Charming exotics
This section deals with the openings that are available to White if the - sometimes very old - main variations are not to be played. In practice, the biggest advantage of these openings is usually the element of surprise. White takes only a small risk with these openings. These openings are positionally sound and, if Black has done his homework, only lead to a balanced position with little prospect of an advantage.
The variations in detail:
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
The Bishop's Opening is an ancient opening. It was already played in the 17th century by the Calabrian master Gioachino Greco (~1600- 1634), and in the 18th century François-André Danican Philidor (1726-1795) argued that the bishop move was superior to the king's knight move. In the 1960s, 2.Bc4 was rediscovered by the Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935-2010), and in the 1980s the Englishman John Nunn was one of the modern pioneers of this system.
Another exotic move is on the board after 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 - the Centre Game.
The early development of the queen creates unusual types of positions. As a rule, White will try to exploit the absence of the queen from the base line and castle long. Black usually castles short. The resulting position type with opposite castling usually offers opportunities for both sides.
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 is the Northern Gambit.
White offers a pawn in order to develop the pieces quickly. This opening has largely disappeared from practice. This is because Black can avoid all risks with d7-d5 and easily achieve an equal position.
And then there is the Ponziani Opening, which is on the board after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3.
This rather old opening follows a logical idea, namely to prepare the build-up of the white ideal centre. However, the build-up is somewhat slow, so that Black usually manages to gain the initiative. However, the opening usually leads to exciting positions, which is why it is still used as a surprise weapon in tournaments today. For example, by Magnus Carlsen.