Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack
1.b3
A repertoire for White · ECO A01
The Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack (1.b3) fianchettos the queen's bishop on move one and lets your opponent's preparation rot unused. Hypermodern, flexible and sneakily venomous — the b2-bishop's pressure on e5 and g7 shapes the whole game.
Start the Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack course
Mainline
1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6
Key ideas
- Fianchetto first, commit later: 1.b3 keeps every central and structural option open.
- Aim the b2-bishop at e5 and g7 — half of Black's natural setups walk straight into it.
- Choose your fight: quiet positional squeezes or the sharp Bb5 lines against ...e5 setups.
- Skip the theory race entirely — by move three, both players think for themselves, but you know the plans.
Typical plans and structures
Against 1...e5, White pressures it with Bb2 and the modern 4.Bb5 pin ideas, often trading on c6 and playing against the doubled pawns with Ne2-g3 and c4. Against ...d5 setups, White plays e3, Nf3, c4 and a timely Ne5 — a reversed Queen's Indian with an extra tempo. Kingside fianchetto double-attack setups (b3 plus g3) are also on the menu. The common thread: the long diagonal never stops mattering, and endgames inherit its pressure.
Who should play it
Independent-minded players who want a sound sidestep from mainstream theory — and enjoy winning strategic battles their opponents never studied.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1.b3 a serious opening?
Entirely — Bent Larsen beat world-class opposition with it, Nimzowitsch pioneered its ideas, and modern elite players (including Magnus Carlsen in faster chess) keep using it. It concedes nothing objectively; it just relocates the fight away from your opponent's preparation.
What is Black's most critical response to 1.b3?
Grabbing the center with 1...e5 and ...Nc6 is the principled test, when White's 3.e3 and 4.Bb5 keeps real pressure on e5 — the course's main line. Solid ...d5 and ...Nf6 setups get comfortable reversed-Indian treatment instead.
Does the Nimzo-Larsen transpose to other openings?
It can — into reversed Nimzo/Queen's Indian structures or English setups with c4 — and that flexibility is a feature: you choose which transpositions to allow. The course flags the useful ones and shows when staying in pure Larsen territory is stronger.
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