Symmetrical Variation

The Symmetrical Variation arises after 1. g3 g6, when Black copies White's first move in the Hungarian Opening (also catalogued as Benko's Opening). The pawn advance prepares ...Bg7, placing Black's king's bishop on the long diagonal, where it exerts influence over the central squares and bears on White's queenside, just as White's bishop will aim at Black's. Like White, Black holds back the central pawns, so neither side has yet decided what kind of center the game will have.

White almost always continues 2. Bg2, chosen in roughly nine games out of ten, and the natural follow-up 2...Bg7 keeps the position fully symmetrical. White can instead keep options open with 2. Nf3, a flexible move that frequently transposes into more familiar openings, or play 2. c4, which can lead into a sideline of the English Opening. The double fianchetto with 2. b3 is an occasional choice and has scored somewhat worse for White than the main moves. Among the engine's preferred replies, alongside 2. Nf3 and 2. Bg2, is 2. d4, which stakes out the center with a pawn at once and gives the game a less symmetrical character.

With both kingside bishops on long diagonals and both sides able to castle quickly, the play revolves around when and how to commit the central pawns. Pawns on d4 or e4 for White, and d5 or e5 for Black, partly block the opposing bishop and define the structure, and much depends on which side makes these decisions on favorable terms. Because White moves first in a mirrored position, the extra tempo is White's main asset, while Black's task is to keep the symmetry from becoming a liability.

The engine rates the position as roughly balanced. In nearly 58,000 Lichess games White scores 49.4% and Black 46.6%, with draws rare, and the line ranks among the more frequently reached named positions. The opening demands little memorization of its own; the relevant theory depends on which structure or transposition the game eventually reaches.