How do I defend aginst this agressive opening?

Hello,

I am not sure what this opening is called? .. but people sense I get nervous about it during play and I get lost with it, even after all the research I have done???  It makes me play very defensive.

It's all about attacking the C2 square, after White lines up the Queen for the same square and possibly the Kings Knight to be moved twice, also attacking the same C2 square, I seem to either lose a pawn, end up with double pawns or unable to castle.. I am sure the guru's in here can help me?  But I am at a loss sorry to say!.. any tips please?

For any opening, you can look at the Game Explorer  (Under the "Learn" menu)  and see how masters have played against it.

That opening is called the Bishop's Opening especially when black mirrors white's move by moving his own bishop to c5.

However, you can see that 2..Nf6 is by far the most popular response of masters. It stops white's queen from going to h5 to threaten checkmate. It also blocks the f7 square from being attacked by the queen from f3.  It also attacks white's pawn on e4 (but don't take it until you are castled.)

Once you try out the Game Explorer, you will see that it is interactive, so you pick various move possibilities and see how various choices work out.  

If you use it and a move you played isn't on the list, it probably means that your move wasn't among the best choices.

Thanks!!..

Never used the Game Explorer before, but I will spend time today on it, thanks much.. I hate playing against this opening!

i don't reply 1e4 with 1..e5, so i can't answer your question since i never had to deal with that situation. 

Update:  So.. I studied this menacing Bishops opening today and I feel a lot more comfortable defending against it , thanks all.

Just follow the opening principles, and play Nf6

Be aggressive yourself. I like Traxler counter-attack. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS!!! Sac a rook, sac a bishop.

And if Bxf7+! black is less happy.

lolurspammed--that creates more interesting positional battles but black still is doing fine. And he doesn't need to sac the rook when he does go after white king.

It's not whites king that is in the most danger in this variation.

Black is busted aganst any decent player.  That stuff may work against beginners.

I don't understand, what's wrong with:

I see the piece loss, but I also see that there has to be some way to avoid it. ...h6 and ...hxg5 and then kxf7 are three tempos. Surely there's something useful white can do in that time to make up for it, especially with pieces right in black's camp and with black unable to castle.

The reason is that if you say white cannot do anything to threaten black with three tempos, you are saying black has a completely solid position- not the way I would describe a position in which black's king is out in the open, a pawn down, and unable to castle.

After 6 ...h6, he's losing a piece.

Not really - there's nothing White can attack, he's got no other pieces out. Probably move the Bishop to b3 or he'll lose that too. The Black King isn't out in the open - it's quite safe there.

You point out my dilemma very well.. white in great position here, black.. not so good. But there is always Pf3 and then Pe4 to chase away that bishop somehow.

hi

hi

C'mon Trev, you can't be scared of a bishop coming out on move 2!

I was scared of it yes.. but now I am good with it since I posted it here. I can safely defend against it.

I am using the Fried Liver Attack for my opening these days, a lot for Black to think about, but not very developing for White, even when pieces up, but it is working for me at least....(so far)