This is called Alekine's defense by the way and of course you have to move the knight.
The standard reply is to move your knight to queen 4. White can build a big center with pawn to queen 4 and pawn to queen bishop 4 but that's the idea of this opening, to let white build a big center and then break it down.
If you decide this is really annoying though you can play for your first move pawn to king 4 or pawn to queen 3 and only then bring the knight out.
Don't worry you're still in book. Just play 2...Nd5 3.d4,d6 and after that 4.Nf3 is white's best reply, but you should also look at 4.c4 too.
wafflemaster...if I played my king pawn to stop his king pawn instead of bringing out my knight, he could bring his queen to the side, ( I don't know the square (queen to rook 6 perhaps...?) then I bring out my knight to counter the queen threat but it's too late as his queen sweeps over, takes my pawn, and puts me in check with commanding position. Do you see my concern? I want to diffuse his aggresion while not letting him impinge on mine.
wafflemaster...if I played my king pawn to stop his king pawn instead of bringing out my knight, he could bring his queen to the side, ( I don't know the square (queen to rook 6 perhaps...?) then I bring out my knight to counter the queen threat but it's too late as his queen sweeps over, takes my pawn, and puts me in check with commanding position. Do you see my concern? I want to diffuse his aggresion while not letting him impinge on mine.
A rapid game I played yesterday against the computer: http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=432726038
Ah! Thank you so much Firebrand X; How do you put up those graphics with the chess board and pieces? Did u cut and paste from another source or reference point? Just curious as I am a computer troglodyte.
Dragon.
When you want to post a game or series of moves, click the little chess board at the top left of the posting box (it is to the top left of me as I am typing)
You should come to a screen where it asks you if you want to post a picture, sequence of moves, or a puzzle. Click sequence of moves and follow the instructions.
You can click blank chessboard and enter moves to start.
It would be beneficial if you could use this to post a recent game of yours so we could help you find the best moves and defend from your opponents attack.
I have just picked up chess again and I love it. I have increased my rating in blitz by over 100 points in the past ten days. There is one situation that I am obsessing about. Okay. I am playing BLACK. White starts with pawn to King 4. I respond with Knight to King Bishop 6. White responds with pawn to King 5 threatening my knight!!! What is the logical play here; I am not going to sacrifice my knight this early, but do I recuse it and bring it back to it's original position, now letting white's queen move in to my territory and menace? I don't want to open up the knight file with king knight pawn forward as this also opens up the rook diagnol. How should I handle this early assault on my knight without preventing defense from white's quuen and not sacrificing my knight?????