would play if I knew this is how my opponent would play).

Sarciness, thanks for the further info. I do not agree with your reasoning but that's life. Good luck.

No problem. I am not trying to shoot you down, only to justify my own reasoning. If you still disagree I am interested in what you think the drawbacks will be? Are there ways to take advantage of this move order that I am not aware of, for example?

Have to agree with Sarciness. A ''move order'' approach has its benefits and no drawbacks. Sure, you limit your options, but you can only go into a single variation, anyway. Nobody cares about opening options, as long as he has a reason for his opening choice (e.g. I play 1..g6 against 1. c4 and transpose into a KID against 2./3./.. d4. I have limited my options, yes, but that's the way I want to play it, so the options do not matter).

You may trick somebody with your move order (works easily against Class A players, no reason to put them on a high horse), but if it doesn't, so what ? As long as the moves are sound.

Pardon me but I'm in one of my funny moods.


There is no fault in the lines you give except they to some extent limit ' your ' choice. No, it is more to do with the reasons you give for choosing them.

We are all aware of the common mistake of trying to do the right thing, but due to some reason, doing it incorrectly. This problem is found everywhere in life, and life problems certainly transfer to chess. Allowing your opponent to get what he wants, especially when he is at a level where he cannot show true understanding makes for easy wins. A 1600 who plays the Najdorf knows Fischer/Kasparov played 6...e5! Not 6..e6, which is not a Najdorf, but when white plays 6.Bg5 black responds 6..e6! as I'm sure you know. Too simple? Hard to believe? I have seen this happen countless times. Its not much of a secret but its still worth knowing and exploiting - players play worse when they think they are doing the correct thing.

Lets flip the coin and imagine the common reaction to uncertainty. People stick to what they know! You play 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 and you get your Najdorf player go 2..d6. You respond with the clever 3.f4!!, but black has not read a book on this and starts to think. What will he do? Obviously your ready to rattle off your moves against his ' best ' reply involving a fianchetto. He plays 3..Nf6. "What's that?" "Must be a mistake." "Hang on, it does develop a piece, but a Nf6 is a pretty poor move in this line so the books say, yeah I remember that Hodgson-Nunn game I went through", "he's dead". You play 4.Nf3 feeling a rush with the prospects of a 20 move crush, and he replies with the stupid.........4...a6 Surprised? Okay you got a good opening, you know it, but what's the plan? Even worse, from now on the guy does not do anything obviously stupid and builds a solid position. After the game you consult your book and it is silent. Instead, you put the opening moves in your computer and Fritz/Rybca/Jessica Alba, prefer black! You kick the cat, it bounces off the ceiling and lands claws first on your head. Yes, 1.d4 does look to be a good move.

Haha, I liked this post! I agree with your sentiments somewhat (I often overplay my positions when my opponent plays a move I think is "bad"), but I am still going to make the videos. We all have to guard against rote knowledge with no understanding, but that could be a problem no matter what your repertoire choices are.

I think the Vienna Gambit may be quite devastating against passive play by Black (ie, anything other than 2...Nf6 3...d5). So yeah, IMO there is nothing wrong with it particularly U1600. At least you are fighting violently for the center! (Black must fight equally violently to stay in the game, but many weak players will just shrink and cower).

A player will almost certainly outgrow the Vienna Gambit as s/he moves up the ranks.

Even then, 1.e4 2.Nc3 can still be played to lead into the Four Knights Game after 2...Nc6 or 2...Nf3. This cuts out a few options for Black, like: the Philidor (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 and Black loses the d7-d5 break so, 3.f4 is an "improved" vienna gambit); the elephant gambit; the latvian gambit.

Oh ok, after typing the above I see now that Pobble says his friend Jon King goes into 4N from 2.Nc3. Not bad.

I agree with that, Katar. I think the Spanish 4 knights would be a good opening to use as a more long-term weapon becasue it's rarely played these days but white can get a tiny but lasting advantage.