Edited in light of jdseemoreglass's correction below.
Summary To Date
Votes
c3: 31 (this is at variance with Ng5's count; possibly I overlooked a post or two): (chesshaha, Malli, Chezus, wuBu, Epithet, sleepingdog, keystorm, NoobieOne, Picklesicle, GreatestThreat, jdseemoreglass, Rybread, mcc, Babyfactory, durza, pburns, imBLIND, nordlyset, Jumbled, Malinor, EvilNalu, BillMurray, Varpulis, Ikari, warchimp, hype[NZ], KingStuart, TNT0677, TehForce, TheSasquatch, timh)
0-0: 12 (" ") (BlazingHand, Raysalis, ParanoiaHoT, Soluhwin, Sandwhale, Mumu, aphorism, mastergriggy, LaXerCannon, BillMurray, lolsixtynine, qrs, itsjustatank,)
Nxe5: 2 (Raysalis, indigoawareness, Occam3, )
b4: 1 (noclaninator)
Bxc6: 1 (tyr)
Note: I've read every post in this thread and tried to briefly summarize the main arguments for and against each candidate move. If you think I'm missing something important, comment.
4. c3: the positional move
+ Show Spoiler [arguments for] +- Prevents 4... Nd4, a move that some team members were concerned about.
- Retains the option of delaying castling for some moves, or even not castling at all. This gives us an extra tempo (temporary, if we castle later on).
- May tempt Black into overly aggressive play, for various reasons, whether with an immediate 4...f5 (mcc) or a later attack on a King that we leave in the center (jdseemoreglass).
- Allows Black some tactical possibilities via threatening the temporarily-undefended/hard-to-defend e-pawn.
On August 18 2011 06:54 qrs wrote:The deal with c3: an overview: c3, in games like this one, has several distinct strengths and weaknesses. Often it's something that we want to play, but the question is when to play it. Here's a summary of the key points of c3 as I see them. - Why c3 is a strong move in general: + Show Spoiler +
In brief: it sets up d4. d4 is a strong move in general, when White can safely play it, because it opens up lines for him and strengthens his control of the center. Additionally, c3 opens up a useful avenue for the Queen.
It also limits the scope of Black's bishop along the b7-g1 diagonal, although this can be a double-edged sword, because while Black's bishop is restricted by the d4 pawn, it also exerts constant pressure on it, forcing us to be sure it is defended at all times. - Why c3 is a strong move in this opening more than another: + Show Spoiler +
In brief, because Black has played Nf6. It all comes down to pawns.
Pawns are like siege tanks: strong static defense, but limited in mobility. Also, best attacked by other siege tanks. Thus, our goals in dealing with them are similar: get them to a good position when we have the chance, and then dig in. (This is why people sometimes compare TvT to chess.) In this case, the chance that is offered us is ...Nf6, which blocks in Black's c-pawn and prevents it from challenging our d-pawn. Therefore, whereas in other openings, a quick d4 is sometimes of limited strength, as Black can break down the position by challenging it with c5, in this position, d4 becomes much stronger. - Drawbacks of an early c3 in general: + Show Spoiler +
It's a move without an immediate threat to Black, which gives him short-term freedom and flexibility. Furthermore, it blocks our Knight from his best spot on c3. This has two ramifications:
1) If we somehow aren't able to play d4 quickly, then that pawn on c3 can become a hindrance to us, cramping our position.
2) The inability to play Nc3 (or Nd2 for that matter) opens up several tactical possibilities for Black, all of which center around attacking the temporarily undefended-and-not-easily-defended e4 pawn. Examples of moves like this are ...Nf6, ...d5, and ...f5. - Why these drawbacks are not as problematic in our position: + Show Spoiler +
In brief, it all comes down to tempo.
Many of Black's tactical responses to c3 centered around his ability to immediately attack e4 and our inability to immediately defend it. d4 gained us no time as it was essentially a move without a threat. In this case, Black's 3...Bc5 means that we can play d4 with gain of tempo, as it attacks the Bishop, which Black must address.
The move that this gains us changes the whole picture, leading to a number of possibilities that weren't there before. - Misconception: 4. c3 is essentially equivalent to 4. 0-0: + Show Spoiler +
A couple of people have suggested this, but it's not entirely true. It's true that both are moves that we will very likely end up playing, and it's also true that they can easily transpose, but they don't have to transpose, and it's not entirely within our control to make them.
