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 3 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
6 plies
Melleby Gambit
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h

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.

  2. 1d5

    Advances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  3. 2.f4

    Advances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.

    Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.

  4. 2d4

    Advances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  5. 3.Ne4

    Repositions the knight to e4, where it influences a new part of the board.

    Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

3 moves

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.

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