Brooklyn Variation

The Brooklyn Variation, 2...Ng8, sometimes called the Brooklyn Defense, answers White's advance by sending the knight straight home instead of to d5. The knight is no longer a target in the center, so White cannot gain further tempi with c4 or d4. Black typically follows the usual Alekhine plan of ...d6 and ...Bg4, chipping at the e5-pawn, and later redeploys the knight via e7 to f5 or g6. The cost is that Black has undeveloped the only piece in play and spends several moves restoring it. The engine gives White a slight edge, and White scores somewhat better in practice, but the line is not considered refuted.

3. d4 is regarded as the strongest and is by far the most common reply, with 3. Nf3 and 3. c4 the main alternatives. After 3. d4, the Everglades Variation, 3...f5, is a named branch. Grandmaster Joel Benjamin, who adopted the line as a personal favorite, named it after his hometown. Alexander McDonnell reportedly used the retreat to provoke overextension, and the earliest recorded game, Vienna 1905, saw Aron Nimzowitsch checkmate Adolf Albin.