The point is that, although they may not be as strong as in other positions, Black's tactical possibilities against e4 have not been negated. If Black attacks e4, we still need to deal with that before castling, and depending on what happens next, the game might proceed in different ways. See jdseemoreglass's post above for a few lines where c3 does not result in immediate castling--and sometimes not in castling in the near future either (although he does not make it entirely clear in which of these lines the decision not to castle is White's).
Thus, you should not consider 4. 0-0 and 4. c3 as interchangeable.
4. 0-0: the safe move
+ Show Spoiler [arguments for] ++ Show Spoiler [arguments against] +Allows Black flexibility, as it puts no immediate pressure on him. edit: jdseemoreglass pointed out below that this was incorrect. See arguments for.- Allows 4... Nd4, forcing an exchange, and leaving our Bishop relatively on b5 accomplishing little (although it's easily relocated). See arguments for.
- It's hard to see what Black would gain if he sacrificed his Bishop, so not only is this an unlikely outcome of not castling, it would be a very favorable outcome for us if it happened. Even if somewhere down the line, a Bishop sacrifice becomes a reasonable possibility for Black, there's time enough to cross that bridge when we start approaching it.
4. Nxe5: the tactical move
As a move whose goal is tactical (short-term) rather than strategic (long-term), this is best evaluated by considering specific lines.
+ Show Spoiler [synopsis of discussion on Nxe5] +On August 18 2011 04:49 qrs wrote:Edit: updated with response to chesshaha's post above and with update to my response to jdseemoreglass's postI'm not voting yet, but here is my summary of the discussion about 4. Nxe5 and my contribution to it. (I picked Nxe5 because it's a plausible possibility, and there's little enough discussion on it that I can cover it all.) - Flawed argument for 4. Ne5
On August 17 2011 06:26 indigoawareness wrote:4. Nxe + Show Spoiler + 4.... Nxe 5. d4 forking the nite and bishop. Seems like a pretty simple trick. Of course he won't fall for it but seems to me like we just scooped up a free pawn. I haven't had to much time to go over counterplay so I'll update later when I have more time to think about it. Feel free to tell me why this wouldn't work. There's no free pawn here: read a couple of the lines posted in the spoilers below.
- Argument against 4. Nxe5 and my response to it
On August 17 2011 07:00 Raysalis wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2011 06:34 chesshaha wrote:On August 17 2011 06:23 Raysalis wrote:4. Nxe5 + Show Spoiler + The move that I normally play against the classical. Black usually play the following 2 moves. 4. ... Nxe5 5. d4 Bxd4 6. Qxd4 and i like the white position or 4. ... Bxf2 5. Kxf2 Nxe5 6. Rf1 and black can try several tactical lines but i think its mostly good for white (in my opinion :p) I think the main move in this position is 4. O-O with the idea to play c3 then d4. 4. c3 just transpose to the 4. O-O line except if black play 4 .... Nd4 after 4.O-O, where the best move is probably 5.Nxd4 Bxd4 6. c3 After 4. O-O Nf6 + Show Spoiler +
5. c3 usually black will play 5. ... O-O but I cant remember what white should do if black just take the pawn with 5.... Nxe4 since white usually play Re1 in this kind of position but it doesn't work here because of Bxf2. If white plays 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 Bb6 8. Re1 d5 it looks like black should be okay here and i dont like white d4 pawn.
I don't think 4. Nxe5 is a good move... + Show Spoiler +Have you considered
4. ... Nxe5
5. d4 c6
6. Be2 Bd6
7. dxe5 Bxe5
Black has the upper hand here imo.
Hmm, you have a point, i think i will change to 4. O-O + Show Spoiler +Actually found a game i played in that line a while back which end in a draw and it does looks good for black. I think the position is level after that move order and obviously not what white wants since black easily counter break with d5 and level the position. I wonder why my past opponents didnt play this way :p.
