Vienna Game:Max Lange Defense

It is reached after 4 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6. It is a line of the Vienna Game.

White is to move and has 31 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 913,768 different games. Those games reach 300,217 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 27 further lines after this position, such as Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense (3. f4) and Paulsen Variation (3. g3).

The same moves can be played in 4 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nc3 e5 2. e4 Nc6, which starts as the Van Geet Opening.