Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Ponziani Opening
Play c3 to prepare d4, and learn Black’s two sharp answers and the pin that wins a pawn.
The idea
White plays c3 to prepare d4 and a broad pawn centre.
- The pawn on c3 prepares d4, so a pawn can take back there.
- The knight on b1 has lost c3, its best square.
- Black hits the pawn on e4 at once with ...d5 or ...Nf6.
In a game: If your queen pins the knight on c6 from a4, the pawn on e5 may fall.
How the lesson begins
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, the move 3.c3 is the Ponziani Opening, named after the Italian writer Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani. White prepares d4, so that a pawn can take back on d4 and White keeps two pawns in the centre.
The cost is time, and the pawn on c3 takes the square the knight on b1 would like. Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, White scores 52% after 3.c3. Among players rated 2000 and above, White scores 47%.
Find the move
Black to move. White’s knight on b1 has lost the square c3, so it cannot come there to guard e4. Attack the pawn on e4 at once.
A hint
A pawn or a knight can hit e4.
Show the answer
3... d5
Both 3...d5 and 3...Nf6 are among the engine’s best moves, and both attack the pawn on e4 before White’s d4 is ready. They are the two main lines.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 2.2 |
| 800 to 1199 | 5.7 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 5.3 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 3.8 |
| 2000 and up | 1.5 |
How the games ended
White won 50%, 4% were drawn and Black won 46%, over 8,057 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.