The Vienna set-up aims for very aggressive play, which often includes sacrifices, but White prefers to be on the safe side, without burning all the bridges and to try to justify his actions from the point of view of positional play as well. This is how this usually happens. At first, he deploys his minor pieces to active positions, then he advances the thematic move f4, castles (usually on the kingside) and begins an attack only after all this.
It may seem strange, but despite the fact that the move 2.Nc3 has been played for more than a hundred years, there has not been defined a clear-cut scheme for meeting this set-up. We had to make decisions how to play with White practically from the first several moves. Should he thrust immediately f4, or begin at first with d3? Should he advance his pawn to f5, or prefer a quick piece development? For example, after 2...Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5, should White play at first d3, fortifying his e4-pawn? We have come to the conclusion that the move 4.f4!? is more precise. Still, after 4.f4 d6, there arises another question - 5.Nf3, or 5.d3? It often happens that there arise the same positions after these moves, but still, we had to analyse after which move White maintains a more convincing advantage if Black replies with the principled move 5...Ng4...
We should emphasize as a very positive moment that by choosing the Vienna Game, White follows his own line of playing. This does not happen after the move 2.Nf3 when Black can choose then between the numerous variations of the Ruy Lopez (or the rather solid Steinitz Defence Deferred, or the super-solid Berlin Wall, or the sharp Marshall Attack). In addition, Black can go for the seemingly peaceful Petroff Defence.
Content
Part 1. Black plays Nf6 & Nc6 - VIENNA HYBRID
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.d3 Bc5 5.f4
012 1) Rare Lines; 5...Bxg1 6.Rxg1; 5...d5 6.Nxd5; 5...exf4 6.Bxf4; 5...0-0 6.Nf3
028 2) 5...d6 6.Nf3 Rare Lines; 6...Ng4 7.Ng5; 6...Na5 7.Bb3; 6...Be6 7.Bb5
042 3) 5...d6 6.Nf3 0-0 7.f5
061 4) 5...d6 6.Nf3 exf4 7.Bxf4
072 5) 5...d6 6.Nf3 a6 7.Nd5
085 6) 5...d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Na4 exf4 8.Nxc5; 7...Nd4 8.Nxc5; 7...Bxf3 8.Qxf3; 7...0-0 8.Nxc5
103 7) 5...d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Na4 Bb6 8.Nxb6 axb6 9.0-0
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.d3 Bb4 5.Nge2 - Hromadka Variation
116 8) Rare Lines; 5...Na5 6.a3; 5...d6 6.0-0; 5...0-0 6.0-0
127 9) 5...d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.a3
140 10) 7.0-0
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.d3 Na5
156 11) 5.Nge2
178 12) 5.Bb3
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.d3 d6 5.f4
192 13) Rare Lines; 5...Be6 6.f5; 5...Na5 6.Bb3; 5...Bg4 6.Qd2; 5...exf4 6.Bxf4
208 14) 5...Be7 6.Nf3
Part 2. Black plays Nf6 (without Nc6) - STANLEY VARIATION
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4
240 15) 3...Bc5 4.f4 Rare; 4...Bxg1 5.Rxg1; 4...exf4 5.d4; 4...d5 5.exd5
264 16) 3...Bc5 4.f4 d6 5.Nf3
285 17) 3...Nxe4 4.Qh5
299 18) 3...d6 4.f4
311 19) 3...Be7 4.f4
328 20) 3...c6 4.d4
340 21) 3...Bb4 4.Nge2 Reversed Spanish
Part 3. Black plays Nc6 (without Nf6) - MAX LANGE DEFENCE
349 22) 3...Bc5 4.Qg4 Rare Lines; 4...Qf6 5.Nd5 Meitner-Mieses Gambit; 4...g6 5.Qf3
374 23) 3...d6 4.d3
384 24) 3...Na5 4.Bxf7+; 3...Nge7 4.Nf3; 3...g6 4.f4; 3...Bb4 4.Nd5; 3...f5 4.d3
Part 4. Rare Lines (without Nf6 & Nc6)
398 25) 2...d6 3.Bc4
410 26) 2...f5 3.exf5; 2...Bb4 3.Bc4; 2...c6 3.Bc4; 2...g6 3.Bc4; 2...Bc5 3.Bc4 Anderssen Defence |
