Is this a weird new opening?

All of a sudden, mostly in 3-minute blitz, I'm seeing a lot of white players open with one of the following sequences of moves:

1. g3 d5 2. Bh3

or on the other side

1. b3 e5 2. Ba3


Is this some fashionable new thing? The second version seems a little better than the first (since it at least FORCES black to expend the tempo trading bishops), but it still seems a little weird. Anyone have any lines?



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unrelatedly, I just played the following fun blitz game:



and then, sadly, my opponent ran out of time. I was really looking forward to either winning the queen back by force or a really pretty mate in 4. (25. ... Kb8 26. Nd7+, of course, and the other way looks like 25. ... Kd8 26. Nc6+ and then (assuming black doesn't just give up the queen here to get rid of the knights and go into a dead lost endgame) 26. ... Kc8 Nd6 mate or 26. ... Ke8 27. Nd6+ Kf8 28. Rf7+ Kg8 29. Ne7 mate. There are at least two other mating lines that I've found too.)

Yes

Originally posted by pimpsandwich
Yes

Please elaborate? Do you have any analysis?

Originally posted by paultopia
All of a sudden, mostly in 3-minute blitz, I'm seeing a lot of white players open with one of the following sequences of moves:

1. g3 d5 2. Bh3

or on the other side

1. b3 e5 2. Ba3


Is this some fashionable new thing? The second version seems a little better than the first (since it at least FORCES black to expend the tempo trading bishops), ...[text shortened]... 8 28. Rf7+ Kg8 29. Ne7 mate. There are at least two other mating lines that I've found too.)

it seems sketchy to me...on both variations black doesn't really lose tempo on either moves. also black gets the center, a knight is on the rim, and on the second variation black is ready castle on move 4 after 2...bxa3 3....Nf6 and then 4...0-0 if he wants to...though I would play d5 just to steal the whole freaking center

Originally posted by paultopia
Please elaborate? Do you have any analysis?

No analysis, its a new opening.

Originally posted by pimpsandwich
No analysis.

see above post
EDIT:
....ish

1.e4 b6 2.d4 Ba6 is actually a black defense.
Schiller admits to playing it in one of his books.
I think it's called the Guatamalan Defense (spelling? ... sorry just woke up).

I'd say these two for white are just to get you out of book.
They don't really accomplish much and in fact are anti-positional.
1.b3 (and 1.g3) create holes. It is the bishop's role to guard those weak squares. By trading it off, they are giving themselves a positional disadvantage.

Have you guys seen the Paris Gambit?



Tarkatower even gambled with this one with white !
It is no doubt unsound but fun to look at.
🙂

Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromfics
1.e4 b6 2.d4 Ba6 is actually a black defense.
Schiller admits to playing it in one of his books.
I think it's called the Guatamalan Defense (spelling? ... sorry just woke up).

I'd say these two for white are just to get you out of book.
They don't really accomplish much and in fact are anti-positional.
1.b3 (and 1.g3) create holes. It is ...[text shortened]... ower even gambled with this one with white !
It is no doubt unsound but fun to look at.
🙂

cool 🙂

Whatever it's merits it certainly isn't new 😉

[Event "Paris"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "1867.06.08"]
[EventDate "1867.06.04"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Hieronim Czarnowski"]
[Black "Emile D'Andre"]
[ECO "A01"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "32"]

1. b3 e5 2. Ba3 Bxa3 3. Nxa3 d5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nge7 6. e3 a6
7. Be2 Ng6 8. b4 O-O 9. b5 axb5 10. Nxb5 Be6 11. O-O f5
12. Qc2 f4 13. e4 Na7 14. c4 dxe4 15. Qxe4 c6 16. Nc3 Bf5
{Congres international des echecs, 1869} 0-1