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Outrageously Outlandish Openings: The Infamous Sodium Attack (1. Na3)

Outrageously Outlandish Openings: The Infamous Sodium Attack (1. Na3)

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grantananta
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Introduction

Disclaimer: According to Stockfish 14, 1. Na3 gives black a -1 advantage. So unless you're willing to lose some ELO or you're low rated enough (around 1000 - 1400) that you're absolutely sure people won't know how to deal with it, DON'T play this. 

The sodium attack is very rarely seen both in online and OTB chess. To most people, the move 1. Na3 looks pretty idiotic. It doesn't fight for the centre, it develops a knight to the edge of the board, and it basically gives black a chance to trample you in the centre. Despite this, only a handful of people properly know how to counter the Sodium Attack, and can therefore blunder material or positional tactics, leaving you with an easy victory.

Theory (for white)

Obviously, you can only enter the Sodium Attack by playing Na3 as your first move. Black has 2 obvious responses: e5 and d5. Let's have a look at what you should do when faced with 1... e5.

The board above is the most optimal way to play with 1... e5 for both white and black. Stockfish 14 on depth 31 gives the position a 4 centipawn (0.4) advantage for black. However, not all people will play perfect mainline theory. In this case, try to take as much centre space as possible while placing the knight in a comfortable square. If your opponent overextends their pawns, look for ways to dislodge their defences and put pressure on the pawns. 
But what if they play d5? Here's what a perfect mainline 1... d5 sodium attack looks like:

Stockfish 14 at depth 28 gives a 2 centipawn (0.2) advantage for black. In 1... d5 positions, generally develop the DSB to the a3-f8 diagonal, targetting the rook. Then, develop the b1 knight to d2, and develop the rest of the pieces normally.

Generally, there isn't much theory to the Sodium Attack. The point of playing a 'stupid' opening is to take your opponents out of their comfort zones. Unfortunately, it'll also take you out of your comfort zone. However, you can start to learn some lines in the Sodium Attack and get a generally playable position. Theory aside, you must also be aware of your opponents' blunders and your positional opportunities. Since most people don't know theory on Na3 (they probably shouldn't), they will make significantly more blunders, mistakes, and inaccuracies as opposed to a game in their favourite openings. This is the main reason why 1. Na3 gets a 60% win rate among titled players.

Before consistently playing 1. Na3, try play 5-10 games with it and see how much you like it. Not all 'stupid' openings are for everyone, so go ahead and give it a shot. 

Anyways, that's it for today's blog post. Thanks for reading.