A Strange Alternative

In a professional chess game, players should know many variatons if they don't want to fall into an opening trap... For example: After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 black can accept the gambit by 2. ... dxc4 or move another piece(2. ... e6, c6 or Nf6). After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 black can play 2. ... g6 or 2. ... e6. All of these moves will create totally different positions! I need to know hundreds of variations to play only three moves!

If you got tired of these complicated variatons, I can offer you a strange alternative you may like. After 1.d4 d5 you may play 2.c3!

I've searched many databases to find some games. But I've found only fifty games starting  with 1.d4 d5 2.c3... So your opponent can not be very experienced on this variaton.

 This opening has a simple tactic: Wait until your pieces are fully positioned and then attack to the center with c4, but not with e4 which is very dangerous and complicated(possible of course). In other openings such as Queen's Gambit c4 is done very early.

After playing many games against computers and human beings, I've come to create a main line: 1.d4 d5 2.c3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nbd2 Bf5 5.Qb3 Rb8 6.c4 e6 7.a3 Be7 8.e3 0-0 9.Qc3 ...

(Please look at the move list to learn about a move that is different from the main line. But I just believe that this line is the best.)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c3 is also possible and creates absolutely no difference. But beware of black's Ne4 move, which can cause problems some times.

Please comment this article if you found the opening interesting or if there's a mistake!