Nimzo-Larsen Attack
ECO A01beginner
The Nimzo-Larsen, 1.b3, puts the queen's bishop on the long diagonal before anything else and asks Black's e5/d5 center to prove itself against persistent piece pressure. Bent Larsen wielded it against world champions; modern engines and online stars have revived it as a legitimate fighting system. The typical battle: Black builds a broad center, White chips at e5 with Bb2, e3, Bb5 and f4 or d4 levers, and the b2 bishop decides the middlegame the moment lines open.
Main line
1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.Na3 Na5 6.Be2 a6 7.c4
Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.
Win rates by rating
Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.
| Rating | Games | White wins | Draws | Black wins | Position after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400-600 | 60 | 48.3% | 6.7% | 45% | 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 |
| 600-800 | 37 | 48.6% | 2.7% | 48.6% | 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 |
| 800-1000 | 30 | 46.7% | 0% | 53.3% | 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 |
| 1000-1200 | 66 | 43.9% | 1.5% | 54.5% | 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 |
| 1200-1400 | 145 | 46.9% | 4.1% | 49% | 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 |
Most played continuations (1200-1400 rating)
After 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6:
- Bxc6 — played 53.1% of the time (White wins 46.8%, draws 3.9%, Black wins 49.4%)
- Nf3 — played 27.6% of the time (White wins 42.5%, draws 2.5%, Black wins 55%)
- d4 — played 3.4% of the time (White wins 60%, draws 0%, Black wins 40%)
Frequently asked questions
Is 1.b3 a serious opening or a surprise weapon?
Both. It concedes the center's first move but develops the most important piece in the system immediately, and there is no clean equalizer — Black gets a pleasant game many ways but must actually play chess from move one. At club level its unfamiliarity alone is worth real points.
How should Black meet 1.b3?
The principled answer is 1...e5 building the center the b2 bishop covets, meeting 2.Bb2 with ...Nc6 and ...d6 (or the ambitious ...d5/...Bd6 setups) and staying alert to Bb5 pins and f4 strikes. Solid alternatives like 1...d5 with ...Bg4 simply develop and deny White targets.
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