White should now play 3. Nc3 to threaten the queen and gain a tempo. Though 3.d4 has been played by masters, why give a quick target to attack on d4?
| Game | Result | Year |
| Caruana, F. (2805) vs Carlsen, M. (2876) | 1/2-1/2 | 2015 |
| Caruana, F. (2801) vs Carlsen, M. (2877) | 0-1 | 2014 |
| Caruana, F. (2808) vs Carlsen, M. (2857) | 1/2-1/2 | 2016 |
| Vachier Lagrave, M. (2780) vs Carlsen, M. (2872) | 1/2-1/2 | 2019 |
| Nepomniachtchi, I. (2773) vs Carlsen, M. (2870) | 0-1 | 2019 |
| Anand, V. (2757) vs Carlsen, M. (2870) | 0-1 | 2019 |
| Firouzja, Alireza (2759) vs Carlsen, M. (2847) | 1-0 | 2021 |
| Dominguez Perez, L. (2758) vs Carlsen, M. (2847) | 1/2-1/2 | 2021 |
| Caruana, F. (2819) vs Mamedyarov, S. (2774) | 1/2-1/2 | 2019 |
| Caruana, F. (2811) vs Nakamura, Hi (2776) | 1/2-1/2 | 2015 |