Alternative Openings vs Team South Africa

Nimzowitsch–Larsen Attack Article Talk Language Watch Edit The Nimzowitsch–Larsen Attack(also known as Larsen's Openingand Queen's Fianchetto Opening) is a chess opening that begins with the move: 1. b3 Frequently, it is reached by transposition, particularly with the move order 1.Nf3 and then 2.b3, as 1.Nf3 prevents Black from playing 1...e5. There are other move order possibilities as well. It is considered a flank opening. The move b3 prepares White's queen's bishop for fianchettoing with Bb2, where it will help control the central squares in hypermodern fashion and put pressure on Black's kingside. The opening appears within codes A01–A06 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, with independent lines (such as allowing 1...e5 by not playing 1.Nf3) falling under A01. History Variations Move order issues: 1.b3 or 1.Nf3/2.b3 edit The issue of whether to play the Nimzowitsch–Larsen Attack via a 1.b3 move order or a 1.Nf3/2.b3 move order is ultimately a matter of taste. The 1.Nf3 move order could be argued to limit the number of variations at Black's disposal and to channel the play towards those where White scores more highly. The 1.b3 move order, on the other hand, gives more variety and more scope for tricks and traps on the a1–h8 diagonal. It is also more likely to result in positions with which Black is unfamiliar. For example, after 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3, any Black players who open 1.d4 with White will be likely to have some awareness of the strategic considerations required to play a reversed Nimzo-Indian position. After 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2, however, Black is unlikely to have had much experience facing comparable positions as White in the rather rare Owen's Defence, and in this case has colours reversed and is a move down. While many of the 1.b3 lines are rated only equalby theory, the 1.b3 player will thus often enjoy an advantage in practical terms, especially at shorter time controls. Jacobs & Tait[3] note that the 1.b3 move order has the added advantage that in most lines White has a greater range of options available because f4 is still playable. This is particularly relevant when compared to lines such as 1.Nf3 d6 2.b3 or 1.Nf3 Nc6 2.b3 where Black is able to play 2...e5, transposing to lines where White may have preferred to have had the option to attack e5 with both f4 and Nf3. Jacobs & Tait also note that a 1.Nf3 move order allows Black to play 1...g6, preventing White from following up with 2.b3. Example games ECO codes and transpositions edit A01: 1.b3 A02: 1.f4 Nf6 2.b3 A03: 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.b3 A03: 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 g6 4.b3 A04: 1.Nf3 f5 2.b3 A04: 1.Nf3 c5 2.b3 A05: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 A06: 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3