Questions tagged [opening]
Questions relating to the initial moves of the game and their aims
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Why do people play a/h3?
I am very low rated in chess (900 chess.com rapid) and when I play against higher rated players I often see moves like h3, a3 from white, and the equivalent from black. I don't understand why someone ...
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What is the best move in the Najdorf Sicilian variation for White in response to Black's 6...e5, and how does it affect the game for both sides?
The Najdorf Sicilian is a popular opening variation in chess that arises after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6. Black's sixth move of ...e5 is a well-known response that aims ...
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What are the ideas and plans in the Boor Attack in the Exchange Slav?
In this mornings round in the Reyjkavik Open Simon Williams played the Boor Attack in the Exchange Slav as white against Anastasiya Rakhmangulova:
[fen ""]
[Startply "9"]
1. d4 d5 ...
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Why had T. Petrosian never used Hippopotamus Defence? [closed]
The Hippopotamus Defence is considered one of the most solid defences and GM Tigran Petrosian is considered one of the most defensive players. Apparently, Petrosian knows about Hippopotamus, but why ...
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What Are Some Good Tools for Learning Chess Openings?
I have an online rating of 1900, and about 30% of my lost games have been lost because I clearly messed up in the opening, so I want to focus on my openings to improve my rating further.
I am looking ...
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In the Queen's Gambit Declined, why is 5.e3 so much more popular than 5.Nf3 after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7?
To me it seems that both moves transpose into each other in almost all lines, so why is e3 so much more popular? Some statistics from the lichess masters database:
e3: 3,289 games (72.5%)
Nf3: 877 ...
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What would be some great books that clarify the positional concepts of the Queen's Indian Defence from the Black side?
I've been looking for some books that explain how to play the Queen's Indian Defence. These books don't have to be recent or anything.
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Petrosian's 9. ... Be7 10. ... Ng8 11. ... Bf8
I am amazed by Petrosian's manoeuvre 9. ... Be7 10. ... Ng8 11. ... Bf8 in the following game:
[Title "Benko - Petrosian, Curacao 1962"]
[fen ""]
[Startply "17"]
1. g3 ...
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Are all main lines and variations of chess openings necessarily SOUND?
Are all main lines and variations of chess openings necessarily SOUND?.
I mean since we can't know all possible games, unique games, which are so large, about 10⁴⁰, how can I be sure that all "...
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What are some good books that explain the strategic ideas behind the Nimzo-Indian Defence, from Black's perspective?
I'm looking for a book, which does not have to be modern at all, that comprehensively explains the strategic ideas of the Nimzo-Indian Defence from Black's perspective.
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What is the origin of the Caro-Kann Two Knights Variation?
It starts with 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3. I checked the 1984 edition of The Oxford Companion to Chess, and all it said was that it was popular in the 1950s. Any information would be valuable to me.
[...
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Ruy Lopez Main Line - Why not Be7 before Nf6?
In the Ruy Lopez, Morphy Defense Main Line,
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7
after 4.Ba4, the engine suggests Be7 as one of the best moves, tied with Nf6. The ...
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Why is the outdated Steinitz Defense still so popular among non-professionals?
The Steinitz Defense is generally considered outdated by modern professional players. However, according to the Lichess Database, the move 3... d6 is actually the second most popular choice after 1.e4 ...
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Is there a list of chess openings online without names
I have been searching for a list of eco (Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings) chess openings online by moves rather than by name so that I don't have to sort through thousands of names but I can not find ...
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Do chess960 and chess differ for reasons 'far beyond just opening theory'? [closed]
David said in What exactly does Bobby Fischer mean by 'talent' re 'I'm better than Morphy' in 2005 (probably re chess960)?
The differences between classical chess and 960 go far ...
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How to turn the PGN of opening into a image?
Does anyone here knows how to turn a PGN, let's say for example
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 ( 2.c3 Nf6 ( 2...f6 3.Na3 ) 3.e5 Nd5 ) Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 ( 4.c3 ) g6
into an image? I preferably would like to put ...
