4 Nxc3 Nc6

4 Nxc3



4 Bc4?!
4 Nf3?!
4 bxc3?!



4 Bc4?! Drawback number one is that the
bishop is prematurely exposed. Number two
is that it allows the deflection of the
other one from c1-h6, particularly f4
(... cxb2). On the flipside, f7 is always
a desirable target, and, once the c1 bishop
gets to b2, g7/h8 become mesmerizing.



Neutralizing Black's advanced pawn
(4 Nxc3) before developing the bishop to
c4 seems to be the way to go. What's more,
4 Nxc3 creates a less vulnerable contender
for b5/d5/e4 than 4 Bc4 does. It therefore
comfortably contains any central ambitions
that Black may have (... d5!):



4 Bc4?! Qc7 5 Qd3 cxb2 6 Bxb2 Nf6
7 Nf3 Nc6 8 O-O Qf4 9 Nc3 e6 10 e5 d5
11 Nb5.
4 Bc4?! Qc7 5 Qd3 cxb2 6 Bxb2 Nf6
7 Nf3 Nc6 8 O-O Qf4 9 Nc3 e6 10 e5 Nxe5
11 Nxe5 Qxe5 12 Nd5.



4 Bc4?! Qc7 5 Qd3 cxb2 6 Bxb2 Nf6
7 Nf3 Nc6 8 O-O Qf4 9 Nc3 a6 10 e5 b5
11 Bb3 Nxe5 12 Nxe5 Qxe5 13 Nd5 Qxb2
14 Nc7+.
4 Bc4?! Qc7 5 Qb3 d5 6 Bxd5 e6
7 Bc4 cxb2 8 Bxb2 Nc6 9 Nf3 Nf6 10 Nbd2 Bd6
11 O-O O-O 12 Rfd1 Rd8 13 Bb5.



4 Bc4?! cxb2 5 Bxb2 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4+
7 Nc3 Ne7 8 O-O O-O 9 Nb5 Nbc6 10 Nd6 Qc7
11 e5 f6 12 Nb5 Qb8 13 a3 Bc5 14 exf6 gxf6.



4 Nf3?!The bishop's subsequent b2 presence
gives Black yet again active play on the dark
squares, especially f4:



4 Nf3?! cxb2 5 Bxb2 e6 6 Bb5 Qa5+
7 Nc3 Ba3 8 Qa4 Qxa4 9 Nxa4 Bxb2 10 Nxb2.
4 Nf3?! cxb2 5 Bxb2 e6 6 Ne5 Nc6
7 Nxc6 bxc6 8 e5 Rb8 9 Bc3 d5 10 exd6 Nf6
11 Nd2 Qxd6.



4 Nf3?! cxb2 5 Bxb2 e6 6 Bd3 d6
7 O-O Nc6 8 Nbd2 Nf6 9 Qc2 Nd7 10 Bb5 Qb6
11 a4 f6 12 Rfd1 a6 13 Be2 Nc5 14 Ba3 Qc7
15 Nc4 a5 16 Nxd6+ Bxd6 17 Rxd6 Qxd6 18 Bxc5.



4 Nf3?! cxb2 5 Bxb2 e6 6 Nc3 Nc6
7 Bc4 d6 8 O-O Nf6 9 e5 Nh5 10 exd6 Qxd6
11 Qxd6 Bxd6 12 Nb5 Bb8 13 Ba3 Ne5
14 Nxe5 Bxe5 15 Rad1 a6 16 f4 Bd7
17 fxe5 Bxb5 18 Bxb5+ axb5.



4 bxc3?! The c3 post looks better with
the knight on it because then Black is more
restrained on the light squares (b5/d5/e4).
As it is, look at him go on those white ways:



4 bxc3?! Nf6 5 e5 Ng8 6 Nf3 Nc6
7 Bc4 Qc7 8 Bf4 e6 9 O-O Nf6 10 Re1 Nh5
11 Bc1 d5 12 Bb5 g6 13 Ba3 Bd7 14 c4.



4 bxc3?! Nf6 5 e5 Ng8 6 Nf3 Nc6
7 Bc4 Qc7 8 Bf4 e6 9 O-O Nge7 10 Re1 Ng6
11 Bg3 Ncxe5 12 Nxe5 Nxe5 13 Bxe6 fxe6
14 Bxe5 d6 15 Bd4 Qf7 16 Na3 Qf5 17 c4 Kf7
18 Nb5.



4 bxc3?! Nc6 5 Nf3 Nf6 6 Bd3 d5
7 exd5 Qxd5 8 O-O Bg4.

