Caissa Codex
A00

Van Geet Opening

Also known as Dunst Opening

The Van Geet Opening (1.Nc3), also called the Dunst Opening, may have more names than any other opening: Heinrichsen, Baltic, Sleipnir, Queen's Knight Attack, Millard's Opening and, in German, der Linksspringer, among others. Read the guide

Chess diagram: Van Geet Opening after 1. Nc3

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Statistics from Lichess

9,860,027 games: White 49.5% / Draw 4.8% / Black 45.7%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
2,688,9532.7M
Reversed Nimzowitsch 1,868,6461.9M
1,853,6331.9M
789,786790K
746,356746K
558,401558K
420,988421K
311,432311K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.03 The position is about equal

Best play: 1... d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. Bf4 e6 4. Nb5 Na6 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 8.6M
1400–1799 7M
1800–2199 5.4M
2200 and up 1.1M
Masters, over the board 3,988

Master games

Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026

Description

The Van Geet Opening (1.Nc3), also called the Dunst Opening, may have more names than any other opening: Heinrichsen, Baltic, Sleipnir, Queen's Knight Attack, Millard's Opening and, in German, der Linksspringer, among others. It is an irregular opening classified under A00 and only the eighth most popular of the twenty possible first moves.

Origins

The names Heinrichsen and Baltic come from the Lithuanian player Arved Heinrichsen (1879–1900). The New York master Ted Dunst (1907–1985) analysed and played it, giving it its usual American name, while the Dutch International Master and correspondence grandmaster Dick van Geet (1932–2012) played it so often that it is named after him in the Netherlands. Hugh Myers called it Millard's Opening after Henry Millard, a blind correspondence player who drew with it against Joseph Henry Blackburne in a simultaneous exhibition; Blackburne later played it himself at London 1883. Some very strong correspondence players use it often.

The idea

1.Nc3 develops the knight to a good square where it controls e4 and d5. Its drawbacks are that it does not stop Black from occupying the centre with 1...d5, that it blocks White's c-pawn, and that after 1...d5 the knight can be hit with ...d4.

Main lines

  • 1...d5, one of Black's best replies:
    • 2.e4, White's most common answer, the same position as 1.e4 d5 2.Nc3. 2...d4 3.Nce2 followed by Ng3 is the Van Geet Attack, which Harald Keilhack calls "the core of the 1.Nc3 opening"; 2...e6, 2...c6 and 2...Nf6 transpose to the French, Caro-Kann and Alekhine defences, and 2...dxe4 leads to open play;
    • 2.d4, transposing to a Queen's Pawn Game where White can play a Jobava London with Bf4;
    • 2.Nf3 and 2.e3 are also possible.
  • 1...e5, the Reversed Nimzowitsch.
  • 1...c5 and 1...Nf6 are other common replies.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

  • Develops a piece to a good square without weakening White's position.
  • Quite playable, though rarely seen, and full of transpositions.

Weaknesses

  • Does not prevent ...d5, and the knight can be harassed with ...d4.
  • Blocks the c-pawn, so c3 or c4 needs a knight move first.

Who should play it

1.Nc3 suits players who like independent, offbeat positions such as the Van Geet Attack, and who are comfortable transposing to the French, Caro-Kann or Queen's Pawn structures when Black chooses them.

The numbers

On Lichess Black wins more often below 1800: 48.9% against 46.2% under 1400 and 48.3% against 47.5% at 1400–1799. From 1800 White leads, 50.4% against 44.9% at 1800–2199 and 49.4% against 43.8% from 2200 up. In about 4,000 master games White won 28.2%, Black 31.0%, and 40.7% were drawn.

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How to play against the Van Geet Opening

1…c5 scores best for Black: 50.9%, with Black winning 48.5% and White 46.7% of 746K games. The most played, 1…d5, scores 48.6% in 2.7M games, and 1…e5 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 1…d5.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Popularity by year

The Van Geet Opening has stayed between 0.37% and 0.46% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.39% in 2025).

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.46%164,267
20170.41%226,186
20180.42%332,401
20190.4%502,300
20200.37%1,080,409
20210.37%1,430,510
20220.37%1,407,144
20230.37%1,392,423
20240.38%1,368,934
20250.39%1,344,329
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.39%432,880

Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling

Variations (20)

All 28 named lines that continue from here

Sources

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Van Geet Opening (A00)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/van-geet-opening

https://chesscodex.org/openings/van-geet-opening