Paulsen-Basman Defense

In the Paulsen-Basman Defense, Black uses the flexibility of 2...e6 to bring the king's bishop out immediately with 4...Bc5, before committing to ...Nf6, ...a6 or ...Nc6. The bishop strikes at the centralized knight on d4 and, behind it, along the a7-g1 diagonal toward f2. Development is quick, but the bishop is exposed to gain of time, and Black gives up the more flexible setups of the Kan and Taimanov.

White has three main replies of roughly equal frequency. 5. Nc3 simply develops and keeps the knight protected by the queen. 5. Be3 covers d4 a second time and offers to trade dark-squared bishops. 5. Nb3 retreats with gain of time, forcing the bishop to move again and avoiding any exchange on d4. The engine rates the position as a slight edge for White and prefers 5. Be3, 5. Nc3 and 5. Nb3. In online play the line is uncommon but practically effective. Black wins more often than White overall, though 5. Nb3 is the only one of the main replies after which White scores better.