1.b3 Chess Opening for White (More POWERFUL Than You Think!)

Learn 3 Main Ways To Improve Your Chess Results Significantly
FREE Masterclass ►

Take Your Chess Skills To The Next Level With High-Quality Courses
Learn here ►

💰💲 Join the RCA Affiliate Program, promote our courses, and get 50% commission –

🔹 1.b3 Part-1 –
🔹 1.b3 Part-2 –
🔹 1…b6 as Black (Owen’s Defense) –

📥 Download the PGN of this 1.b3 chess opening from this blog-post –

In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov will share with you an universal chess opening for White, 1.b3 – it is called as the Larsen’s Opening, or the Nimzo–Larsen Attack, or the Queen’s Fianchetto Opening.

The flank opening move 1.b3 prepares to fianchetto the queen’s bishop where it will help control the central squares in hypermodern fashion and put useful pressure on Black’s kingside. The b2-bishop is often a source of recurring irritation for Black, who should not treat it lightly.

You will learn the common ideas for White if Black plays 1…e5 or 1…d5, which are the most common replies. GM Igor Smirnov tests your knowledge at the end with the famous game where the Indian grandmaster Adhiban Baskaran beat David Navara in just 9 moves in this opening.

▬▬▬▬▬▬
► Chapters

00:00 1.b3 chess opening (Larsen’s Opening)
00:46 Line-1: Black plays 1…e5
02:03 New idea: Undermine Black’s center
04:32 If Black castles queenside
05:02 If Black castles kingside
05:58 Black playing similar setup 1.e4 b6
07:07 Terrible blunder by Black
11:16 Line-2: Black plays 1…d5
13:16 White’s attacking plan
14:38 If Black is well prepared
16:03 If Black plays b6
16:55 Quiz: Adhiban won in 9 moves

📗 Free chess courses –

#GMSmirnov #ChessOpenings #LarsensOpening

111 Comments

  1. Queen to G4 is an unstoppable mate

  2. For the last position in video, White can play Qg4 and mate cannot be stopped.

  3. And my opponent played a6 so i can't pin the knight. Great

  4. No entiendo nada de Inglés…pero Igualmente me lo ví…Excelente Apertura

  5. Qg4 and no black defense works. If Bxf5 or f6 then Qxg7#. If g3 then Nh3#.

  6. After watching this video I won 2 times out of 3 games. Very strong opening . Thanks Mr. Smirnov and chess academy.

  7. pls play this opening by black also
    love your content 😃😃👍 its amazing

  8. at 2:25, why can't White just castle and cover threat ftrom black Q (and bring out R)

  9. Great Video!! Love following your content
    Just one doubt. There's a line that you did not cover. What happens if black plays bishop to g4 to pin the knight on f3 insead of defending the central pawn?

  10. This opening should be called the Nimzo-Larsen-Adhiban attack

  11. Hello fella! You are very good at explaining the tactics the way that you do. One thing that I think would help even more and people will like a lot would be showing, besides what you explain already, how strong players get off of the traps safely in every opening. In this one you did, but sometimes there is not so much of it. Great job anyway.

  12. On-time 5:13, why can't you move d4 right away?
    That would be a better trap because it doesn't delay and you get the knight or the queen. Is anyone with me?

  13. Kasparov said if you make 10 threats….,
    Thx for the video! Great!

  14. I like to sacrifice a pawn in this opening
    1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 d5 4.Bb5 Ne7! with the idea of getting a very strong initiative as compensation

  15. If anyone wants to get their hands on Larsen's book it's named Zoom 007.

  16. Playing Nf3 before b3 cuts out blacks option of e5 and usually leads to positions discussed in the second half of this video. Pretty much the same opening but with half the theory to worry about. Ideal for lazy people like me:)

  17. I played against an interesting response to B3
    b3 e5, Bb2 nc6, e3 g6 (the interesting response), f4 d6, xe5 nxe5, nf3 bg7
    Resulted in a pawn up but would anyone else have approached this situation differently? Should I have pinned their knight earlier?

  18. 1.b3 may be a good alternative for me, since I also like playing 1.b4 the Sokolski opening. Thanks for analysing so many interesting traps.

  19. Qg4 wins – threatens mate and, if g6, there is Nh6 mate

  20. Oh man, I wished I also had two moves in a row in real games sigh At about 4:36 black castles, white does it as well and has an additonal move. Cool g Sorry, was not meant disrespectful, I like your videos, this one as well.

  21. Yes, I would love to see this from the black side please.

  22. Please make a video against e4, same as the variation

  23. Do you have course b3 complete with b6 for black thanks

  24. Do you have course b3 complete with b6 for black thanks

  25. Yes, I would like to see more on b6 for black.

  26. After b3 opening Can you develop a line that gets white Bishop c3 and Queen b2, or Queen b3 and Bishop stays b2

  27. Curious on how you handle pirc/KID/modern set ups that directly challenge the dark squared bishop. I lot of those players who will defer to that set up.

  28. 0:37 PION E5 KUDA C6 PION D5 gajah c6 Mentri e7
    6:46 hitam pion e5 pion d5 kuda c6 pion e4(ancam kuda)
    (8:43 hitam pion F6 9:21 pionxd4 9:40 pion e4
    11:17 hitam pion d5 c5
    14:46 hitam pion d5 kuda F6 pion e6 15:00 putih kudaf3 hitam gajah e7
    17:02 HITAM PION E5

  29. someone just tried this on me and blundered so hard i got a 6 move mate

  30. I come here because Magnus Carlsen beat reigning World Rapid Champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov with this opening.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.