Bologan: The Popular Italian Geschenkidee 3 Introduction to 2 Nc3:

3 Introduction to 2 Nc3: Black Plays Flexibly 29

and The Steeplechase

What are the reasons for playing the King's Gambit

Inside Smirin annotates his best games in the King's Indian

an expert in the French Defense

Bologan: The Popular Italian Geschenkidee 3 Introduction to 2 Nc3:Children starting out in chess are usually taught to play 1. e4, and the first checkmate we see is after Bc4, Qh5 and Qxf7#. It sometimes seems today that chess theory is going back to its roots, when 3. Bc4 was much more popular than 3. Bb5. Today, top tournaments are full of Italian games, and it turns out that Black has much more trouble getting equalization than in some variations of the Marshall Gambit or the Berlin Defence in the Spanish. The