Flank openings

Van Geet Opening

1.Nc3

The Van Geet Opening starts with 1.Nc3 and is catalogued under ECO A00, in the flank openings half of the book. The catalog indexes 33 lines inside it, grouped into 33 named variations, and the position after those moves has 8 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
Van Geet Opening
2 plies
Laroche Gambit
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.Nc3

    Develops the knight to c3, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

8 moves
d5Van Geet Opening11 named lines · Van Geet Opening: Hector Gambit · Van Geet Opening: Damhaug GambitAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.e5Van Geet Opening: Reversed Nimzowitsch8 named lines · Van Geet Opening: Liebig Gambit · Van Geet Opening: Napoleon AttackAdvances to e5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.c5Van Geet Opening4 named lines · Van Geet Opening: Twyble Attack · Van Geet Opening: Düsseldorf GambitAdvances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.b5Van Geet Opening: Laroche Gambit1 named lineAdvances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.d6Van Geet Opening1 named line · Van Geet Opening: Hergert GambitAdvances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.f5Van Geet Opening1 named line · Van Geet Opening: Kluever GambitAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.g6Van Geet Opening1 named line · Van Geet Opening: Myers AttackAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Nf6Van Geet Opening1 named line · Van Geet Opening: Tübingen GambitDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Van Geet Opening. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

9 more named lines sit inside this family — the tree above walks all of them.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Van Geet Opening.