Van't Kruijs Opening: what should White play?

In the Van't Kruijs Opening after Black responds with an early pawn thrust, White's most precise continuation according to computer evaluation is Nf3, assessing at +0.20. While the central advance d4 is overwhelmingly the most common choice, developing the knight preserves flexibility and contests critical central squares. Both setups offer solid foundational play, keeping White comfortable regardless of the specific pawn structure chosen.

Developing via Nf3

The move Nf3 appears in 12.4% of recorded games (421K recorded) and secures a 48.6% score for White. Rather than immediately committing the central pawns, White brings f3 into play to exert influence over d4 and e5. An illustrative engine continuation demonstrating this balanced approach is Nf3 d5 c4 Nf6 d4 Bf5, where the game flows naturally into standard Queen's Pawn structures with solid piece coordination.

The Popular Central Advance d4

White players most frequently select d4, which accounts for 56.7% of games (1.93M recorded) with an engine evaluation of +0.19 and a 49.4% score. Staking an immediate claim in the center transposes into setups reminiscent of the Caro-Kann Defense or Queen's Gambit style positions. The engine's illustrative path runs d4 d5 c4 Nf6 Nf3 Bf5, showing how central pawn tension quickly leads both sides toward classical piece placement.

Flank Alternatives: c4 and b3

White also tests flank ideas such as c4, seen in 10.5% of games (357K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.09 and a 49.4% score, featured in lines like c4 e5 d4 exd4 exd4 Nf6. Another prominent alternative is b3, chosen in 20.4% of games (694K recorded) with a +0.00 evaluation and a 50.7% score, illustrated by b3 d5 Nf3 Bf5 Nh4 Bc8. While options like h3 evaluate at +0.00 via h3 d5 Nf3 Bf5 Nh4 Bd7, central development remains the standard path.