The Surprise Vienna Game Chess Opening: Tactics and Strategy

The Vienna Game 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 is a Kingscrusher chess opening favorite, full of traps for the unprepared player with the Black pieces. Kingscrusher has played the Vienna Game many times, winning many online tournaments. It reduces the need to learn lots of opening theory for the Spanish game or Italian game which is what most players with black prepare against but not so much for 2. Nc3 - the Vienna Game.

In fact, players with Black often immediately go wrong very early with 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 exf4? which gives white a big opening advantage. Although 2. Nc3 seems fairly harmless, it can quickly turn aggressive because White has the interesting option of f4 later with some of the perks of the King's Gambit but without so much risk.

One inspiration for playing the Vienna game was when Kingscrusher personally watched Andrew Hon dismantle GM Van De Sterren at a Lloyds bank masters edition. Ever since then a curiosity was developed for this surprise opening weapon when Grandmasters are usually prepared for 2. Nf3. In fact, as of 2022, GM Paul Van De Sterren has played against 2. Nf3 115 times compared to just 7 games with 2. Nc3 shows the great surprise value, and actually White scores against him over a 42% win rate compared with 31.3% with the classical 2. Nf3. This statistical bias towards 2. Nf3 preparation leads to gaps in knowledge for very advanced players when they have to face the Vienna game.

But beginner and intermediate players also when faced with the 2. Nc3 will often be thrown off-balance mentally and completely unprepared, which can lead to quick opening disasters giving the player with the White pieces an easy quick win straight out of the opening. The use of the delayed f4 would have been impossible if 2. Nf3 had been played blocking the f4 pawn and this is a very dangerous attacking move with also a strong positional agenda of often helping White construct a strong dynamic pawn center as a basis for attacking chess later. A classic example of a disaster sequence for a completely unprepared player is the following: 

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 exf4 4. e5 Qe7 5. Qe2 Ng8 6. d4 d6 7. Nd5 Qd8 8.

Nxc7+ Qxc7 9. exd6+ and black can resign

There are many pitfalls and traps that Black can fall into and this is just one example.

Another inspiration for the Vienna Game was in the classic book "Play Better Chess" by Leonard Barden who is a very strong British player. This is one of Kingscrusher's favorite chess books and the Vienna game - especially the "Vienna Gambit" is emphasized as a great practical opening weapon, especially for tournament players who need to rack up points for prizes - a "proven points scorer".

There are some very dangerous ideas involving an early f4 which makes use of the upside of not having committed a Knight to f3 which is the usually taught move for everyone after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3

The different ways of playing the Vienna game are explored ranging from a safer King's Gambit style with f4 to more positional ways with fianchetto the King's bishop to g2.

Transpositions to the King's Gambit or Three Knights opening are not the central focus of this course and will not be discussed except in intro videos in order to achieve maximum focus on Vienna Game core variations and ideas.