Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation

The Svenonius Variation arises when White, facing the Classical 3...Nf6, declines both the pin 4. Bg5 and the space-gaining 4. e5 and exchanges with 4. exd5 instead. After 4...exd5 the familiar symmetrical Exchange structure appears, with the e-file half-open for both sides. The difference from the 3. exd5 move order is that both sides have already committed a knight, to c3 and f6. White uses this at once with 5. Bg5, pinning the f6-knight and putting pressure on d5.

Black's most common answer is 5...Be7, which breaks the pin and prepares castling. 5...c6 is the second choice and adds support to d5; it scores best for Black of the main replies. 5...Bb4 mirrors White's pin and gives the game a Winawer-like flavor. The rarer 5...Nc6 keeps the development symmetrical and is known as the Bogoljubow Variation. The engine considers the position roughly balanced, and on Lichess Black wins slightly more often than White.