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The Best Opening Under 1700
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The Best Opening Under 1700

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You get nervous.

Your hands stutter.

Your opponent has just played the dreaded move, the one which people will go into a losing opening in order to avoid.

This is... The BEST(under 1700) defense to the Italian Game, Knight Attack(This opening is misattributed to the Fried Liver, but although the motif is same, the moves are not.

This opening has given me a EXTREMELY big boost against the Knight Attack in recent times, and I have won the last 7-10 games with it.

But enough chatting, let's get right in.

The Knight Attack: Motifs

The main idea of the knight attack for White is to attack the weak pawn on F7, forking the queen and rook.

There are ways to prevent the knight attack in the first place, like transposing into the Giuoco Piano with:

Or, just don't play Nf6 in the first place.

But say, you've already played Nf6, either due to a mistake or planning...

What do you do now? 

Simple, play the Ulvestad, the opening no one studies under 1600.

The Basics of The Ulvestad.

When you were young, you might have been taught to answer a threat with a threat, an idea which works in occasional cases and does not work in other cases.

This idea is one of the core basics of the Ulvestad... but first, what even is the Ulvestad?

Did you see that? Answering the threat of your knight being taken with threatening to take the opponents bishop. But now here, things get a little more complicated.

Lines:

The Ulvestad is not one of those openings which has one key idea(Like stopping the Danish), but it does not have many lines either, with 1 main line, and two side lines. 

Be warned over 1600 however, since at this point, people start studying openings more, and then you are left with a very small disadvantage, something that is still easily playable.

Let's get straight into it!
Main Lines:

The line I have most commonly seen being played is BxB5, which leads to about an equal position if played correctly, but a KILLER POSITION if the opponent blunders. In this situation, it's practically impossible for Black to make huge blunders, however dire it may be.

This is the most common line, since White has two pieces hanging and needs to get rid of them quick.  If the opponent plays it, they are in even deeper trouble. From now on, you can fianchetto the bishop, and unleash the power of your diagonal moving pieces to wreak havoc on the king.

However, if your opponent plays perfectly, he goes clean, after which the position is even. Now, no matter move your opponent makes(Unless it is a blunder), you NEED to fianchetto the bishop and attack the king. The most common positions here go like this.

A blunder in this position would be something like F3, also leading to a major attack like such:
Basically, this line leads to a good position if your opponent plays everything right.
The Exchange Variation: More common at lower ratings:
Let's say your opponent DOESN'T play the better variation and instead exchanges. That's actually a better position for you.
From here, the most common moves are Qe2 or Nc3. Nc3 is passive, and from here, it is best to protect your awkward pawns and castle, trying to target White's weak pawns while defending your own.
However, if Qe2 is played, you can lay a trap for unsuspecting players.
For example, the position usually leads to something even, but can give you a huge advantage in certain positions.
For example, in the position below, Black's bishops can easily rip apart the board in a few moves, and are planning an attack on the kingside.
Correct Variation:
Ok, ok, your opponent played everything right. Don't worry, you're not in any trouble.

That's it! Not too tricky, and not many lines in there!
Ending:
This is still being worked on, but THIS is the Ulvestad! Please feel free to send me some games you might have played in this opening, but beware... this does lead to a SHARP game!