Dont really remember any theory from the classical main line though other than white wants to go c3 and d4. I don't understand this argument against 4. Nxe5. Here's the position you don't like, and what I would do there: + Show Spoiler [continued] +![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WoVoO.png) In this position, I would play 8. f4. Now, Black has to move his Bishop, if he doesn't want to sac it for no apparent reason. His possibilities are: Bf6 (blocking avenues of development for the Knight and Queen; also vulnerable to being forced away with e5 whenever we choose), Bc7 (relatively passive position for the Bishop, blocks a strong avenue of development for the Queen), or Bb8 (completely undeveloping the Bishop). Play might continue 8... Bf6 9. 0-0, leading to this position: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/jckqm.png) Do you really think Black is better here? I prefer White's position. Black has some problems with developing his Knight/castling. As for ...d5, we can respond to it with e5, and because of our Kingside development and Black's lack of it, I think this is stronger for us than for Black.
+ Show Spoiler [chesshaha's response to my respo…] +On August 18 2011 04:48 chesshaha wrote:
Yes. I think 8. f4 is the best follow up, but I would play Bc7 as black. I think this position is pretty even at this point. BUT, 4. c3 or 4 0-0 white has the advantage imo. So basicly 4. Nxe5 just throws away our advantage, though it is a fancy way to play.
My further response to chesshaha.
For the most part, I think that's fair enough. As I say below, I do lean against 4. Nxe5 for the reason that it leads to + Show Spoiler [one word] +and chesshaha's line is one demonstration of that. For what it's worth, here is my take on the position following the end of this line (in my opinion White still has an edge, although possibly less of one than offered by other 4th moves). + Show Spoiler [continued] +Here is the line in question: 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 c6 6. Be2 Bd6 7. dxe5 Bxe5 8. f4 Bc7, leading to ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ehaex.png) This position is fairly simplified, with neither side having developed very much. White has a development lead over Black, and controls more of the board; on the other hand, the b7-g1 diagonal may cause him problems (as White is in no position to castle Queenside). If White castles immediately with 8. 0-0, Black can redevelop his Bishop at a strong position for free (tempo-wise with 8. ...Bb6+. The forced response is 9. Kh1, after which Black can develop his Kingside Knight with 9...Nf6, and I do think Black has at least an even position. However, the White move that I'd favor is 8. c4!? attempting to take advantage of Black's lack of development to further strengthen our control over the board, which is a strength of our position. At a glance, the move appears dangerously neglectful of development, especially as 8...Bb6 can then prevent us from castling, but I don't think that Black will be able to take advantage of this. I would argue the merits of c4 more extensively, but as this is a single, extended line, in a position that we don't seem likely to ever reach, I'll leave it at this for now unless someone wants to discuss it further.
- Flawed argument against 4. Nxe5
On August 17 2011 06:40 Blazinghand wrote:you guys really need to read chesshaha's spoiler and change your moves. I agree with him entirely. + Show Spoiler +The fork won't work, we'll just go down a pawn and position. 5 ... c6 crushes us  so lets cast votes for c3 or O-O please. I addressed this in my response above, but re this post, I'd like to say that the part about "going down a pawn" is mistaken. In fact, let me just state it outright: anyone who talks about either side going down a pawn by force after 4. Nxe5 is wrong.
- Argument against Nxe5 that seems to be responding to a straw man
On August 17 2011 09:38 Babyfactory wrote:I need to point out that 4. Nxe5 DOES NOT WORK (and apparently so has everyone else with different variations). I stated already in my previous spoiler why it doesn't work, but I'm going to leave this unspoilered as someone posted a move order trying to defend it. 4. Nxe5 Bxf2+! 5. Kxf2 Nxe5 6. Re1 <--- Re1 doesn't do anything. There is still a pawn on e4 protecting the Knight on e5. I'm voting for 4. c3 as stated before: + Show Spoiler +3 ... Bc5 - this response has fallen out of fashion and used to be the standard response to Bb5.
If he plays 3 .. Bc5 I'd like to point out that 4. Nxe5 is quite a poor choice compared to 4. c3. It would seem nice to think that 4. Nxe5 would lead to 4 ... Nxe5 5. d4! but that is only for those players who fail to notice 4 ... Bxf2+!. Why would Black allow himself to be forked and go down a pawn when he can equalize materially and gain the superior position? If we play 4. Nxe5 we lose the Knight due to 4 ... Bxf2+ 5. Kxf2 Nxe5 (5 ... Qf6+ is denied by 6. Nf3).
