gambit's plan seems to be to put a knight in c4 (h3 prevents ...Bg4 and ...Bf3). I wonder if I can counter that with a ...e6 breakthrough sometime. I guess it's time to start looking in the database

I thought about playing 4.c4 instead, but I'm not sure how useful the pawn would be on b5 itg. It interferes with black's Nc6, but after a6 the pawn is just toast for no positional advantage, and I don't want to encourage black's Qxb6.

To combat the sicilian, I aim to play at its weakness - early game development. Black bishop is jammed up, so I don't mind trading white bishops.

The book wants me to castle next, but I don't want to pass the tempo against a sicilian without any immediate reason to do so.

I'll probably go 5.d4 next, but I'm kinda toying with the idea of 5.e5 - if I can get to 6.e6 black's castle options will both be leaky.


Of course, these fantasies fly in the face of the principles of early castling and avoiding multiple moves of individual pieces, but I like to live a little on the wild side


The move I played, bishop x's bishop, leaves black with a choice of how he wants the queen and knight to interfere with each other, which I also find delicious