Good opening to play against d4 Nf6 Nc3

I am a player who loves the Ruy Lopez open variation as white and likes to play against e4(with e5).I prefer to not play against the Sicilian but that is largely due to the fact that it doesnt start with e4 e5 and I manage to do quite well.I generally either go to the d6 variation of the Ruy Lopez or the Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5.I love open positions and love the Gruenfield against 1 d4. However, I struggle to face d4 Nf6 Nc3 as I generally is very closed.

I am quite good tactically but I like reasonably solid defenses. I feel that I can do best where my pieces are free where I can use strategy and tactics to defeat my opponents. I had actually chosen Gruenfield on the recommendation on another player after telling him a similar overview, when I was slightly worse positionally and tactically.

Do you mean this position?

Thanks for posting the line, as it illustrates a key line.

However I am trying to avoid playing 2 d5 as in the line and as it closes the game. I would like an opening which helps my playstyle (opening up the game ,sorta like a Gruenfield).

You could play 2...c5. 

But in the chess.com master games database there are 3691 games with 2.Nc3 and 3551 of them with 2...d5. That's 96 %! And that is with a good reason! 2.Nc3 blocks the lever c2-c4, so white should play for e2-e4 and the game will open, if white wants to archive something.

In chess you can't always have what you want. What are you doing if your opponent plays a double fianchetto?

But you have to play according to the position.  With 2.Nc3 White intends 3.e4.  2...d5 stops it, and then as I say, on 3.Bg5, you can open the position with 3...c5.  There isn't just one way to get an open position.  If White doesn't give you the proper target (his pawn on c4 in the Gruenfeld), you're going to have figure out another way.

Thanks for the feedback. Could you tell me any lines after 2 d5 or is there just one main line?

One of the things you can do after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 is to play 3...e6. You'll probably get 4. e4 from White fairly often, and with that move the game has just transposed into the French Defense. 4...Bb4(MacCutcheon Variation), 4...Be7(Classical Variation), or 4...de(Burn Variation) are your main choices at that point.

Typical chess.com comment where what the OP asks for is completely ignored -- he wants something OPEN, not the French Defense

Looking on 365chess.com after 2...d5 3.Bg5 (the Veresov) is far and away White's most common choice.  A distant second comes 3.e4 the Blackmar-Diemar Gambit -- here White gambits a pawn but opens the position.  Not too far behind comes 3.Bf4, a sort of London system but with Nc3?!, when again, though not the most common move, 3...c5 seems to be the most effective.  You don't have to worry about 4.Nb5? just yet as its unprotected there and after 4...Qa4+ it will just have to go back to c3 (eventually though you will want to play ...a6 to stop Nb5)

So when you can't get into the Gruenfeld, you can play a Queen's Gambit Reversed.  This should get you at least a semi-open game.

Actually in the Gruenfeld you play the move d5 eventually.

I play the Gruenfeld as well and believe it or not you can play a Gruenfeld against this line.

The Vereso Attack is not considered very good.

If you like the Gruenfeld play the below diagram line against it.

The above line is the Gruenfeld.

Queen Pawn Game/Veresov Attack/Two Knights System/Gruenfeld Defense

ECO D01

Are you aware of the fact that two COMPLETELY FRIGGIN DIFFERENT opening systems can be named after the same player, in this case Gruenfeld

N0S0UP4Y0U wrote:

Typical chess.com comment where what the OP asks for is completely ignored -- he wants something OPEN, not the French Defense

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He also said he wants something reasonably solid and something that would allow scope for his strategy and tactics. I listed the MacCutcheon first of the three options after 4.e4 because I thought it might appeal to him because it can be fairly rich in tactical opportunity eventhough the Burn is the variation most commonly played.

Thanks for the feedback. I will do some research and tell which line I will play(probably c5 as I have also played the Old Benoni)

The MacCutcheon is a fine opening for black. But i would not learn a whole french mainline alone for a 1. d4 sideline moveorder. That's not a economic choice.

Are you aware of the fact that two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS of the same opening can be labeled under the same defense?

I challenge you to prove how this is not a Gruenfeld.

The position in fact is an nicer/better verison of the Gruenfeld because white didn't play c4.

The line can be compared to the Gruenfeld Defense/Three Knights Variation/Petrosian System

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 is a Grunfeld.

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 is not.

End of discussion.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 is known as the Veresov.  I used to play it myself for about 2 years (2004-2005) as White.

To me, there are three decent options for Black, and which you play should be a matter of taste:

In all cases, 2...d5 3.Bg5 and now:

French players can play 3...e6

Positional players should play 3...Nbd7

Tactical players should play 3...c5

It might be helpful to look at Grandmaster Repertoire 11: Beating 1 d4 Sidelines by Boris Avrukh (2012).

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627001415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen164.pdf

You're clueless about openings.  You probably also don't know how to mate with a rook and king versus a king -- if not look at one of my bullet games for an example.