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The Nimzo-Larsen Attack develops the queen's bishop before anything else: 1.b3 and Bb2, aiming at e5 and the long diagonal while keeping every central pawn option in reserve. Nimzowitsch pioneered the idea, Bent Larsen turned it into a fighting weapon, and Fischer won with it in 1970. It is a flexible, low-theory system for players who would rather outplay opponents from move five than out-memorize them from move one.
The idea in one line
Fianchetto with b3 and Bb2, pressure e5 from the side, and choose your structure (e3 and Bb5, c4, or even f4) based on what Black shows you.
Key ideas
The b2-bishop is the hero: it pressures e5 from move two and can decide the game on the long diagonal; White builds every plan around it.
Against 1...e5 the play is concrete: Bb2 and e3, then Bb5 attacking the c6-knight, the key defender of e5. It is the Spanish pin recycled for a flank opening.
Flexibility is the selling point: White can steer into English structures with c4, Bird structures with f4, or the quiet e3 and Bb5 system shown here.
Honesty: 1.b3 makes no immediate claim on the centre, and engines say Black equalizes with accurate central play. The payoff is fresh positions where your plans are ready-made and your opponent's are not.
Plans for each side
White: Put the bishop on b2, pressure e5 with Bb5 against the c6-knight, provoke the slightly awkward ...Bd6, then complete development with Ne2, c4 or f4 depending on the position, castle, and let the long-diagonal pressure shape the middlegame.
Black: Occupy the centre with ...e5, defend it calmly with ...Nc6, ...Nf6 and ...Bd6, castle, and keep the e5 point fixed: as long as that pawn stands, White's prized bishop bites on granite and Black's extra space counts.
Common mistakes to avoid
As Black, keep e5 defended by pieces: lunging with an early ...e4 releases the tension and opens the very diagonal the b2-bishop has been waiting for.
As White, don't expect an opening advantage: 1.b3 is a middlegame promise, not a refutation of anything; play it for the positions and stay objective when Black equalizes.
The b5-bishop needs a follow-up: after ...a6 or ...Qe7 arrives, know whether you intend Bxc6 or a retreat, because drifting there just loses time.
The main line, explained
1. b3b3 announces the system: the queen's bishop develops first, and White keeps every central pawn option in reserve.
1… e5...e5 is Black's most principled answer: occupy the centre White left alone.
2. Bb2Bb2 hits e5 immediately: from move two, the game is a fight over that pawn.
4. Bb5Bb5 borrows the Spanish idea: attack the c6-knight, the key defender of e5, without touching a centre pawn beyond e3.
4… Bd6...Bd6 looks clumsy but is the main line: e5 must be held, so the bishop shields it and the d-pawn waits; Black untangles later with ...Qe7 or ...Re8.
Frequently asked
Is 1.b3 a real opening or just a sideline?
A real opening with a serious pedigree. Larsen won brilliant games with it (and famously lost one to Spassky in 17 moves in 1970), Fischer used it that same year, and Carlsen still wheels it out. Engines say equal with best play; over the board it is a genuine weapon.
What is the best reply to the Nimzo-Larsen Attack?
1...e5 is the most testing: occupy the centre immediately and make the b2-bishop justify itself. A solid setup with 1...d5 is equally respectable and avoids the sharpest Bb5 lines.
How is 1.b3 different from 1.b4?
1.b3 is a sound fianchetto system: bishop to b2, structure decided later. 1.b4 (the Polish) grabs space with the pawn itself, which is more committal and objectively more suspect. Same diagonal, very different risk profile.
BetterChess is a practice tool — we make no guarantee you'll reach 1800 or any rating. The lines here are standard, well-established opening theory, and every move is checked legal with the same engine the board runs.