50 Maroczy - 3 c3/Misc

50 - Updated 11 November 2025

White's 3 c3 is a common guest in my games, but after 3..Nf6 4 Bd3, Black can play 4..d5 which transposes to Philidor theory: 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Bd3 e5 4 c3 d5. I have played 4..d5 numerous times via the Philidor start too. My results with 4..d5 have been decent, but I am not overly thrilled with published Philidor theory that shows Black should equalize with precise play. In recent times I have been playing 4..Be7, a Lion approach, and my results have been slightly better. I think 4 Bd3 is dreadfully slow which helps the Lion approach to work extra well here.