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An interesting figure in Dutch chess was the International Master Dick van Geet (1932-2012). I met him in December 1997 in Cannes, where I worked as coach of the Dutch delegation of juniors who played in the Junior World Championships U10, U12 and U14.
The organisers had invited Dick to give a lecture, and as this lecture was during the games of my students, I had the chance to listen to it. The title of his lecture intrigued me: 1.Nc3!, better known as the Van Geet Opening. As a player, I was only once confronted with this curious opening move but now had the opportunity to hear the man who elevated this opening system to a dangerous weapon talk about the line.
Standing before a mixed company of trainers, coaches, parents and juniors, Van Geet showed his didactic skills and started his lecture with an interesting statement. He said, that the moves 1. e4, 1.d4 or 1.c4 are generally considered to be best. But as Van Geet explained to the attentive audience, none of these moves is really a developing move, as a pawn move merely enables the development of the pieces. However, with 1. Nc3 or 1.Nf3, he taught, a piece is immediately brought into play.
The diagram position is from a game with 1.Nc3 and White now surprised his opponent with a great move. Do you see how White proceeded here?
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