Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Nimzo-Larsen Attack
Open with 1.b3 and 2.Bb2, press on e5 from afar, and use the pin on c6 once Black’s d-pawn moves.
The idea
White opens with 1.b3 and puts the bishop on b2 to press on e5.
- The bishop on b2 aims down the long diagonal at the pawn on e5.
- The knight on c6 is the only black piece that guards e5.
- Bb5 pins that knight to the king, since the d-pawn has left d7.
In a game: When only a knight on c6 guards your target on e5, look for Bb5 to pin it.
How the lesson begins
1.b3 is the Nimzo-Larsen Attack. White gets ready for Bb2, putting the bishop on the long diagonal from a1 to h8, where it aims at e5 and, behind it, at g7.
Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, White scores 51% after 1.b3, and Black’s most played answer is 1...e5, in 39% of games. Among players rated 2000 and above, 1...d5 comes in 25% of games and 1...e5 in 25%.
Find the move
Black has put a pawn on e5. White to move: attack it with the move your first move prepared.
A hint
Use the square b3 opened.
Show the answer
2. Bb2
2.Bb2 is the most played move, in 92% of games at 1200 to 1599 and 97% at 2000 and above. The bishop attacks e5, and Black has to guard it.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 2 |
| 800 to 1199 | 7.2 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 10 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 and up | 13 |
How the games ended
White won 50%, 4% were drawn and Black won 46%, over 19,435 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.