White develops a piece to its ideal square and keeps his options open. This move also is important for controlling the center.
This position is also often reached via the move order 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4
| Game | Result | Year |
| Carlsen, Magnus (2863) vs Caruana, Fabiano (2835) | 1/2-1/2 | 2020 |
| Carlsen, M. (2881) vs Aronian, L. (2815) | 1/2-1/2 | 2014 |
| Aronian, L. (2812) vs Carlsen, M. (2872) | 1/2-1/2 | 2014 |
| Aronian, L. (2805) vs Carlsen, M. (2877) | 0-1 | 2014 |
| Aronian, Levon (2813) vs Carlsen, Magnus (2868) | 0-1 | 2013 |
| Carlsen, M. (2835) vs Caruana, F. (2832) | 1/2-1/2 | 2018 |
| Carlsen, M. (2835) vs Caruana, F. (2832) | 1/2-1/2 | 2018 |
| Carlsen, M. (2861) vs Ding Liren (2805) | 1/2-1/2 | 2019 |
| Carlsen, M. (2881) vs Caruana, F. (2783) | 1-0 | 2014 |
| Carlsen, Magnus (2863) vs Ding, Liren (2791) | 1/2-1/2 | 2020 |