4 ... Nc6



4 ... d6!?
4 ... e6!?
4 ... a6!?
4 ... Nf6!?
4 ... g6!?



4 ... d6!? An early e5 guardian never hurts and
neither do the tactical minefields he enables:
4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 Qc7 6 Qa4+ Bd7 7 Nd5 Qd8
8 Qb3 Bc6 9 Nc7+ Qxc7 10 Bxf7+ Kd8
11 Bxg8 Bxe4.



4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 Nf6 6 e5! dxe5?? 7 Bxf7+ Kxf7
8 Qxd8.
4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 Nf6 6 e5! Ng8 7 Nf3 dxe5??
8 Bxf7+ Kxf7 9 Qxd8.
4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 Nf6 6 e5! Ng4 7 e6 Ne5
(but not 7 … Be6? 8 Bxe6 fxe6 9 Qxg4 or 7 … fxe6?
8 Qxg4 and White is winning a piece) 8 exf7+ Nxf7 9 Nf3.



4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 Nc6 6 Nf3 e6 7 O-O a6
8 Qe2 b5 9 Bb3 Be7 10 Rd1 Qc7 11 Bf4 Bb7
12 Rac1 Qb8 13 e5 d5 14 Bxd5 exd5 15 Nxd5.
4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 e6 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 O-O Be7
8 Qe2 Nf6 9 Rd1 Ng4 10 Bf4 e5 11 Bg3 h5
12 h4 O-O 13 Nd5 Be6 14 Qd3 Bxd5 15 Qxd5 Nf6
16 Qd3 Qc8 17 Nh2 Qd7 18 Rac1 Rac8.



4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 g6 6 Bg5 Nc6 7 Nf3 Bg7
8 Qb3 Kf8 9 Bxf7 Nf6 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 O-O Kg7
12 Bd5 Na5 13 Qb4 e6 14 e5 Bxe5 15 Nxe5 exd5.
4 ... d6!? 5 Bc4 a6 6 Nf3 e6 7 Bf4 Qc7
8 Rc1 Nf6 9 Bxe6 Bxe6 10 Nd5 Nxd5 11 Rxc7 Nxc7.



4 ... e6!? 5 Nf3 a6 6 Bf4 d6 7 Rc1 Nc6 8 e5 d5
9 Bd3 Qb6 10 Qd2 Nge7 11 O-O Ng6 12 Bg3 Be7
13 Rfd1 O-O 14 Na4 Qa7.
4 ... e6!? 5 Nf3 a6 6 Bf4 d6 7 Rc1 Nc6 8 e5 d5
9 Bd3 d4 10 Na4 Nb4 11 Be4 Nxa2 12 Rc4 f5
13 Rxd4 Qc7 14 Bb1 Nb4 15 Nc3 Nc6 16 Ra4 Bd7
17 Bxf5 b5 18 Ra1 b4.



4 ... e6!? 5 Nf3 Bc5 6 a3 Nc6 7 b4 Be7 8 b5 Bf6
9 Bb2 Ne5 10 Be2 Nxf3+ 11 Bxf3 d6 12 O-O Be5
13 Rc1 Nf6 14 Na4 Bf4 15 Rc4 O-O.
4 ... e6!? 5 Nf3 Bc5 6 Bc4 Ne7 7 O-O O-O 8 Bg5 f6
9 Bf4 Ng6 10 Bg3 Nc6 11 Bd6 Bxd6 12 Qxd6 Qb6
13 b3 f5 14 exf5 Rxf5 15 Bd3 Qc5.



4 ... e6!? 5 Nf3 Bb4 6 Qd4 Nc6 7 Qxg7 Qf6 8 Bh6.
4 ... e6!? 5 Nf3 d6 6 Bb5+ Bd7 7 Bg5 f6 8 Bxd7+ Qxd7
9 Be3 Nc6 10 O-O Nge7 11 Nb5 Ng6 12 Qd2 a6
13 Na3 b5 14 Rfc1 Be7 15 Nc2 O-O 16 Ncd4 Rac8
17 Nxc6 Rxc6 18 Nd4 Rxc1+ 19 Rxc1 d5.



4 ... a6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 b5 7 Bd5 Qc7 8 O-O Nf6
9 Bb3 Bb7 10 Be3 b4 11 Nd5 Nxd5 12 Qxd5 e6
13 Qh5 Rc8 14 Rac1 Bd6 15 e5 Bxe5 16 Rxc6 Bxh2+
17 Nxh2 Qxc6 18 Qg4 O-O 19 Qg3 f5 20 Nf3.



