Van Geet Opening: d5 – A Level Fight From the First Moves

By playing 1.Nc3 and following up with 2.d4 you have created a sturdy centre without committing your king’s bishop to a fixed square yet. Your c3 knight eyes the d5 pawn and can jump to b5 or e4 later, while your d4 pawn fights for space in the middle. The position is symmetrical in structure but flexible in plan. Black will often try to develop naturally — putting a knight on f6, a bishop on f5 or g4, and castling kingside. Your job is to stay alert to any imprecision. The engine says the position is dead level (+0.05), which means you are neither better nor worse — it’s a game of chess from here, not an opening that gifts you an edge. That honesty is a strength: you can play the Van Geet without worrying you are tricking yourself into a bad spot.

Black’s best move is 3…Nf6, which has been played over 10.4 million times. After that the engine recommends a principled, solid setup: 4.Bf4 Bf5 5.e3. Your bishop on f4 develops with a pinning threat against the c7 pawn if Black ever plays …e6, and your e3 pawn reinforces d4. The bishop on f5 is a typical post for Black’s light-squared bishop in these structures. Nothing flashy happens — you simply complete development. The statistics back this up: after 3…Nf6 White scores 49.1%, almost exactly the same as the overall average from the starting position. So don’t expect a knockout; expect a fair fight where the better middlegame understanding decides the outcome.

Among Black’s most-played replies, one stands out as a concrete mistake. 3…Nc6 is played about 2.6 million times (making it the third most common move) and White scores a slightly higher 50.7% after it. The engine classifies Nc6 as an inaccuracy that costs Black roughly 0.5 pawns compared to the correct move 3…Nf6. Why? The knight on c6 does not pressure your centre in a useful way — it actually blocks Black’s own c-pawn, which could have challenged d4 with …c5. With the knight on f6 Black keeps the option of …c5 or …e6 and maintains pressure on d5. So if your opponent plays 3…Nc6, you can be confident you have already gained a small but real plus. Drill this position and train yourself to recognise when Black hands you that edge.

The data from 23.6 million games gives a clear picture of what Black tries and how White fares. Here are the most popular replies and White’s winning percentage after each: - 3…Nf6 (10.4M games) — White scores 49.1% - 3…e6 (5.0M games) — White scores 48.8% - 3…Nc6 (2.6M games) — White scores 50.7% - 3…c6 (1.8M games) — White scores 49.5% - 3…Bf5 (1.8M games) — White scores 47.4% - 3…c5 (717k games) — White scores 47.3% The numbers are tight because the starting position is so balanced. The biggest outlier is 3…Bf5, where Black’s score jumps to about 52.6% — that early bishop development looks natural but leaves Black’s king a little exposed, and White’s lower winning rate suggests this is the line to study carefully. Still, none of these moves is a disaster for either side. Use this table as a guide for what you are likely to face and where to invest your preparation time.