Today, we’ll explore a powerful counter-technique that can shut down both early queen attacks and the Bishop’s Opening with a single refutation. These two opening tricks are commonly encountered, even at higher rating levels, making it crucial for you to have a solid defense. With this refutation, you’ll be well-prepared to face these aggressive tricks and secure a winning position. Let’s dive in!
Countering the Bishop’s Opening with 2…c6
The Bishop’s Opening occurs after the opening moves 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4.
In modern days, most chess players hide their intent of early queen attack or Scholar’s Mate by first playing Bc4 and only then bring out their queen (either to h5 or to f3 on the next move), and this gives them more flexibility.
Here, I suggest that you play 2…c6, which is the most straightforward way to refute their move 2.Bc4, aiming to play 3…d5, push the White’s bishop away, grab the center, and get a positional advantage.
At this point, White has 3 options:
- 3.Qh5 – going for the early queen attack or Scholar’s Mate
- 3.Qf3 – similar idea of attacking the f7-pawn
- 3.Nf3 – continuing the Bishop’s opening and attacking the e5-pawn
And we’ll learn how to counter each one of them.
1) If White plays 3.Qh5
This occurs after the following moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 c6 3.Qh5.
White aggressively attacks both your pawns on f7 and e5. It’s crucial to defend effectively. 3…Qe7 safeguards both the pawns, while also preparing for a powerful counterattack. 4.Nf3 attacks the e5-pawn and also prepares to jump to g5 to increase the attack.
The refutation 4…d5, attacking White’s bishop and pawn simultaneously. Your opponent may think you’ve blundered the pawn 5.exd5 cxd5 6.Bxd5, but a surprising tactical sequence awaits. Watch the video lesson below to find out.
2) If White plays 3.Qf3
This occurs after the following moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 c6 3.Qf3, still going for the early queen attack/Scholar’s Mate, but by not exposing the queen too much.
Instead of defending passively, you can play the aggressive 3…d5. After 4.exd5 Nf6, you simply sacrifice a pawn (playing gambit style) after 5.dxc6 Nxc6, getting a lot of attacking ideas with an extremely active position.
3) If White plays 3.Nf3 (normal countinuation)
If your opponents realize that their early queen attack will not work against this move and continues to play the normal Bishop’s Opening with 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 c6 3.Nf3, attacking the e5-pawn, you can still counterattack White with 3…d5, taking control over the center and get a good position overall.
You can find the detailed analysis of all these variations by watching the full video lesson below:
Below, you can find the variations/games shown in the video:
Conclusion
By mastering these strategies to counter both early queen attacks and the Bishop’s Opening, you equip yourself with effective defenses against aggressive opening attempts.
Whether it’s deflecting the early queen attack or capitalizing on the weaknesses in the Bishop’s Opening, you’ll be well-prepared to secure a winning position and outmaneuver your opponents. Stay vigilant, play tactically, and enjoy your victories on the chessboard!