4. c3 gives us a strong position with the impending d4 push and kingside castle which allows the Knight to move to d2 ready to pounce to c4 and protect e4 after Nf6 is played. OK, first of all, I can't find your "previous spoiler", even when I posted clicked "All" and used "Find". Are you sure you posted it? Second of all, edit: found it afterwards. I can't find anyone suggesting the line you are replying to. The closest I found was this post by Raysalis.On August 17 2011 06:23 Raysalis wrote:4. Nxe5 + Show Spoiler +
The move that I normally play against the classical. Black usually play the following 2 moves.
4. ... Nxe5
5. d4 Bxd4
6. Qxd4
and i like the white position
or
4. ... Bxf2
5. Kxf2 Nxe5
6. Rf1
and black can try several tactical lines but i think its mostly good for white (in my opinion :p) but he doesn't suggest the line that you say. Instead, he plays + Show Spoiler [continued] +6.Rf1, which is a much stronger move than your 6. Re1 from what I can see. It prepares to "castle by hand" with Kg1, after which the half-open f-file seems like a nice tactical asset for White.
Also, you say something about "Why would Black allow himself to ... go down a pawn when he can [play your line]", but Black's going down a pawn was never on the table: whether he plays your line or not, he doesn't have to lose it if he doesn't want to. The question is one of position, not of material.
- An argument against 4. Nxe5, suggesting a different line for Black
On August 17 2011 08:36 jdseemoreglass wrote:A look at our various book possibilities: + Show Spoiler +The move 4. Nxe5 will lead to 4. ... Qg5 5. Ng4 h5 [corrected] 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. d4 Bxg4![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yzGbb.png) Although white will be up a pawn, his development is terrible, while blacks is nearly complete. No matter how white responds from here, his pawn structure will be compromised, making the extra pawn hardly a benefit at all. This line also leads to very fast simplification which is simply not as fun as a complex and nuanced correspondence game. I would suggest anyone who favors 4. Nxe5 should look at this position and reconsider their move. This is a very interesting line that's worth looking into. Black's suggested 4th move is a tactical possibility that's often surprisingly strong in positions where White advances his Knight without having done much development.
As regards the position itself, I'm not sure how to assess it at a glance. I'm not sure what the line jd was thinking of in which White wins a pawn but has bad pawn structure. [edit: in his post below, jdseemoreglass takes this back.] One way I could see the position continuing is + Show Spoiler [continued] +8. f3 Bxf3 9. gxf3 Qg2 10. Rf1 Bb6 11. Bf4, leading to ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/m5nUv.png) an interesting position where material is even, although I'd say that it's White with the pawn structure advantage. Edit: on second look, in the line I give I'm not sure how to respond to 10...0-0-0, which unless I'm mistaken would actually give the pawn advantage to Black (between d4, b2, and h2, White can't defend everything). I can't find a good improvement for White in this line, so until further notice, this is now officially the reason that I don't like 4. Nxe5.
- My own opinion of 4. Nxe5
Although this is an aggressive line, I don't see any problems with it, and several of the continuations posted are quite interesting. Edit: I edited my response to jdseemoreglass. I now think that his line offers a definite advantage to Black. Nonetheless, I lean against this move for one simple reason, which was stated in passing by jdseemore glass: + Show Spoiler [Why I lean against 4. Nxe5] +It leads to early simplification: at least one pair of pieces will almost certainly be exchanged. This early in the game, I'd like to leave things as complex as possible, by leaving all the pieces on the board.
4. Bxc6: The simplifying move
+ Show Spoiler [arguments for] +- Forces Black to slightly compromise his pawn structure by doubling his pawns and, if he recaptures with the d-pawn as is likely, capturing away from the center.
- Some team members are concerned about Black's forcing an exchange with 4...Nd4; 4. Bxc6 forces the exchange to happen on favorable terms to White (from the long-term, pawn-structure point of view).
On August 17 2011 06:28 tyr wrote:
Ng5's bishop doesn't cause any direct threat to our stuff. Let's keep on going with the 3.Bb5 thing many of you were excited about and take his knight. Then as he'll likely take the bishop, we take his central pawn with the knight and weaken his center. Then we deal with the bishop.
