Nc3 vs Nf3?

Why is Nf3 played more often than Nc3? Any suggestions why that is?

My guess,and don't hold me to this, but I think it may be because it's a better move.

How is it a better move? Both develop knights that contribute towards the center.

Because while it's true advancing the c pawn or f pawn helps control the center or break up the opponent's center, only one of them weakens your king.

Or to say it another way, Nf3 blocking your f pawn isn't a big deal, because you almost always want the f pawn on f2 in the opening anyway.

Than if someone wanted the play Nc3, what would be the best responce to the move that was just played? And can it transpose into a solid defence?

1.Nf3 controls e5 square which compels black to push d5. To counter that, white needs to play d4 at some point which usually transposes the game to 1.d4 lines where white can play c4 to gain advantage.

NOTE: in 1.d4 lines, white not only can, but needs to play c4 to claim the center otherwise he won't gain any advantage out of the opening.

In 1.Nc3 line, white gains control over d5 square, but after black's 1...d5 white again has to play d4(for center) and as explained earlier in 1.d4 lines white needs to play c4 to gain advantage. But, with Nc3 it's now not possible.

Even after 1...e5 white must play 2.e4 and now we realize that knight at f3 would have been better than c3.

It were my views on the two moves... Hope it helps!

There's nothing wrong with 1.Nc3, it just doesn't try for an advantage as much as other moves so GMs wont play it much.

Yeah, it's not incorrect. But, it's not the best.

Well, I am not a very strong player nor have experience with 1.d4 to jump to any conclusions. It were just my views on the statistics that 2.c4 after 1.d4-d5 is the most popular move in regular GM play. If there were other ideas as good as 2.c4 then they should have been in close contest, just as 1.e4 and 1.d4 are.

If there are any, we would definitely witness it frequently in master games.

Yeah, that's what I said.

You failed to notice this: 

You mean 1. Nc3 vs 1. Nf3, I wouldn't call 1 move in the first part of an opening superior over anything, unless you're going to play something stupid like the grob. But I'd say, in my experience, 1. Nf3 is more flexible, and leads to easier lines than a sketchy 1. Nc3

And by the way, if you are not joking, you want to say that after 1.d4 1..Nf6 is BAD?

I think developing the knight to c3 right away may come come off as slightly anti positional.  Alot of times the c pawn will be used to challenge black's center more than white's f pawn would.  Plus nf3 allows white to castle more quickly.  Though on its own merit Nc3 is not a bad move at all, I have used it myself in some of my otb games.

I had said that we would definitely witness it. I didn't say that if there were such good openings then we would have already witnessed it in master games.

There's no need to involve man-made products. I (God made) is enough to beat you in 1.Nf3 with white and in 1.d4-Nf6 with black.

I "came up" with these variations that might work for 1. Nc3... Any flaws?

Nf3