411 REFERENCE · Wikibooks
Chess Opening Theory/1. e3/1...d5/2. Nf3
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2. Nf3
2. Nf3 develops the knight toward the center, controls e5.
Responses:
2...Nf6 develops Black's knight and defends the d5 pawn.
Downsides: The main drawback of 1.e3 is that White delays occupying the center with the e-pawn. After ...d5, Black can establish a strong central presence while White must spend additional moves deciding how to challenge it.
Theory: 1. e3 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6