Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense

The Normal Defense is the standard reply 5...O-O to the Sämisch Variation, classified under ECO code E81. Black finishes kingside castling before committing to a pawn break. That keeps ...e5, ...c5 and the ...Nc6, ...a6, ...Rb8 plan all available, so the choice of structure can wait until White shows how the pieces will develop. Engines give White a slight edge, and White scores marginally better in practice.

White's sixth move decides the course of the game. 6. Be3 is played in about three quarters of games and leads to the Orthodox Variation, the Sämisch Gambit and the Panno. 6. Bg5, the Steiner Attack, pins the knight and develops the bishop to a more active square than e3. After 6...c5 7. d5 e6 it can transpose into a Modern Benoni. 6. Nge2, the Bobotsov-Korchnoi-Petrosian Variation, develops the king's knight first and leaves the queen's bishop uncommitted. 6. Bd3 is less common. Of the main sixth moves, it is the only one after which Black scores better than White in the database.