Ponderchess / Openings
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Opening
The Bishop's Opening in 3D
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4. White aims the bishop at f7 at once and keeps the f-pawn free, so play can turn into Italian, Vienna or King's Gambit structures.
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Bishop's Opening: Urusov Gambit, Panov Variation, move by move: e4 e5 Bc4 Nf6 d4 exd4 Nf3 d5 …
The white pieces
Develop with d3, Nf3 or Ne2, c3 and short castling, and keep f4 as an option. The bishop often drops back to b3 so that ...d5 or ...Na5 does not gain time against it.
The black pieces
A simple plan is 2...Nf6 followed by ...c6 and ...d5, using the exposed bishop on c4 as a target for a central pawn advance. Developing with ...Nc6 and ...Bc5 is also sound.
Look a little deeper · 01
The Berlin Defense, 2...Nf6, attacks e4 at once. White usually defends it with 3.d3, heading for a quiet Italian-style game, or gambits with 3.d4, which after 3...exd4 4.Nf3 becomes the Urusov Gambit.
Look a little deeper · 02
Against 2...Bc5, the Boi Variation, White can prepare d4 with 3.c3 (the Philidor Variation) or protect e4 with 3.Qe2 (the Lopez Variation) and keep f4 in reserve.
Look a little deeper · 03
Because the knight is not yet on f3, White can push the f-pawn, as in the Greco Gambit 2...Nf6 3.f4. With an early Nc3, the game becomes a Vienna Hybrid.
Look a little deeper · 04
The quiet lines with d3 lead to slow manoeuvring structures, with c3, Nbd2 or Nc3, and a later d4 or f4 break.
Bishop's Opening: Urusov Gambit, Panov Variation, move by move: e4 e5 Bc4 Nf6 d4 exd4 Nf3 d5 …
Keyboard: Space pauses, the arrow keys step. Gold arrows are White's moves, violet are Black's, red rays are threats, green shows support, blue shows plans.