Unless that's a very bad idea for some reason that I don't see. See arguments against.
- Concedes Black a development lead, as our move would be doing nothing but removing Black's Knight from the board, whereas his move, in addition to removing our Bishop from the board, would open lines for both his light-squared bishop and his queen.
- If Black had played 3...a6, Bxc6 would be possible as well. Despite this, ...a6 is Black's most popular third move by far, and 4. Bxc6 lags far behind the most popular White response. 4. Bxc6 in this position is arguably a worse version of Bxc6 after 3...a6, as in this position, in place of a fairly unproductive pawn on a6, Black has developed his dark-squared Bishop to a strong location.
- Exchanging pieces now results in early simplification, which many team members prefer to avoid
- The suggested 5. Nxe5 is not a very good move. The standard reply to Nxe5 in this sort of situation (after Bxc6 dxB) is ... Qd4, forking the pawn on e4 and the Knight on e5; thus recapturing the pawn by force. In this case, the Bishop on c5 makes ...Qd4 even stronger, by threatening Qxf2#. The essentially forced line that follows is 7. Nd3 (saving the Knight and guarding against the checkmate) Qxe4+ 8. Qe2 QxQ 9. KxQ Bishop moves, after which the board is much simplified and White has a small advantage in pawn structure against Black's substantial lead in development.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/obNtY.png)
Black to play After this line, we'd probably be fighting for a draw.
+ Show Spoiler [alternative variation] +A different variation after 5. Nxe5 that leaves more material on the board was suggested by jdseemoreglass: On August 17 2011 08:36 jdseemoreglass wrote:The move 4. Bxc6 will lead to 4. ... dxc6 5. Nxe5 Bxf2 [corrected6. Kxf2 [corrected Qd4+, winning the material back with a clear advantage, since white's king is in a weak position and will have to invest a few moves in protecting it. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/foB76.png) However, I'd suggest that in his line 6. Kf1 is a stronger move than 6. KxB.
4. b4: The provocative move
+ Show Spoiler [arguments for] +On August 17 2011 06:26 noclaninator wrote:
4. b4. This move challenges the bishop's position (think Evan's gambit). If this pawn offering is taken then we play c3 followed by d4 gaining time and challenging the center. Otherwise, we are telling that bishop to gtfo. It is an interesting move to me. - Loses a pawn. A single tempo is not often sufficient compensation for a pawn.
- Furthermore, b4-c3-d4 doesn't necessarily gain a tempo over the direct c3: it gains one on c3, which forces the Black piece on b4 to move, but it can lose it again on d4, which in the c3-d4 version threatens the Bishop. In the b4-c3-d4 version, Black can take b4 with the Bishop, and unless he moves it back to c5, which he doesn't have to, d4 no longer threatens the Bishop.
4. Nc3: The developing move
The only plausible move that no one's voted for yet (although mastergriggy mentioned it in passing).
+ Show Spoiler [arguments for] +Develops a Knight to a good square. - Doesn't especially put pressure on Black.
- Rules out c3 for the foreseeable future.
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On August 19 2011 15:09 wuBu wrote:
Haha I actually like how they rearranged it. But yeah looks like c3 is the likely winner. We should be thinking about what's Ng5's likely response to this and start planning our next moves.
