The Veresov : Surprise your opponent with the tricky 2.Nc3

The Veresov is a little played opening that is ideal for creative, aggressive players. As early as
the second move White dares to be different by developing his knight to c3, and in so doing
he contravenes the conventional wisdom about Queen's Pawn Openings which states that you
must never obstruct your c-pawn. In fact White has a far more ambitious idea in mind; he
wants to play for e2-e4.
The first Grandmaster to use this opening regularly in tournaments was Saviely Tartakower,
but he was certainly not to be the last. Over the years many great players have enriched it with
their games and ideas, including David Bronstein, Mikhail Tal, Boris Spassky, Bent Larsen, Lev
Alburt and Kurt Richter. Yet it is Gavril Veresov who has contributed most to the theory of
this opening, having played it week in and week out during his heyday in the 1950s and 60s. It
is therefore fitting that it carries his name.