Chess Openings: Learn to Play the Ponziani Opening!

Chess Openings: Learn to Play the Ponziani Opening!

The Ponziani Opening begins with the moves:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. c3

The most popular options for white are the Giuoco Piano, Italian Game, Ruy Lopez, Scotch Game, Scotch Gambit, Evans Gambit, Fried Liver Attack, Three Knights Opening, and Four Knights Opening. These chess openings are used at the Grandmaster level, but today we cover an opening that isn’t as common with the Ponziani Opening! The Ponziani Opening isn’t played often at the Grandmaster level because with perfect play, black can reach equality. Well, that’s what they say at least! In today’s video, I will not be covering the most common variations for white, but the variations that perform better! One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is going onto a chess database, looking up an opening like the Ponziani, and then only going over the main line. We need to go over the most popular variations by the opponent, but we ourselves should approach chess with more creativity! In most chess openings, there are opening moves that are ignored, but that doesn’t mean their worse! In fact, I believe when one plays the Ponziani to perfection against e5, white is guaranteed a slight advantage, and it’s very easy for black to make mistakes since most black players don’t prepare well for the Ponziani! In today’s video, we will cover the chess opening strategy, chess opening moves, chess opening principles, chess opening ideas, chess opening tricks, chess opening tips, and chess opening traps surrounding the Ponziani Opening. Chess strategy, principles, moves, ideas, tricks, traps, secret checkmate strategy are all important when studying chess openings.

The Ponziani Opening is also a good chess opening for beginner chess players and intermediate chess players. Why is this? First off, the Ponziani is a ton of fun! There are tons of tricks and traps that can help you improve at chess fast, beat higher rated players, and get more wins under your belt. The Ponziani is also good for showing how to play chess and how to improve at chess. The chess opening strategy, chess opening theory, chess opening lines, chess opening moves, chess opening ideas, chess opening principles, chess opening variations, chess opening tricks, chess opening traps, and chess opening chess opening strategy is second to none. The Ponziani opening is simply a top tier chess opening for white and can help you win more games. In this beginner’s chess lesson, we hope that you will not just learn to memorize lines and variations but really understand the game of chess. The fastest way to improve at chess is by not memorizing opening, but growing in the concept of the strategy, principles, and ideas surrounding a chess opening. Memorizing chess openings (especially chess opening traps) never hurts, but this needs to be done with understanding why we do what we do! We hope you enjoy learning to play the Ponziani Opening!

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155 Comments

  1. I love this opening but you hardly ever see it played

  2. Only 3k subscribers?? Jeez. Here, take my subscribe!

  3. Cool breakdown .. Ponziani looks legit and just the right amount of complicated.. Will have to study up on this boss man. TY!

  4. 6:45 – if white takes the rook with queen it leaves the second bishop undefended, you're trading 1 rook for 2 bishops. you have to move Bb5 first threatening mate before taking the rook

  5. I really love your content….this channel is going far in the next few months, keep the videos coming

  6. And please make a video on the Caro-Kann and Stafford cambit

  7. What is your favorite opening as black?

  8. It definitely doesn’t seem user friendly for some one of my skill (just under 700) but I study a lot and tend to favor a very in depth approach. I’m gonna give this a try I think it’ll benefit me as I’m sliding up the rating board really quickly. Awesome video!

  9. Doubt what if he plays Bd7 instead of bxc3 I Lost A Game Due To That Move

  10. Uh, this channel is pretty great. Thanks for all of these opening videos.

  11. YOUR VIDEOS ARE HONESTLY SUPERB!!! I think you should cover king's gambit?………….

  12. I guess queen could retreat to d7 right away instead of losing a tempo on the bishop. (in the line in which pawn takes e4)

  13. GM Ruddell,
    I played the Ponziani against a bot.
    Black's 3rd move was 3. d5
    So I played 4. Qa4 as you recommended.
    Your vid said there would likely be 3 possible responses (dxe4, f6, and Bd7).
    But for the 4th move the bot played 4. Qd6
    The bot then proceeded to demolish me.

  14. tip: you can actually play the ponziani with black, it works both ways

  15. How should white defend:
    1. E4, E5
    2. NF3, NC6
    3. C3, NF6
    4. D4, ExD4
    5. E5, QE7
    ???

    A few people responded with that and I haven't found a good counter against it.

  16. Hey, you have inspired me a lot to play and improve my chess. With your ponziani videos, I have won a lot of games. Now I started to write Chess Theory, and guess what…… I am writing the theory about the PONZIANI OPENING.

  17. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ng4 explain after this… I often get this position everytime when i play ponziani

  18. Hi, Solomon. Great video. Can u show me on your YouTube video, the game between Kasparov (white) vs kramnik year 2000, Berlin defense? Thank you so much

  19. @13.35 why not play g3 instead of Kd1?

  20. Hello. Would you please make a video on the attacking lines for white in the Orthoshnap gambit.? Thanks Millions

  21. Can you show us queen gambit full opening trap for white and also black and also which gambit good for black . I mean that if my opponent use kings gambit then which gambit I use as a black . please I beg you teach us. I want to defeat someone as a black position .

  22. Please teach us all gambit like this please

  23. There is a move after white's d4 which puts a spanner in the works for your analysis. Instead of black playing d6 it can play d5 which makes it a completely new ball game.

  24. Dude i like your explanation for this variation.. that why I like this to much to play with this ponziane opening

  25. This is a really good fully explained, detailed, sophistecated and spectacular video

  26. I honestly don't know how you are so underrated. 20 minutes flew right by and I didn't lose focus at all. It was that darn interesting! I really want to learn this opening and guess what, got the perfect playlist for it.
    I really appreciate your work, brother. Keep it up.

  27. 14:50 After Knight e6, if white plays d5 to fork the knights black can just play Knight e4 to threaten the queen. Here white has to take the knight, black recaptures with their knight and then white has to run their Queen away so I'm not sure if you really can fork black here

  28. I'm new to this channel and I'm not sure if you have made a video on the stafford gambit, but if you haven't then can you make a video on the stafford gambit?

  29. Professor Ruddell,

    When you are the black pieces, and white plays the Ponziani opening (3. c3) against you, what is your preferred defense?

    3. Nf6 (Jaenisch) ?
    3. d5 ?
    3. d6 ?
    3. f5 (Ponziani counter-gambit) ?
    3. other ?

    thank you!

  30. I tried doing ponziani and something similiar to scholars mate in the endgames it worked beautifully👌

  31. Sir is ponziani attacking or mainly positional opening?And I love calm ,strategical,not complex,simple game with less pieces ,avoiding tactical calculations with more pieces..Please please please recommend few lists from both black and white…Thank you

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