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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.a3 first oprion?????

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SpicyJalapeno
SpicyJalapeno
Jun 23, 2014
0
#21
chesswar1000 wrote:

It can't be good. Either your opponent:

1. doesn't know theory

2. doesn't like those openings and prefers to play unusually

3. mouseslipped.

yesyes

coon74
coon74
Jun 23, 2014
0
#22
pfren wrote:

I don't really understand the suggestion of 4...g6: in that case a2-a3 is very useful after 5.Bc4, and 5.Nxe5!?- a much improved Haloween gambit, since ...g6 does not allow a Black knight jumping there - is also very interesting

The Halloween Gambit doesn't need to be accepted - Black can just develop the bishop to g7 right away, declining the gambit, or give a knight back (5... Nxe5 6. d4 Nc6 7. d5 Bg7 8. dxc6 bxc6) and get a decent position as White wastes time on taking the knight.

Far not all players making the move 3(4). a3 know such opening intricacies as the Halloween Gambit.

Even in the other lines like 5. Bc4, since the d-sq bishop is developed to g7, no piece is going to jump to b4 or c5, which renders a3 useless.

I'm not saying that 5... d5 or 5... Bc5 are bad, they're both natural and playable, just I don't like open games and went for a hypermodern approach Laughing

RandomPrecision
RandomPrecision
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Jun 23, 2014
0
#23

Something's wonky right now with the Game Explorer.  a3 is suggested as a white move in many cases, and it seems that a5 for black is suggested in many positions.  Just go to the Game Explorer and do 1. e4 - according to the Explorer right now, the next most common move is 1... a5, which is false.

tooWEAKtooSL0W
tooWEAKtooSL0W
Jun 23, 2014
0
#24

Game Explorer is broken. It constantly suggests moves such as 3...a5, and shows that such moves have been played 500k+ times, and have a 100% win rate for white.

pfren
IM pfren
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Jun 23, 2014
0
#25
coon74 wrote:
Even in the other lines like 5. Bc4, since the d-sq bishop is developed to g7, no piece is going to jump to b4 or c5, which renders a3 useless.

Oh, really? Wow! I'm impressed...

I find it rather strange that the "useless" move ...a6 has been played more than 400 times, and patzers like Ivanchuk, Leko, Adams, Ivan Sokolov, Volokitin, Fridman etc did not understand this is a useless move and played it... Tongue Out

They were lucky, too: Black has a positive score after this "useless" move (a tempo down here!), excluding the line where white played another useless move: 7.h3

RandomPrecision
RandomPrecision
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Jun 24, 2014
0
#26
pfren wrote:
coon74 wrote:
Even in the other lines like 5. Bc4, since the d-sq bishop is developed to g7, no piece is going to jump to b4 or c5, which renders a3 useless.

Oh, really? Wow! I'm impressed...

 

I think the previous poster was commenting that white's move of a3 was useless in those specific scenarios.  Clearly there are some games in which a6 is a valid defense for black.

The key issue though is that the Game Explorer (http://www.chess.com/explorer/) is temporarily broken and suggesting some odd moves at the moment, for example, suggesting that the most common continuation after 1. e4 is 1...a5.

CJ_P
CJ_P
Jun 24, 2014
0
#27

I first saw the 3. a3 line on a Chessexplained video. CE had black pieces and even got into trouble out of the opening. I don't remembet how it ended though.

CE is an IM if anyone here isn't aware.

I don't really think moves like a3 and other "wasted moves" count until the player are really strong masters, or there is a huge rating gap. A 1900 vs a 1900 game can start 1.a3 2. h3 and the game will be decided somewhere else entirely