Questions tagged [opening]
Questions relating to the initial moves of the game and their aims
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Black making the first move instead of White?
Can this be a good variant in chess if Black makes the first move instead of white?
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Why is 5. f5 so necessary in the Dzindzi-Indian Opening/Modern Defense: Pterodactyl, Beefeater Variation?
I have played a couple of games as black with this line. It is a simple plan: to put pressure on the weak c3 and c4 pawns.
This line is mainly known as the Dzindzi-Indian Opening, according to the ...
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4
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2
answers
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Move order in Samisch King's Indian, Panno Variation
This is the traditional move order given for the Panno Variation of the Samisch King's Indian:
[FEN ""]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 Nc6 7.Nge2 a6 8.Qd2 Rb8
My question ...
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4
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Rossolimo 3.Bb5 vs open Sicilian against c5-Nc6 sicilian
Many chess players nowadays recommend the Rossolimo against c5-Nc6 Sicilian:
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
However, I find the open sicilian to be easier to play:
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 ...
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0
votes
1
answer
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Opening suggestion where my side castles king side and has king side majority
I'm looking for a set of openings that are more likely to lead into positional play where my side castles king side and have king side majority. Theoretical advantage is not required.
The plan is to ...
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9
votes
2
answers
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What are the openings that are popular among club players, but are (more or less) rejected by modern professional players?
For example, I see club players playing King's Gambit as well as the Four Knights Game a lot but almost never see these openings in the games of modern professional players.
Are there other openings ...
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3
votes
3
answers
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Best way to play against Glek system?
I just wanted to ask which is the best way to play against the Glek system. It's quite a rare opening.
So there are two lines. One line is with Bc5 and the other is with d5. Which line according to ...
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11
votes
3
answers
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Is there a horizontally mirrored London System, and what is it called?
London System is an opening for white, that goes d4, Bf4, e3, Nf3, Nd2, c3. The move order generally doesn't matter too much and there are lots of ways to transpose into this.
However, what I want to ...
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11
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4
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How should I play against the Philidor defense?
As white, I often encounter the Philidor Defense by black:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
I usually play Nc3 or d4 on the next move, but is this the best move? What are some lines (advantages or ...
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5
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1
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Why not e3 instead of e4 in Grunfeld Russian system?
In the position below White continues with e4 after, say, Black castles. grunfeld-defense:
[FEN ""]
[StartPly "10"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4
...
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0
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Are there any books you'd recommend for understanding how to play the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation as White? [duplicate]
I get the basic idea, but I am wondering if there are any books that really highlight how to play this opening well.
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London System: how to defeat copying moves?
I played the London system for the first time today and encountered a problem in my second game (I won my first).
[fen "rn1qkb1r/ppp1pppp/5n2/3p1b2/3P1B2/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RN1QKB1R w KQkq - 4 4"]
What is ...
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2
votes
3
answers
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How to deal with Black's dark-squared bishop on d6 in the London system
I have problems when black places his bishop on d6 in the London. Take for instance the following game:
r1bq1rk1/p2n1ppp/2n1p3/1p1pP3/2p5/2P1P1B1/PPBN1PPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 1 12
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 { D00 ...
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6
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What are the most dangerous counters to 1.e4 .. 2. f4?
I have a bit of a habit of playing 1.e4 with the follow-up 2.f4 in lightning (1 0) games.
In response to 1..e5, it becomes the King's Gambit. Apparently, against 1..c5 it's known as the McDonnell ...
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2
answers
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Is the Danish Gambit viable for Class D tournament play?
I've been recently playing the Danish Gambit online in blitz. It started as a dare from one of my friends, but I've had ludicrous success with it due to common mistakes from my opponents.
Also, I ...
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10
votes
3
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Did it make sense for Lasker to play the Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez in 1914?
In 1914, world champion Emanuel Lasker was trailing future world champion J.R. Capablanca in a tournament, meaning that he needed to win, not just draw, against Capablanca.
He played the exchange ...
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6
votes
2
answers
150
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What is the idea behind the Sicilian Flohr Variation?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7
Is this merely a transpositional device to avoid some lines of the Taimanov Sicilian, or does it have any independent ideas?
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2
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Are there any protocols for folding chessboard, where the dividing line should appear?
A folding chessboard will always have a dividing line in between the 2 halves of the unit.
Is there a guideline where exactly the line should appear; Should it be between the armies (seen mostly) or ...
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Why is King's Gambit said to be refuted?
We all known that Bobby Fischer has published the famous "A Bust to The King's Gambit", where the gambit is said to be losing for white. Why is it so? Is there any line that can secure black ...
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How do I find good games to memorise for the openings I play?
I have read other questions like this and I find people responding "just doing tactics is less effort and helps more". But personally, I find it really easy to memorise things, so I'm ...
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3
votes
4
answers
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Purpose of h4 on the main line of the Caro Kann
I'm beginning to study the Caro Kann defense and I don't fully understand why white plays h4-h5 on the main line. I can see that you get some space with that move, but the pawn on h5 might be a ...
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14
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1
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Where Does Lichess Get Its Names for the Openings?
On lichess.org, when you turn the opening book on in an analysis board, you get names for the openings. For example, after 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6, lichess says the opening is called "Czech ...
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2
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Who decides to name an opening?
Some openings are named after the players who spent their whole career playing a particular type of opening. For eg. Alekhine for Alekhine Defense, Philidor for Philidor Defense, William Evans for ...
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2
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What is White's compensation in the Smith-Morra Gambit, Paulsen Formation (a6, e6, Nc6) after an early ...Na5?
The variation is almost forced if White aims for the standard Smith-Morra setup. At the end White is a pawn down and no longer has two bishops, but is well developed. However Black's setup does not ...
