Due to work pressure, I’ve had very little time to play many serious games of chess this year. Having said that, I find that 1.b3 has provided me with a solid opening, that’s effective, occasionally unpredictable and easy to learn!
Why?
I think it’s ideal if you don’t want to trawl through reams upon reams of opening theory concerning classical openings like the Sicilian or the Ruy Lopez! The Nimzo-Larsen Attack can be used as a surprise weapon, given that it’s simply not a very popular opening … and Black needs to be very well prepared to know how to counter the ideas behind it!
Why is it called the Nimzo-Larsen?
It is generally said that there were two leading proponents of 1.b3 … Latvian Grandmaster, Aron Nimzowitsch in the 1920’s and 30’s and Danish Grandmaster, Bent Larsen in the 1960’s. It is a hyper-modern opening, making use of the long range bishop on b2.
Typical ideas for White
Pawn breaks with c4 and f4 to undermine Black’s central pawns. Bishop on b2, and sometimes a double fianchetto, with a Bishop on g2.
Nimzowitsch vs Rubinstein, 1926
Here is the opening played one hundred years ago by the great Aron Nimzowitsch…
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