Mengarini's Opening

Mengarini's Opening, 1. e4 e5 2. a3, is an uncommon second move for White in the Open Games. White neither develops a piece nor challenges the center. The quiet pawn move mainly controls b4, so that a later Nc3 cannot be pinned by ...Bb4. The price is time. Much of the initiative that normally belongs to the first player is given up, and the play often resembles an Open Game with colors reversed in which White has spent a tempo on a3. Black faces no early problems and can develop without hindrance.

The two most frequent replies, 2...Nc6 and 2...Nf6, occur about equally often, and 2...Bc5 is a distant third. These three moves are also the engine's top choices. Other options include 2...d5, staking out the center immediately, and the more provocative 2...f5. The engine assesses the position as level. On Lichess the results are close to even, with Black scoring marginally better than White and draws rare.