Gunsberg Variation, Provincial Opening
- 1.e4e5
- 2.Nf3Nc6
- 3.Nc3Nf6
- 4.a3d6
- 5.h3
1,867 games
A quiet Four Knights line in which White meets 4...d6 in the Gunsberg Variation with 5. h3, a second waiting move that leaves a balanced, slow game.
Train it in TheoriaAbout the Provincial Opening
The Provincial Opening arises when White answers the modest 4...d6 of the Gunsberg Variation with 5. h3. This second waiting move rules out a later pin by ...Bg4 and again hands Black the job of shaping the center. Black most often replies 5...Be7 or 5...Be6, and the resulting game is slow and balanced. Engines nonetheless prefer the freeing advance 5...d5.