4 ... a6!? 5 Nf3 e6 6 Be2 Nc6 7 O-O Nf6 8 Bg5 d6
9 e5 dxe5 10 Qxd8+ Nxd8 11 Nxe5 Bd6 12 Nc4 Bc7
13 Rac1 b5 14 Nd2 Be5 15 Rfe1 h6 16 Be3 Bb7
17 Bc5 Rc8 18 Nb3 Bxc3 19 bxc3 Bd5 20 Ba3 Ne4
21 c4 bxc4 22 Na5 Nb7 23 Bxc4 Ned6 24 Bxd5 Rxc1
25 Rxc1 exd5 26 Nxb7 Nxb7 27 Rc7 Nd8 28 Ra7 d4.



4 ... a6!? 5 Nf3 e6 6 Be2 Qc7 7 O-O Nc6 8 Be3 Nf6
9 Rc1 Bb4 10 e5 Ng4 11 a3 Be7 12 Bf4 f6 13 exf6 Qxf4
14 fxe7 Nxe7 15 Na4 b5 16 Nb6 Rb8 17 Rxc8+.



4 ... Nf6!? 5 e5 Ng8 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Bc4 e6 8 Bf4 f6
9 exf6 Nxf6 10 O-O Be7 11 Nb5 O-O 12 Nc7 Ne4
13 Qc1 Rb8 14 Rd1 d5 15 Nxd5 Bd6 16 Qe3.
4 ... Nf6!? 5 e5 Ng8 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Bc4 e6 8 Bf4 f6
9 O-O fxe5 10 Nxe5 Qf6 11 Nd3 Kf7 12 Ne4 Qf5
13 Ng5+ Kf6 14 Qh5 g6 15 Nxh7+.



4 ... Nf6!? 5 e5 Ng8 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Bc4 e6 8 Bf4 f6
9 O-O fxe5 10 Nxe5 Qf6 11 Nd3 Qh4 12 Nb5 Kf7
13 Nd4 Nf6 14 Nxc6 bxc6 15 Ne5+ Kg8 16 Nxd7
16 ... Nd5.



4 ... g6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 Na5 7 Qd4 f6 8 O-O Nh6
9 e5 Nf5 10 exf6 exf6 11 Re1+ Be7 12 Nd5 Kf8
13 Rxe7.
4 ... g6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 Na5 7 Qd4 f6 8 O-O Nh6
9 e5 Nc6 10 Qf4 f5 11 Nd5 Bg7 12 Re1 Nf7
13 e6 Nd6 14 exd7+ Qxd7 15 Nxe7 Nxe7 16 Rd1
16 ... Qc7 17 Qxd6 Qxd6 18 Rxd6.



4 ... g6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 d6 7 O-O Bg7 8 h3 Nf6
9 Qe2 O-O 10 Rd1 Nd7 11 Bg5 a6 12 a4 h6
13 Be3 Nde5 14 Nxe5 Nxe5 15 Bb3 Bd7 16 Nd5
16 ... Be6 17 Qd2 Kh7 18 Rac1 Nc6 19 Bb6 Qb8
20 a5 Rc8 21 Ba4 Bxd5 22 Qxd5 Kg8 23 b3 Bb2
24 Rc4 Be5.



4 ... g6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 d6 7 O-O Bg7 8 h3 Nf6
9 e5 dxe5 10 Qxd8+ Nxd8 11 Nxe5 O-O 12 Rd1 Bf5
13 Be3 Ne4 14 Nxe4 Bxe5 15 Ng3 Be6 16 Bxe6 Nxe6
17 Rd5 f6 18 Rd7 b6 19 Rxe7 Rfe8 20 Rxe8+ Rxe8
21 Rd1.
4 ... g6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 d6 7 O-O Bg7 8 h3 Nf6
9 Bg5 O-O 10 Rc1 h6 11 Be3 Be6 12 Bxe6 fxe6
13 Qb3 Qd7 14 Rfd1 Rac8 15 e5 Ne8 16 Ne4 Rxf3.



4 ... g6!? 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 d6 7 O-O Bg7
8 h3 Nf6 9 Be3 O-O 10 Rc1 Be6 11 Bxe6 fxe6
12 Qb3 Qd7 13 Ng5 Nd8 14 Nb5 Ne8 15 Bxa7 h6
16 Nf3 Nc6 17 Be3 Na5 18 Qa4 Ra6 19 Qb4 Nc6
20 Qb3 Na5 21 Qd3 Bxb2 22 Bxh6 Rxf3
23 Qxf3 Bxc1 24 Qf8+.

4 ... Nc6