Van Geet Opening: Nf6 – A Complete Guide for White

Your second move, 2.e4, stakes out a big centre. You are daring Black to challenge you immediately. The engine's top recommendation here is for Black to play 2...e5 — a solid, central reply. If Black does choose e5, you continue with 3.Nf3, and after 3...Nc6 comes 4.Bb5, a setup that looks familiar to Ruy Lopez players. That line is the critical test of your opening, but it keeps the game in sharp, playable territory for you as White.

With over two million games each, the two most common Black moves are 2...e5 (White scores 51.0%) and 2...d5 (White scores 44.6%). Against e5 you are slightly better, while d5 is a more dangerous customer for you — Black strikes at your centre immediately, and your results dip. The other frequent replies are friendlier to White. After 2...d6 (965,543 games) you score a solid 49.4%. Two moves stand out as excellent for you: 2...Nc6 and 2...g6 both give you a 54.7% score. That is a clear edge — nearly 55% — and both moves are actually mistakes.

The statistics reveal two inviting traps for Black to fall into. If Black plays 2...Nc6, that's an inaccuracy that loses roughly 0.6 pawns. And 2...g6 is even worse — an inaccuracy costing about 1.0 pawns. In both cases, the engine says Black should have played 2...e5 instead. What should you do? After 2...Nc6 you can develop naturally with 3.Nf3, keeping that extra space. After 2...g6, the immediate 3.d4 gives you a powerful centre and leaves Black's kingside fianchetto looking a little aimless. Knowing these two moves are subpar helps you feel confident when you see them on the board.

While many Black moves give you above-average results, 2...d5 is the one to be wary of. It scores only 44.6% for White, meaning Black does well here. After 2...d5 3.exd5 Nxd5, Black develops the knight with tempo and challenges your knight on c3. That's a healthy equalising attempt. If you want to steer clear of this line, you might consider playing 2.d4 instead of 2.e4, transposing into a more standard opening — but that's a decision for another page. Within this position, just know that d5 is Black's most testing alternative to e5.

If Black chooses the best move e5, the game often takes on a Ruy Lopez flavour after Nf3 Nc6 Bb5. You can aim for a quick d3, 0-0, and then decide between Re1 or a slower build-up. Your light-squared bishop is active, your knight on c3 supports the d4 break, and you have a slight space advantage. If Black picks something else — especially Nc6 or g6 — you'll enjoy a freer hand in the centre. Push d4 early, develop your pieces to natural squares, and look for a central break. The engine's small plus (+0.24) tells you you're not winning by force, but you're also never worse, and the 49.8% White win rate shows that practical chances are alive and well.