Let’s consider the following symmetrical position. It can be reached by different move orders:1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4or1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5 3.cxd5 Nf6 4.Nf3 cxd4or1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c5 3.c4 cxd4 4.cxd5 Nf6 A variation that for a long time was considered dubious for Black became less and less questionable with the advent […]

There is another interesting variation in open games, in which Black also provocatively takes the pawn with the knight on e4. Four Knights Game (C47)1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Nxe4 The following line pretends to refute this risky taking:6.Nxe4 Qe7 7.f3 d5 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.0-0 dxe4 Black’s position is

We are talking about the line of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4, known as Damiano variation in Petrov’s Defence. Once I had the stupid idea to study the dubious move 3..Nxe4 when I was preparing to play a tournament game with black against a grandmaster. There was a Four Knight Opening in the game,