Chess opening · ECO C20
King's Pawn Game: Napoleon Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Qf3 is the Napoleon Attack, an early queen move aimed at the f7 pawn. With Bc4 next, White would threaten Qxf7 mate, the same idea as the Scholar's Mate. The queen also takes f3, the usual home of the g1 knight. Black's task is simple to state: cover f7, develop with tempo against the queen, and make the early sortie cost White time.
- Rank by weighted share
- #94 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Qf3
- 2. Qf3The queen lines up with f7 along the f-file. Only Black's king guards f7, so a bishop on c4 would turn that into a mating threat. In return, White's knight loses its natural square and the queen can be chased by black pieces.
Shutting the f-file with ...Nf6
The knight on f6 develops and stands between the queen and f7, so Qxf7 is no longer possible. White's queen is now staring at its own blocker, and a later ...Nc6 and ...Nd4, or ...d6 followed by ...Bg4, can gain more time against it.
...Nc6 develops too and adds pressure on d4, but Black must still watch f7. After Bc4, Black needs to block the f-file or guard f7 before doing anything else.
The ...Nd4 trap that backfires
After ...Nc6 Bc4, the move ...Nd4 looks attractive because it attacks the queen and the c2 pawn. It overlooks the threat: Qxf7 is mate, since the bishop on c4 protects the queen and the black king has no flight square.
Both knights out against Bc4
2... Nf6 3. Bc4 Nc6
The f6 knight blocks the queen's path to f7, so the Bc4 threat is gone. Black has two pieces out and the queen on f3 can be hit by ...Nd4, while White still has to find a home for the g1 knight.
Top replies by rating
Nf6 leads from under 1200 up to 1599. From 1600 to 1999, Nc6 moves ahead, with Nf6 second.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nf6 33% | Nc6 19% | f6 10% |
| 1200–1399 | Nf6 39% | Nc6 20% | d6 13% |
| 1400–1599 | Nf6 41% | Nc6 25% | d6 12% |
| 1600–1799 | Nc6 38% | Nf6 35% | d6 11% |
| 1800–1999 | Nc6 47% | Nf6 36% | d6 8% |
| 2000 and up | Nc6 52% | Nf6 48% | – |
Questions
Is the queen on f3 hard to chase?
Not usually. A black knight on d4 or h4 attacks f3, and after ...d6 the c8 bishop can hit the queen from g4. Each of those gains a tempo if the queen has to move again.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.