squares with pawns." This isn't really true. Yes, if Black allows White to play 1.f4, 2.e4, 3.d4, etc. then he will indeed happily take the center. But the general idea of the Bird's is something a bit more straightforward: White is trying to dominate the e5-square via f4, Nf3, b3, and Bb2. 2...e5 Also possible is 2...d5, transposing into a Nimzovich Defense (1.e4 Nc6) where white's early f2-f4 drastically cuts down on white's options. After 2...e5 we've transposed into a rare line of the King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6) which in one major source is called "The 1...Nc6 Defense." A very original and imaginative name! Actually, 2...Nc6 probably doesn't deserve a name since it transposes into other openings (for example, it might become a Vienna Game after 3.Nc3) and other lines of the King's Gambit. White's most common replies are 3.Nf3, 3.Nc3, and 3.Bc4. 3.fxe5?? Nxe5?? 4.Nf3 darkpower25 said: "I no longer think that this is the best move because it does nothing but develop the Knight. I guess that it does some things though like attack his Knight forcing him to move it or defend it." What do you want a move to do? Developing a piece, getting closer to being able to castle, and threatening the enemy piece sounds pretty good to me! So 4.Nf3 is a perfectly good move, though 4.Nc3 is probably a bit more accurate since White then threatens to eat the center with d2-d4, and he doesn't have to worry about 4...Qh4+ since