ponziani opening

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theripstick

I was studying the ponziani opening and wondered what the best option for white is if black plays bc5. would the best response be to play d4? thanks in advance

Fromper

I'd absolutely play 4. d4 against that. It's actually stronger than it would be normally, because it hits the bishop. The d4 pawn is supported 3 times and attacked 3 times, so it's safe. After the pretty much forced pawn trade on d4, white has a strong center with dual pawns, which is exactly the point of this opening, and black has to move his bishop. Bb6 and Bb4+ seem like black's best options, and white has natural development from there ie Nc3 against the check. I'd take the white side of that any day.

Dark_N_Stormy_Knight

In the book Ponzani Power d4 is the correct response to Bc5.