Playing the Ware Defense: Snagglepuss Defense

The Snagglepuss Defense (1.e4 a5 2.d4 Nc6) is a provocative opening. Your first two moves ignore the centre in the traditional sense: a5 stakes out queenside space but does nothing for development, and Nc6 develops a knight but doesn't challenge White's pawn on d4 directly. White already has a strong pawn duo in the centre and easy plans with Nc3, Nf3, and Bb4 by Black in response. Your main idea is to pressure d4 later with …Bb4 (pinning a knight if White plays Nc3) and to create a solid but slightly passive setup with …e6. You are conceding the centre early and hoping to counterattack once White overextends. The statistics reflect the challenge: across over 24,000 games, White wins 65.0% of the time, while Black wins just 31.1%. This is a survival opening — you are aiming to outplay your opponent in unfamiliar territory, not to gain an edge from the opening.

The engine's top choice for White is Nc3, developing a piece toward the centre. After Nc3, the best continuation is e6 (solidifying the dark squares and opening a diagonal for your light-squared bishop) followed by Nf3 Bb4, pinning the knight on c3. This setup — pawn on e6, bishop on b4 — is your key defensive and counterattacking structure. You contest the centre indirectly and threaten to double White's pawns if they capture on c3. Notice that White's natural developing moves (Nc3, Nf3) are met by your most active responses. If your opponent plays something else, you may have an even easier time — but you still face an uphill battle against correct play.

The Lichess database shows how opponents actually play this position. By far the most popular move is d5 (9,198 games), scoring 65.0% for White — a direct central challenge that is perfectly sound. Next is Nf3 (8,374 games, 66.7% for White), developing normally. These two moves account for over 70% of all games. The less common options include c4 (1,356 games, 64.6% for White), c3 (864 games, 65.6% for White), and Bc4 (766 games, 69.3% for White). Interestingly, the engine's best move (Nc3) is actually the fourth most played, with only 1,087 games. That means most of your opponents will not find the strongest continuation — they'll play d5 or Nf3 instead, which are still excellent for White but give you familiar patterns to navigate.

Two inaccuracies stand out in this position, and both involve premature flank expansion. If White plays c4, the engine says it loses about 0.8 pawns in evaluation — the correct move was d5 instead. This advance weakens the d4 pawn and gives you targets on the queenside. Similarly, Bc4 loses about 0.6 pawns compared to Nc3, developing a bishop to an active square but neglecting central control and king safety. When you see either move, you can breathe a little easier: your opponent has handed you a small gift. Against c4, look to challenge the centre with …e5 or …d5 soon. Against Bc4, you can often play …e6 followed by …d5, gaining a tempo on the bishop. The key is staying alert: most White players will not play perfectly, and your job is to punish the inaccuracies they do make.