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1
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Does opening preparation contribute a lot in winning games?
It is often said that Opening preparation is considered one of the most vital things a chess player needs to learn when they start getting better(above 2000 elo). Many chess players are known for ...
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1
answer
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White's plan in Smith-Morra gambit?
Related
The Smith-Morra gambit, or the Morra gambit, is where white sacrifices one pawn to get early development while black has not really done anything. This gambit is also used against the Sicilian ...
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1
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What are the ideas behind Grob's Attack (1. g4)?
What are the strategic ideas of the Grob's Attack?
Is it meant to initiate a kingside attack?
Or is it meant to grab space on the kingside and use that space to maybe initiate an attacks in the center ...
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Why is 3...c5 a blunder in the Center Game Accepted?
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR"]
[Title "Center Game Accepted"]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 c5??
Stockfish says that 3…c5 was a ...
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Is white winning if it gets to play the first two moves (an extra tempo)?
Has there been any analysis done on if white wins if it gets a free move in the starting position (let’s say e4)? Then, the game continues as normal.
From a human perspective it seems playing e4 and ...
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How to understand black's advantage in this line of the Polerio defense?
In the following line of the Polerio defense, black has an advantage close to -2 according to the engine:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb3 Nxb3 7. axb3 ...
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Is there a strategy to win chess960 games?
Chess960, a variant where the backrank pieces are all randomized subject to a few constraints, is a variant of chess where you cannot really memorize openings. Is there a strategy in chess960 so it is ...
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6
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What is the most sound, yet still sharp, gambit?
I have played chess seriously for a little over a year and my style is an aggressive one. I started off playing really dubious gambits (at least in my opinion) like the King's Gambit and the Latvian ...
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The best first move in chess [closed]
I'm new to chess and I want to ask you what do you think is the best first move in chess.
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3
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Play/learn Sveshnikov Sicilian as a beginner?
I've read countless times, that beginners should not play the Sicilian.
On the other hand, one often reads that the opening does not matter for beginners.
There are many courses claiming the included ...
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1
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Correlation between opening usage
Is there statistical analysis of which openings players play as Black when they play a certain opening as White and vice versa?
For example, is it the case that people that play 1. ..c6, often leading ...
CommunityBot
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1
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How do super-GMs, with the white pieces, avoid drawish positions?
I'm an amateur, so I don't have too much knowledge of contemporary opening theory, especially now that engine analysis allows frequent innovation.
But I would like to ask the following:
If two super-...
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14
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Ideas behind the 8.Bd3 line in the 4.Ng5 Two Knights Defense
In the Two Knights Defense, after
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6
8. Bd3 has become ...
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Any resource on 1. e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3 exd5 c6?
It's a variation of the Falkbeer countergambit that I'd like to learn to surprise my opponents but I can't find any resource on the internet.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3. exd5 c6
The only ...
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1
vote
1
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Chess Engine Opening book
I'm trying to evaluate the differences between Opening books.
For example: Have Fritz 12 Book and Rybka Aquarium (CTG format). For many of the standard openings. I've tried with at least main lines of
...
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7
votes
8
answers
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Simple (not deep in theory or moves) Openings for White and Black?
I am at the point where I want to learn some simple openings for White and Black. By simple, I mean, openings that do not have a deep theory and don't take a lot of moves to get into. Currently, I ...
4
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2
answers
774
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What is the great thing about Bc4 here?
Please forgive my blindness! I am a beginner and have not played in months.
I was going to go Bd3, where my bishop would have been protected by a pawn and poised to strike one of the next potential ...
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4
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How do you play the King's Indian Attack aggressively?
The King's Indian Attack (KIA) is my choice of opening. I choose this because more often I would prefer games where the actual clash between the sides is delayed (rather than outright in the opening). ...
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votes
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How do you deal with the pinned knight on f3 in the Ruy Lopez (as white)?
I find myself in positions like this a lot when playing the Ruy Lopez:
[fen ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 d6
4. O-O Bg4
If I try to kick the bishop out with 5. h3, they back up to h5 and I'm in ...
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vote
1
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Funny chess starting positions
Recently, I found this funny position called Omicron. Are there are any other funny starting positions like this that can be used to have fun with friends?
[FEN "2bqkb2/1rppppr1/np4pn/p6p/P6P/...
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1
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What are good books on the Panov-Botvinnik Attack and playing with an IQP?
Respectively, what are good books for the Panov-Botvinnik Attack and playing with an isolated queen pawn?
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1
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Are there any recent books on the Caro-Kann English Exchange line(The Accelerated Panov Attack)?
I couldn't find any recent books, and most references seem to point towards just switching to the normal Panov-Botvinnik line. I'm specifically looking for a book on the White side of this line:
[fen &...
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votes
2
answers
383
views
What is White's main plan in Sicilian Keres variation?
I want to learn a new opening in the Sicilian defense called the Keres variation. What is White's main plan here?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Ne2
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1
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Why is f4 by White so rarely seen against the Dutch?
One of the more common responses to the Dutch Defense is as seen below:
[FEN ""]
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3
I understand the logic behind this fairly well. White establishes a strong queenside ...
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votes
4
answers
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Carlsen beat a high ranking GM with 1 Nh3. Conclusions?
In 2018, Magnus Carlsen played a rapid game on chess.com against Grandmaster Aleksey Dreev in which his opening move was 1. Nh3.
[Title "Magnus Carlsen-Alexey Dreev, Pro Chess League, chess.com ...
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4
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How does one determine if a book move is objectively better than another?
For example, I have heard the following statements:
After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6, the move 3. Bb5 is marginally better than the move 3. Bc4.
Openings moves such as 1. e4, 1. d4, 1. Nf3, and 1. c4 are ...
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