Chess opening · ECO C25
Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 starts the Vienna Game. White brings out the queen's knight first, guarding e4 and watching d5, and keeps the g1 knight at home so the f-pawn can still go to f4. That push, with or without a gambit, runs through many Vienna lines. Black's replies decide whether the game turns sharp or stays quiet.
- Rank by weighted share
- #51 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3
- 2. Nc3The knight guards e4 and covers d5 and b5. Since nothing stands on f3, White keeps the option of f4, which hits e5 and can open the f-file for a rook after castling.
Black's ...Nf6 and the fight for d5
2...Nf6 develops and asks White to show a plan. 3.f4 is the Vienna Gambit and 3.Bc4 invites the sharp ...Nxe4 lines, and both get separate pages. A quieter choice is 3.g3, aiming for a bishop on g2 that comes to life once the e4 pawn is exchanged.
In many of these lines, ...d5 is the freeing break Black looks for. The c3 knight is there partly to make that push harder.
Black's ...Nc6 and ...Bc5 setups
2...Nc6 mirrors White's knight and keeps ...Nf6 in reserve. White often answers with Bc4 or g3, and the timing of f4 decides how sharp things get.
2...Bc5 puts a bishop on the g1-a7 diagonal. Once White's f-pawn leaves f2, that bishop looks straight at g1, the square White's king wants after short castling.
A g3 setup against ...Nf6
2... Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3
Black frees the game with ...d5 and trades knights on c3. White's pawns are doubled on the c-file, but the b-file is half open and the g2 bishop now looks down the long diagonal toward b7.
Top replies by rating
Nf6 leads every band and Nc6 is second throughout. The gap between them narrows at 2000 and up, and Bc5 replaces d6 in third place from 1800.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nf6 37% | Nc6 21% | d6 13% |
| 1200–1399 | Nf6 33% | Nc6 19% | d6 13% |
| 1400–1599 | Nf6 34% | Nc6 20% | d6 13% |
| 1600–1799 | Nf6 36% | Nc6 24% | d6 13% |
| 1800–1999 | Nf6 43% | Nc6 32% | Bc5 10% |
| 2000 and up | Nf6 47% | Nc6 39% | Bc5 7% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.