The Saragossa Opening (also known as Van't Krujis Opening) is a flanked opening. According to ECO, it's considered as irregular opening and has the A00 code.
History[]
The opening first takes it place at Zaragoza (aka Saragossa) chess club, where it became popular in 1919 year. In 1922 a theme tournament requiring the players to open with 1.c3 was arranged in Mannheim. From then on it is considered to call it Saragossa opening, hinting at the city where it was invented.
Basics[]
1.c3 seems unambitious due to timid claim of center and blocking queenside Knight's main square. c3 also opens the diagonal for the Queen. It is not a terrible move, however, because it is likely to transpose into many solid systems, including a reversed Caro-Kann Defence or Slav Defense (but with an extra tempo for White); the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined, after 1.c3 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.cxd4 d5; to a solid but passive type of Queen's Pawn Game after 1.c3 Nf6 2.d4 or 1.c3 d5 2.d4; or to a reversed Scandinavian Defense after 1.c3 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4!? Nc6 4.Qa4; as well as the Ponziani and Center Game openings, to name just a few. Just like 1... c6 is playable for black for any starting move from white, this is similarly true for 1. c3 - however, moves like 1. e4 and 1. d4 are considered to give white better chances for advantage due to white's first-move advantage/initiative.
Black has a number of responses, the most common (and effective) being 1...d5, 1...e5, and 1...Nf6. After 1...d5, White can essay the Plano Gambit, 2.e4?!, in effect an unusual response to the Scandinavian Defense. After 2...dxe4, 3.Qa4+ recovers the pawn, but Black gets quick development with 3...Nc6 4.Qxe4 Nf6 5.Qc2 e5. Also reasonable is 1...f5, when 2.d4 transposes into a Dutch Defense where White has played the passive move c3.
Stats[]
- Evaluation: 0.0 / 0.1
- Winrate: white 48% | draw 4% | black 48%
- Best continuations: 1.e5 | 1.d5 | 1.Nf6