Why does the computer say Bc4 is a mistake but Nc3 is best in this situation
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Jan 12, 2021
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#2
White looks to be just fine after 1. Bc4 but Nc3 makes more sense as it immediately threatens Nd5.
Perhaps a bit more complex but 1. Nc3 prevents black from going .. Nc6? Because white has 2. Ndb5! Threatening a fork on c7 and looks to win an exchange. So overall I’d say Nc3 puts more pressure on black.
Perhaps a bit more complex but 1. Nc3 prevents black from going .. Nc6? Because white has 2. Ndb5! Threatening a fork on c7 and looks to win an exchange. So overall I’d say Nc3 puts more pressure on black.
There's no tactical reason for this, but Nc3 is just better positionally, for multiple reasons:
1. You should usually develop knights before bishops.
2. Nc3 comes with the threat of Nd5, which might not immediately win any material, but it does force black to make positional concessions in order to defend against the threats.
3. The bishop might want to go to a different square, but the knight is always coming to c3. So Nc3 is considered a more "flexible" move than Bc4.
4. The bishop is undefended on c4, whereas the knight is defended on c3. There's an old saying "loose pieces drop off." You want to minimise how many undefended pieces you have.
5. Nc3 prevents black from developing normally with Nc6 (this again ties to point #2 that black must make positional concessions in order to defend against your threat of Nd5).