Vienna Game
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Do you have experience playing the Vienna game as white or black? What is your opinion about it? Thanks.
It's a solid opening to play. It's sound and completely playable even though it's not that popular. While slightly more passive than the standard Nf3 it's still good and versatile enough to give you choices for continuation.
Thanks. I guess I will stick to my 1.d4
Aug 3, 2020
0
#5
It’s more about knowing the plans and the position rather than getting an opening advantage.
The Vienna isn't more passive or solid than 2. Nf3 at all. You probably think that since it's not attacking any pawn. However you are delaying castling with this move. You could move the king's knight on the next move, however there is scarcely any reason why white would choose to do this.
The real, predominant reason people play the Vienna is to allow for sharp play such as an early f4 and a modified King's gambit (regularly transposing into a king's gambit line) - ie. one of the wildest and most dangerous openings in the whole of chess. The other mainline idea is g3.
Uhohspaghettio1 wrote:
The Vienna isn't more passive or solid than 2. Nf3 at all. You probably think that since it's not attacking any pawn. However you are delaying castling with this move. You could move the king's knight on the next move, however there is scarcely any reason why white would choose to do this.
The real, predominant reason people play the Vienna is to allow for an early f4 and a modified King's gambit (regularly transposing into a king's gambit line) - ie. one of the wildest and most dangerous openings in the whole of chess. The other mainline idea is g3, which I am uncertain of whether f4 comes up soon but whatever the case it's also pretty violent.
I think continuing with Bc4 is more prudent than rushing f4. I used to play this before switching to d4 openings but that was a relatively long time ago so I don't remember much.
after Nc6 the f4 stuff is interesting but may not even be good. After Nf6 I'm always happy to see f4 as Black. I have played g3, Glek stuff with White, which is also interesting though Black has some annoying, IMO options there, early d5 or something. On Bc4 I do the fork trick but it's been pointed out this isn't even the most ambitious option for Black, though I think if you don't do this then perhaps you risk some modified King's Gambit shenanigans.
Thanks. I just got interested on the Vienna after an IM told in a video that you can get interesting games with it...
It's true. I regularly play the f4 lines in blitz and sometimes in classical chess, and have tried the g3 lines occasionally - I suspect these are the most promising ones to make a study of. The great thing about 2.Nc3 is that opponents often underestimate it and don't know the theory, although it's perfectly sound and offers good attacking chances.