Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation: what should White play?

In the Classical Variation of the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, the engine identifies Nf3 as White's strongest continuation, offering an evaluation of +0.22. Although e3 is the most frequent choice in the database—appearing in 61.8% of recorded games (2.20M recorded)—developing the knight with Nf3 immediately contests the center and scores 54.6% across 644K recorded encounters.

The Strategy Behind Nf3

Opting for Nf3 prevents Black from seizing central space with an immediate push to e5. It coordinates naturally with the fianchettoed b2, creating long-term pressure along the long diagonal and controlling the key central squares. A primary engine continuation illustrates natural piece development on both sides: Nf3 Bf5 e3 a6 Be2 e6.

The Popularity of e3

By a wide margin, players select e3 most frequently in this position. While engine evaluation considers it slightly less pressing at +0.08, it yields a comparable scoring rate of 54.2% for White. An illustrative sequence after this move runs e3 e5 Bb5 Ne7 Bxe5 a6, where White accepts the pawn break on e5 and temporarily pins the c6 to claim material.

Minor Alternatives

White can also steer the game into more classical pawn structures using d4, which is seen in 5.1% of games (182K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.09 and a 51.4% score for White. A sample continuation is d4 Bf5 a3 Nb8 e3 e6. Passive moves score less favorably; d3 drops the engine evaluation to -0.34 across 475K recorded games, while a3 evaluates at -0.49 over 54K recorded games, both yielding a 50.5% White score.