I'd hazard a guess it's mostly played by top-level GMs in blitz games, where anything can happen. After all, if Magnus can win a game as White with 1. f3 [...] 2. Kf2, which he did, it's a good example of why the opening usually doesn't matter.
How does a3 as an opening have a 51% win rate for white?
Sort:
Sep 4, 2025
0
#3
Fr3nchToastCrunch wrote:
I'd hazard a guess it's mostly played by top-level GMs in blitz games, where anything can happen. After all, if Magnus can win a game as White with 1. f3 [...] 2. Kf2, which he did, it's a good example of why the opening usually doesn't matter.
I'm not a grandmaster though. Those guy play at a level most could only aspire to.
This move makes my head hurt. What's the advantage? You're grabbing a tiny corner of the board that doesn't matter in the early game, and you don't even let your freaking rook out! Perhaps I could see an argument for an a4 opening, so what am I missing? It frees neither your rook nor your bishop. What's the advantage? You can't reinforce Nc3 from a3. You aren't activating material, and it can't mitgate risk when the Alkehine's and such can be played to jump over your pawn line.
Seriously, what am I missing here?