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What is the best option for White after 1.e4 e5? [closed]
So lets say I am white, and I open with 1.e4. Black responds with 1...e5. What would be the best move to get me into the best opening position?
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Who is the Zhuralev countergambit in the Vienna game named after?
It starts with 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4, I checked in the 1984 edition of The Oxford Companion to Chess, but couldn't find anything about it.
[Title "Vienna Game - Zhuralev Countergambit [C25]"]
[...
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Any serious material on the Fantasy Variation against Caro-Kann?
I know this opening is not that much played at club+ level but I'm really interested in this somewhat unconventionnal response to the Caro-Kann defense.
Where can I find decent material (no Youtube ...
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How effective are theory tables?
I'm currently 1700 ELO-rated on Chess.com and I'm interested in looking to learning some advanced opening theory to make my games more interesting.
I've been looking at theory tables, specifically, ...
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What are the most popular blunders in the opening stage?
According to the data base at lichess, after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Qe7 7. a3 Ngxe5, 8. axb4?? has been played 27,409 times (including played by a player with a ...
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Who is the Schmidt Variation of the scotch opening named after
in the scotch opening if black develops their knight on move 4, this is called the Schmidt variation, does anyone know who it's actually named after?
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Is the concept “getting out of the book” outdated?
I see the phrase “getting out of the book” used in a way that no longer makes sense because if I’ve seen the position before then surely anyone good has seen it thousands of times, and it’s still in ...
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Muzio Gambit with 11...Qd4+
The Muzio Gambit is great fun in blitz games. I realize it's slightly silly to study too much "theory" when it comes to blitz chess, but I figured it couldn't hurt to read up a bit and also ...
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How to play as adult attacking Chess player against young chess prodigies
I'm an expert-level chess player, who enjoys playing dynamic chess, but I am struggling against young chess players (ages between 8-16), who have lower ratings. How can I improve my score against this ...
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Achieving e4 pawn push after 1.d4 opening
Is there a reasonable way for me to start with 1.d4 and be able to push (without gambitting) the e-pawn to e4. I am happy to do this without playing c4 first, and also it is ok if I get this pawn ...
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Exchange Caro-Kann Qc7 line: why does the black king's knight not go to f6?
In this position in the Exchange Caro-Kann:
[FEN "r1bqkbnr/pp2pppp/2n5/3p4/3P4/2PB4/PP3PPP/RNBQK1NR b KQkq - 0 5"]
the computer suggests one of the continuations as:
[FEN ""]
1. ...
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What are the cases in which is good to take Qb3 in "London System'sSH" setups and why
I know that the main idea against London System is to play Qb6 to attack the b2 pawn which is unprotected due to the early Bf4 white plays (generally) at move 2. Normally white reacts to the threat ...
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Is there a free opening data base that gives information about "this is the old main line, this is the modern mainline, etc."?
I am looking for a free online opening database that gives information not only on the number of games played, but also some history behind them. For example, some information such as "this move ...
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Are hypermodern openings not recommended for beginners?
Beginners are taught principles in a classical style: control the center and develop pieces early. To my understanding, hypermodern openings try to control the center from a distance and wait for the ...
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Winning position after move one?
Question: There are 400 possible two-ply openings; that is, positions that can arise after each player has made one move. Which of these positions, if any, are winning (either for white or for black)...
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Opening Theory in Hexagonal Chess?
Is there any opening theory in Glinski's hexagonal chess (rules here)? If so what are some standard openings?
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How to effectively use the queen in chess opening strategy?
The queen is the most powerful piece in chess, with the ability to move in any direction and threaten a wide range of squares. However, it can be challenging to effectively use the queen in the ...
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How to effectively use pawn structures in chess strategy? [closed]
Pawn structures play a crucial role in chess strategy, as they can influence the placement and mobility of the pieces. However, it can be difficult for chess players to understand how to effectively ...
