Hi motzer2000--it's difficult for black to reverse the Ponziani because of the lost tempo. After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3, the Ponziani implies ...c6 at some point, yet the e-pawn needs to be saved before anything else. So if black doesn't want 2...Nc6, his only options are Petroff's with 2...Nf6 or Philidor's with 2...d6. The closest thing might be a middlegame Giuoco Piano, Ruy Lopez, or similar where the c6 knight moves again (...Na5 to chase a c4 bishop, etc.) and then ...c6 is played to establish ...d5 a few moves later. This isn't part of a specific opening though, and the Ponziani is regarded as too mediocre even without losing an additional move. If players really want ...c6 against an e-pawn opening, they should just deploy the Caro-Kann.
Ponziani opening - reversed for black ?
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Hi chessers,
does anything like the Ponziani opening for black exist ? Or is there anybody who has played a reversed black version lately ?
Thanx for hints :-)