In the last post white responded to 1. e4 c6 by maintaining the tension in the center and it did not result in many good options for black. In today’s post we’ll look at white attacking in the center. Recall:
- e4 c6
- d4 d5
- e4xd5
3… c6xd5
4. c4
With this approach white is attacking black’s center. Now black must be careful so that black is able to develop the bishop on c8. For example, moving e6 will protect the pawn at d5 and keep a presence in the center, but it will also block the bishop on c8. Instead, it’s better for black to develop its king knight and possibly set up for a pin later.
4…Nf6
5. Nc3 Nc6
White has moved Nc3 to have another piece putting pressure on d5, black responds by developing the queen knight to c6.
From here white has the option of developing a majority of pawns on the queen side or white can develop the knight (Nf3), which black will respond to by pinning the knight using the queen bishop.
