I have been recently toying with this opening (after my recent success with the caro-kann) and it turns out to be quite passive but also easily transitional (although you think it wouldn't happen I managed to transpose into the ponziani lol) but it goes like this 1. c3 a reversed caro-kann they usually reply e5 and you have a weird asymetrical position the only problem is black's easy equalization aswell as there are not many attacking chances but if you like to play 1.d4 or the caro-kann I reccommend giving it a go maybe unrated :)

Can you give a game of u playing it?

I organised a tournament with this opening as the theme recently, all games opened with the Saragossa so you can see a few different possibilities, it is very fluid, probably too fluid so I won't be perservering with it myself. Click in the link and then click on games to see all the games

 

http://www.chess.com/tournament/saragossa

To rexbo, what do you do after 1...c5 ? I always imagined that the position would transpose to a Sicilian with c3 or a colle/london systems type set up.

personally i play d4 and hope to transpose into this type of structure.

I see. Thats interesting.

hey wow i saw your game against bill wall I thought you were doing great honestly it was really nice sacrificing i thought had it not been for the time control you would have had em'!

but yeah as i said I don't know the name of the position above but it's happened in a couple of games (but they pushed d5 rather then c5)

rexbo wrote:

hey wow i saw your game against bill wall I thought you were doing great honestly it was really nice sacrificing i thought had it not been for the time control you would have had em'!

but yeah as i said I don't know the name of the position above but it's happened in a couple of games (but they pushed d5 rather then c5)

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 Thanks for the kind words rexbo. I thought i had him myself, but hes very quick!

I would probably play 1...c5 against 1.c3. 1.c3 is interesting move but i find that it puts the ball too far into blacks court. Simple fact is after 1...c5 white has to be ready for a c3 sicilian (or something like KIA, or another sicilian type without d4)[if 2.e4] or a colle/london systems[if 2.d4]. Then, against other black first moves you could end up transposing to other opening so as white player you probably need to be able to play a variety of openings to be comfortable using 1.c3. Maybe you can make a blog of some of your games using 1.c3 and give us a run down of what responses you were faced with most often? That would be cool to know.

will do i will be compiling them asap although I dont have many ill tell you what i will do I will start playing games with it now and when i have plenty i will post them on here for review on this delicate opening.

Just for graw I have posted a game (not one of mine) where the opening goes 1.c3!? c5!?