Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, Early b3
- 1.c4e6
- 2.Nf3d5
- 3.g3Nf6
- 4.Bg2Be7
- 5.b3
367 games
A Neo-Catalan Declined branch in which White plays 5. b3 before castling, aiming for a Réti-style double fianchetto; roughly balanced and positional.
Train it in TheoriaAbout the Early b3
The Early b3 is a move-order branch of the Neo-Catalan Declined. White plays 5. b3 before castling, preparing Bb2 and a Réti-style double fianchetto instead of committing to an early d4. Black most often castles with 5...O-O. The engine also favors the central advance 5...d4 and the more active 5...c5, and it judges the position roughly balanced. In online games White scores somewhat better.
Popular continuations
- 5... O-O English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, Early b3 83% 304
- 5... c6 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, Early b3 5% 18
- 5... d4 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, Early b3 3% 12
- 5... b6 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, Early b3
- 5... c5 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, Early b3