Van Geet Opening: what to play after d5?

In the Van Geet Opening after the initial central push, White faces a choice of development schemes with nearly 294,000 recorded tournament games reaching this exact position. The engine's top recommendation is Nf3, which develops a kingside piece, secures an evaluation of -0.21, and prepares natural piece play. Alternatively, d4 offers an almost identical evaluation of -0.19, directly challenging the center and transposing toward Queen's Pawn structures.

Central Transpositions with Nf3 and d4

White's two strongest continuations rely on natural piece development and central establishment. The move Nf3 controls key central squares without prematurely committing the d-pawn, while d4 immediately claims space in the center. An illustrative line after the top engine choice runs Nf3 e6 d4 c5 Bd3 c4, where Black gains queenside space while White focuses on piece coordination. Opting for d4 e6 Bd3 c5 Nf3 c4 yields an identical structural pawn wedge for Black, illustrating how fluidly these two setups transpose into one another.

Alternative Flank and Setup Choices

White may also steer the game into less conventional setups through flank pawn pushes or modest center support. The aggressive thrust f4 leads to an evaluation of -0.33, with an illustrative continuation featuring f4 g6 Nf3 Bg7 d4 c5, where Black prepares a kingside fianchetto to contest the long diagonal. The quieter d3 evaluates at -0.52 and often encounters d3 c5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 Bg4, allowing Black active development. Finally, the passive a3 scores lower at -0.63, where the engine line a3 e5 d4 e4 f3 Bd6 shows Black seizing central initiative early.