Nimzowitsch Defense
1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 · B00
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 12
The bishop gets out before the door closes
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
The idea
Black develops the knight to c6 before committing any pawn, keeping the position flexible and often transposing into a French or Scandinavian structure.
Main line: 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Nge7 6.O-O Ng6
What White wants
- Take the centre with d4 and gain space with e5
- Develop naturally and use the extra room
- Punish the early knight if the centre opens up
What Black wants
- Develop the bishop outside the chain with ...Bf5 before ...e6
- Transpose into a French or Caro-Kann structure on favourable terms
- Keep the pawn structure flexible for as long as possible
Key idea
Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.
The bishop gets out before the door closes
The whole reason for ...d5 and ...Bf5 before ...e6 is the same idea as in the Caro-Kann: once ...e6 is played the c8 bishop is buried, so it must be developed first. The knight on c6 is just a move-order device.
Common mistake
Assuming the early c6 knight makes Black's centre harmless. White can gain space, but ...d5 and ...Bf5 challenge the setup immediately; develop behind the pawns and calculate exchanges rather than chase a knight that has useful central squares.
Representative position
The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.
r2qkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n1p1n1/3pPb2/3P4/5N2/PPP1BPPP/RNBQ1RK1 w kq - 4 7
Analyze this position