Answers.Body: <p>With <code>3. f4</code>, you are playing the Latvian Gambit with colors reversed!</p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN ""]
  1. e4 e5 2. f3 Nf6 3. f4
  </code></pre>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-04-02T03:42:45.277Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-04-02T06:44:48.060Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2014-04-02T06:44:48.060Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tom
Answers.Body: <p>The most important thing to do with any blunder is to stay calm. Evaluate the position objectively: pretend you've just been handed a chess board and told to finish the game.</p>
  
  <p>In this position, you've got a well-defended e-pawn and a weakened kingside, especially <code>e3</code>, <code>f2</code>, and <code>g3</code>. Your King Knight's usual best spot is unavailable. However, the position is certainly not lost: there are many perfectly good opening lines that feature an early <code>f3</code> from White. Taking some inspiration from them, you I might be inclined to go for a setup with <code>Ne2</code>, <code>d4 (exd4 Nxd4)</code>, and <code>Nc3</code> to establish a strong center and dominance over the light squares. An example line might be:</p>
  
  <pre><code>1.e4 e5 
  2.f3 Nf6 
  3.Ne2 Nc6 
  4.d4 exd4 
  5.Nxd4 d6 
  6.Nc3
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Resulting in a position that looks more like a line from a Knights' game than one with <code>2.f3</code>.</p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN "r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2np1n2/8/3NP3/2N2P2/PPP3PP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 1"]
  </code></pre>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>I can't overstate enough, though, that the most important thing is to just evaluate the position objectively and try to set your ego aside when it comes to past moves, especially mistakes.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-04-01T22:41:20.797Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-04-02T20:48:11.010Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2014-04-02T20:48:11.010Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Henry Keiter
Body: <p>So in a correspondence chess game, the opening is the standard 1.e4 e5.  I meant to play 2.Nf3 as always, but I completely misclicked and didn't realize until too late that I played f3 instead.  It's such a massive blunder in the opening that I almost feel like resigning here.  Is there a way for me to save my position?</p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN ""]
  1.e4 e5 2.f3
  </code></pre>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-04-01T22:03:27.277Z
Comments.Text: It's only a blunder if your opponent knows what to do about it.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-04-01T22:15:55.623Z
Comments.Text: Is it appropriate to ask for advice on this while the game is still in progress?
Comments.UserDisplayName: GrizzlyRawrz
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-04-02T22:44:47.910Z
Comments.Text: Link to the meta thread *where users should vote* on the appropriateness of asking about games in progress: http://meta.chess.stackexchange.com/q/307/167
Comments.UserDisplayName: ETD
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-04-04T20:11:28.643Z
Comments.Text: possible duplicate of [Can White play e4 followed by f3?](http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/2074/can-white-play-e4-followed-by-f3)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tom Au
Tags: <opening><analysis><blunder>
Title: I played 2.f3 by accident! How do I save my position?
ThreadText: # I played 2.f3 by accident! How do I save my position?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-04-01)
  
  So in a correspondence chess game, the opening is the standard 1.e4 e5. I meant to play 2.Nf3 as always, but I completely misclicked and didn't realize until too late that I played f3 instead. It's such a massive blunder in the opening that I almost feel like resigning here. Is there a way for me to save my position?
  
  ```
  [FEN ""]
  1.e4 e5 2.f3
  
  ```
  
  **Tags:** opening, analysis, blunder
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: It's only a blunder if your opponent knows what to do about it.  
  > **username_2**: Is it appropriate to ask for advice on this while the game is still in progress?  
  > **username_3**: Link to the meta thread *where users should vote* on the appropriateness of asking about games in progress: http://meta.chess.stackexchange.com/q/307/167  
  > **username_4**: possible duplicate of [Can White play e4 followed by f3?](http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/2074/can-white-play-e4-followed-by-f3)  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2014-04-02. Score: 8
  
  With `3. f4`, you are playing the Latvian Gambit with colors reversed!
  
  ```
  [FEN ""]
  1. e4 e5 2. f3 Nf6 3. f4
  
  ```
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2014-04-01. Score: 4
  
  The most important thing to do with any blunder is to stay calm. Evaluate the position objectively: pretend you've just been handed a chess board and told to finish the game.
  
  In this position, you've got a well-defended e-pawn and a weakened kingside, especially `e3`, `f2`, and `g3`. Your King Knight's usual best spot is unavailable. However, the position is certainly not lost: there are many perfectly good opening lines that feature an early `f3` from White. Taking some inspiration from them, you I might be inclined to go for a setup with `Ne2`, `d4 (exd4 Nxd4)`, and `Nc3` to establish a strong center and dominance over the light squares. An example line might be:
  
  ```
  1.e4 e5 
  2.f3 Nf6 
  3.Ne2 Nc6 
  4.d4 exd4 
  5.Nxd4 d6 
  6.Nc3
  
  ```
  
  Resulting in a position that looks more like a line from a Knights' game than one with `2.f3`.
  
  ```
  [FEN "r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2np1n2/8/3NP3/2N2P2/PPP3PP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 1"]
  
  ```
  
  ---
  
  I can't overstate enough, though, that the most important thing is to just evaluate the position objectively and try to set your ego aside when it comes to past moves, especially mistakes.
  
  
  ---
  
  