Ask and ye shall receive:
+ Show Spoiler +After 4. c3, I think black has a clear best move here: 4. ... Nf6. This move attacks our undefended e-pawn, develops the knight to it's ideal square, clears the way for a king-side castle, and leaves the e-file open for his rook. Nge7 I think would be a little too conservative. It puts no pressure on white, allowing us to develop freely, and it blocks his rook and his queen from the e-file. He could also play 4. ... Bb6, anticipating our d4 advance, but this inversion of moves seems a little passive. After 4. c3 Nf6, we should continue with the plan we established on move 4 by playing 5. d4. Here I think black's best response is to simply retreat the bishop to b6. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/F39Da.png) Trading pawns would effectively surrender central control to white, for example, after a possible variation: 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Ne4 7. cxd4 Bb4+ 8. Bd2, and after the exchange that follows, white has a slight advantage in space, central control, and development. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ZorGc.png) After 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb6, we have a number of options. One is to simply castle. 6. O-O O-O. Here we have the option of playing 7. Bg5, but I don't think that's our best move. I would prefer Nbd2, defending our e-pawn and developing a knight. After 7. Nbd2, black should probably play 7. ... d6, clearing a line for his bishop and defending the e-pawn. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Ym6it.png) Here we have the possible variation: 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Re8 11. Nxc6 Qd7 12. Nd4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Rxe4 14. Be3, and white is a pawn up. Black's pawn structure is also weakened, but he has compensation in the two bishops on an open board. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/mTgJ4.png) I actually prefer a different idea. It's very aggressive and tactical, perhaps risky, but it looks like the best way to keep the initiative and get an attack going (as well as making the game more exciting). 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb6 6. Nxe5! Here black has a number of options. Let's look at a couple: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/lql5f.png) 6. ... O-O 7. Nd2 Qe7 8. Nc4 Nxe4 9. O-O Nxd2 10. Bxd2 d5 11. Re1 Qf6, putting us in a good position. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/UZpU6.png) Black probably has better chances playing the highly tactical variation: 6. ... Nxe5 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qg4 Bxf2+ 9. Ke2 Qh4 10. Qxg7 Rf8 11. Bh6 Bc5 12. Nd2![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EUgr0.png) Most people probably won't be comfortable with a line of this sort, but I think we can navigate our way through all the tactics fairly safely and come out ahead.
If anyone has any questions or comments regarding these lines or possible alternatives, feel free to post please.
On August 19 2011 14:40 qrs wrote:Show nested quote +On August 19 2011 12:33 jdseemoreglass wrote:On August 19 2011 10:27 qrs wrote:On August 19 2011 05:59 jdseemoreglass wrote:Nice summary qrs. I didn't see any major problems, however one change I would make... + Show Spoiler + is that you state O-O puts no immediate pressure on black. Actually, castling removes the possibility of either Bxf2 or the Qg5 fork, therefore renewing our threat on the e pawn.
After castling, white is again threatening Bxc6 Nxe5. Black must respond to 4. O-O by either defending the knight with Nge7, by d6 to support the pawn and open a line for his bishop, or Nd4 to force the trade of knights. Good point (although to your list of Black's options I'd add that he could + Show Spoiler [continued] +defend his pawn in other ways or counterattack ours, for instance with 5...Nf6.) I've edited my post to reflect your point. (Funny, my making that mistake and your correcting me on it, when I had voted for 0-0 and you had voted for c3.) + Show Spoiler +If he plays 4. ... Nf6 (thanks for correcting my numbering, btw) in response to castling, we can play Nxe5.
If black responds Nxe4, we can play Re1, setting up a deadly discovered attack.
If black plays Nxe5, we can play d4, and no matter how the game continues I think white has a slight advantage. There's a difference between "Black must do X" to "if Black doesn't do X I think White has a slight advantage." I'd only say "must" if it's demonstrably clear to just about anyone (not only me) that doing anything other than X is a losing blunder (not only giving one's opponent a slight advantage). As it happens, the move we've been discussing is by far the most popular continuation in chessgames.com's Opening Explorer, and Black has won and drawn a fair number of games with it, so clearly not everyone agrees that Black "must" play something else in that position. Show nested quote +In either case, it looks like 4. c3 is going to win, so it doesn't matter much either way  It may not matter much with regard to the move in question, but with all due respect, I think it matters as a general principle. I put stock in your analysis, so if you say that Black "must play X, Y, or Z", I give that some credence. That being the case, I think that you should be careful how you phrase things, so as not to give the impression that you've analyzed a particular move as being utterly out of the question where you really mean that you consider it suboptimal.
You are right, I shouldn't have said that black "must" play those moves. They are simply the moves I would recommend in his position.
It's a little puzzling to me that Nf6 is actually the most popular move in that position from the site link you offered. I think Nf6 is inferior to either Nd4 or Nge7, both from my own analysis as well as the openings books I have been using, which don't even recommend Nf6. The stats from that same site also shows that white's win percentage drops over 10% when Nd4 is played instead.
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EPT
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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/B8rPI.png)
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