Finnish Variation

The Finnish Variation, 4...h6, is a rarely played alternative to the established fourth-move choices 4...Bf5, 4...Nd7 and 4...Nf6. The pawn move takes the g5-square from White's knights and dark-squared bishop while keeping Black's piece development flexible, at the cost of a tempo. White most often continues with 5. Nf3, with 5. Bc4 the next most common reply. Engines give White a slight edge, and White scores somewhat better in practice.