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7. ... e6 in Classical Caro-Kann
Where can I find information on the 7. ... e6 variation of classical Caro-Kann, preferrably a book? It was played in the Anand-Carlsen world championship match 2013.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 ...
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What is the QGD set-up with queen-side fianchetto and c4 called?
In a recent blitz game, my opponent played a setup that looked like this:
[fen "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/2PP4/1P2P3/PB3PPP/RN1QKBNR b - - 0 1"]
I can't quite remember where the knights and ...
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When and why is it good to deny the development of White's dark squared bishop in the Caro-Kann exchange variation?
In the position after
[FEN ""]
[startlfipped "10"]
[Startply "10"]
1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Bd3 Bg4 6. O-O? Bxf3! (6...Qc7? 7. c3) 7. Qxf3 Nxe4
...
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Should I switch to a different opening?
I have been using the queen's pawn game, Chigorin variation ever since I started chess. I am in my school's chess club now and my teacher tells me to use the queen's gambit instead. I know that the ...
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What does "end with an empty board" mean?
I got this statement from Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren, and I don't understand what it means to end up with an empty board:
However, since the human brain and even the computer ...
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Books that explain fundamental chess concepts
I am a recreational chess player, hoping to understand the game a little more by reading chess books. I am looking for books that explain each and every move like Understanding Chess Move By Move by ...
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What makes an opening move the "mainline"?
After 1.e4 c6, 2. d4 d5, the move 3. Nc3 is called the "mainline". According to lichess's database, the move 3. e5 has been played more than 3. Nc3, both by masters and by non-masters. This ...
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Strategy in Navara gambit
I am playing few years strictly 1.Nf3 with the intention to play Reti Opening. In my last OTB game I experience Navara Gambit (from a Czech GM David Navara) in Reti Advanced variation:
[FEN " &...
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Why is there a clear difference in master's and other player' opening choice?
For example, based on the database at lichess, after 1. e4, 46.3% of the master games continue with 1... c5 while only 23.4% of all games continue with 1... c5 (31.7% continue with 1... e5).
Another ...
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what are some good resources for QGD exchanged where black plays Nh5 and later Nb6 Be6 and 0-0-0
Here is a different approach of playing the QGD as black. A general idea after Qxe7 is to play Nb6, Be6 followed by 0-0-0. I don't know if this variation has a name but Nh5 seems to be popular and has ...
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How to avoid the Sicilian after 1.e4 d6 2.Nf3?
I am learning the Pirc Defense as black. I am a bit confused when after 1.e4 d6 white plays 2.Nf3. Are they forcing me to transpose into a Sicilian with 2... c5? I kind of like the Sicilian Dragon, so ...
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Why do all e4-c5 variations only have a single name (Sicilian Defence)?
I was wondering why e4-e5 openings have different names depending on the next move, but Sicilian Defence continuations are all just variations of the Sicilian Defence. Is that because they are ...
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What's a line for black in the Sicilian that has good piece activity?
I'm looking to learn the Sicilian for black. There seem to be a hundred different variations. It's easy enough to look them up, but it's hard to get a feel for what kind of games they lead to.
Can ...
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History of this queen sacrifice in the 4 Knights
Arbiting an IM norm tournament last week I came across this position in one of the games. Both White's queen and bishop on a4 were en prise and it was Black's move!
My initial reaction was that I must ...
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What is the point of a5 in Sveshnikov Nd5 variation?
I am currently learning Sicilian Svenshnikov. Today, I came across a new line with Nd5 variation. First, we move a4 to kick the white knight and then play a5. I couldn't quite understand the point of ...
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Is the 2...g6 Dutch automatically winning for White?
I was trying to recall what the Dutch Defense looks like (I hardly know anything about it), so I opened up Stockfish to put in
[Title "Dutch Defense"]
[FEN ""]
1. d4 f5 2. c4 g6
...
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