Van't Kruijs Opening: what should White play?

In the Van't Kruijs Opening (ECO A00), the position after Black answers in the center leaves White with an immediate opportunity to contest the e5 pawn by playing d4. Choosing d4 is the engine's primary recommendation, yielding an evaluation of +0.12 and standing as the most popular continuation in the database, featured in 24.2% of games (2.97M recorded out of over 12 million total). By striking in the center, White justifies the initial pawn structure and opens lines for piece development.

Central Expansion with d4

Striking with d4 challenges Black's central presence immediately and avoids conceding space. An illustrative engine continuation runs d4 exd4 exd4 Nf6 Bd3 c5, showing how the central pawn trade can open avenues for both sides to develop smoothly. Unlike passive setups, establishing a presence on d4 enables White to preserve balanced prospects and fight for equality or a slight plus.

Alternative Setups

White can also steer the game toward English-style structures with c4, which holds an engine evaluation of +0.00 and appears in 6.2% of games (769K recorded). A typical continuation from this setup follows c4 Nf6 Nc3 Nc6 Nf3 Bb4, transposing toward familiar four-knights territory. Another common choice across levels is Nc3, played in 4.8% of recorded games (590K recorded), developing a minor piece while keeping options flexible.

Slower Developments

More modest continuations concede slight initiative to Black. The quiet bishop lift Be2 scores -0.06 according to the engine and is chosen in 3.8% of games (461K recorded), with the engine illustrating play via Be2 d5 d4 e4 c4 c6. Flank pawn thrusts such as h3 (eval -0.21) and a3 (eval -0.24) drop further in engine preference, as they spend crucial early tempos without challenging Black's immediate central footprint.