The Norwegian Defence

The Spanish Opening arises after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. Now Black has a wealth of interesting systems. One possibility which until now has been completely ignored is the Norwegian Defence, which arises after 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5!?. With this seemingly odd move Black wants to exchange his knight for the strong white-squared bishop. The idea is extravagant and costs time. Black delays his development but often gets very dynamic counterplay. Surprisingly, it is difficult to prove an advantage for White. The variation is an ideal surprise weapon because White will usually be not at all prepared for this rare idea. The game often becomes concrete and very tactical. Therefore the Norwegian Defence is ideally suited for players who want to fight for the initiative from the very start.