Questions tagged [opening]
Questions relating to the initial moves of the game and their aims
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Creating or editing shredder .bkt opening book
I want to create an opening book for Shredder or edit an existing one. the way I want it is like how Lucas chess works, giving a certain value (weight, percentage, etc) to a specific move. This is an ...
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Why does Black get away with giving White so many free tempi in the Sicilian?
Every child learns that piece activity is the most important principle in chess, which is why we should develop quickly in the opening and avoid unnecessary pawn moves (and start with 1.e4 or 1.d4, ...
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Centipawn Loss per opening
Centipawn loss isn't sufficient to reflect the playing strength of a player, as some positions are more complex to play than others.
A centipawn loss of 20 is more challenging to reach in a wild King'...
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Definition: What is meant by "bishop pair" in this context?
This is a screenshot from a chess.com tutorial.
In the final sentence it says,
White will often gain the bishop pair after 5. a3, with a sharp struggle ahead.
Obviously a3 is the pawn attacking the ...
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Why after 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 is so common but after 1. c4 Nf6, 2. d4 is so rare?
I am using Lichess's master database and after 1. d4 Nf6, 71.63% of the game continues with 2. c4. However, after 1. c4 Nf6, only 5.22% of the game continues with 2. d4. Are they not essentially the ...
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Is The Four Knight Sicilian winning for White?
Consider this variation of the Four Knight Sicilian:
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 1 0"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. ...
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What is the idea behind the Nd7 Nb6 by black maneuver in the King's Indian Defence?
I have seen this idea often and want to know the idea behind it.
White can create a doubled pawn weakness on b7 and b6 by doing Bxb6, but then would black have control over f4 and also c5? (unless ...
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How to practice openings in Fritz 18
Is there any way in Fritz 18 to choose a specific opening from a list of openings and play against the computer? I can do this on chess.com and Lucas chess. I want something similar. How do I have a ...
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Why is pawn captures on e5 is a blunder in the King's Gambit?
chess.com says this move is a blunder, so it must be really bad, not simply bad. I don't understand why, and I'm out of my one free daily analysis. Could you please explain why?
I chose this move ...
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How many openings should I study simultaneously? [closed]
I want to start studying a few openings. Say I am currently most interested in the King's Gambit as white, and want to play it as often as possible. (This isn't particular to the King's Gambit, I just ...
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As regards the opponent's moves, what things do you usually pay more attention to in the openings?
As regards the opponent's moves, what things do you usually pay more attention to in the openings?
After learning how to move the pieces, after understanding how the game is divided into stages, and ...
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What practices do you recommend for handling openings and variations?
What practices do you recommend for handling openings and variations?
After learning how to move the pieces, after understanding how the game is divided into stages, and after finding that openings ...
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What helps you choose the right opening?
What goes through the mind of a chess player in the opening? In particular, what helps you choose the right opening?
After learning how to move the pieces, after understanding how the game is divided ...
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Why is sacrificing an extra pawn good for White in the Goring gambit but bad in the Smith-Morra gambit?
In both the Smith-Morra (accepted) and Goring gambit lines, white offers a pawn on c3. If Black takes the pawn on c3, White can play Bc4, offering a second pawn in exchange for rapid development with ...
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"Inventor" of Najdorf Ng4 (Anti-English)
[Variant "From Position"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w - - 0 0"]
[Title ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4!?
What ...
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Dark-squared bishop after QGA 3. e3
I have played Queen's Gambit and most players my level choose Accepted and then try to hold onto their pawn. After I play 3. e3, while the light-square bishop has c4 has an obvious target, I have ...
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Did the Queen's Gambit series lead to an increased popularity of the Queen's Gambit opening?
A number of sources have commented on the impact of the Queen's Gambit series on the chess world, usually referring to online chess:
The Queen’s Gambit, the Chess Boom, and the Future of Chess
How ...
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Simple side line defense against English opening
I'm looking for a simple plan to play against the English. Ideally a side line, even if it's objectively worse than main lines. I'm far from being a GM, so it won't matter a lot. I prefer that to a ...
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What are some good "club-player" Sicilians?
My criteria for good "club-player" openings are:
objectively good
as little memorization is needed as possible
forgetting theory / messing up move orders / playing mediocre moves won't kill ...
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How to play against Anti-Colle
I am a begeinner learning the Colle system. However, I am immediately confused after facing the anti-Colle:
[FEN ""]
[startply "6"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5
After losing the ...
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How to search for chess players by favourite opening
Is there a convenient way to search for players by their opening? For example if I input 'Ruy Lopez' then it gives me a list of chess players, sorted by how many times they played Ruy Lopez in ...
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How do people end up with their opening repertoire?
I noticed that majority of my openings came from early childhood and were picked up essentially by chance (once I played something I kept playing it).
I wonder whether this is standard or whether ...
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How do you deal with Black's light-squared bishop when it's out of the pawn chain and not exchanged in the London?
I usually have problems with the light-squared bishop when Black takes it out of the pawn chain and doesn't exchange it, but instead either protects it with the e-pawn:
rn1qkb1r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p1b2/...
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As Black, how do you deal with the double pawns in the Ruy Lopez exchange variation?
How does Black deal with the double pawns c7 and c6 on the Ruy Lopez exchange variation? In other words, after:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. ...
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Should I learn openings as a beginner?
I'm very new to regularly playing chess while actively trying to improve (only ever played here and there casually before).
I'm ~600 rated on chess.com and many times I feel like I'm making mistakes/...
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What is the difference between Blackmar Gambit and Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, or are they the same?
365Chess lists the move order 1. d4 d5 2. e4 as Blackmar Gambit But the same move order is named as Blackmar-Diemer Gambit on chesstempo.]2. Which of these is more reliable (or correct)?
The reason ...
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Why does anybody allow the Queen's Indian Defense?
People often play:
d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3
And allow both the Queen's Indian Defense:
4... Ba6 OR 4... Bb7
And the Catalan:
4... d5 5. Bg2
Why not play:
g3
and transpose into Catalan, ...
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Is the Marshall Attack a draw?
I have been experimenting with the Marshall as of late.
Most master games in the three main lines 11...c6, 11...Nf6, and 11...Bb7 seem to lead to a draw.
While this isn't necessarily a bad result with ...
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The number of legal positions after n plies
What is the number of legal positions after n plies for n=1 through 5? I know that for n=1 it is 20.
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Is testing an opening by having a computer play against itself viable?
Recently, I got into a brief argument with a colleague when I mentioned that I wanted to use an engine playing against itself to generate a larger sample size for a rare sideline.
His argument was ...
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wish to print posters of the variants of certain openings for my 7-yo
My son is an avid chess player. He has a good chess teacher who prefers to focus on a specific opening and its variants as well as responses while studying with him. So, I wish to get an editable file ...
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How do you analyze this position holistically?
So I was solving a puzzle, and I got it wrong in my first attempt, so I checked with the engine and understood the solution. But I think that I am missing some aspects of the puzzle as I'm able to get ...
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How well is a variant in which Black moves first?
Would it be good a chess variant if Black makes the first move instead of White? Notations will change, of course.
For example, since Black makes the first move with a king's pawn push of two steps, ...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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Is there a strategy to win chess960 games? [duplicate]
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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What do you think is 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? I know there is no fixed answer, I just wanted to ask for an opinion.
I will be very grateful for any answers....
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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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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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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 attack in the center ...
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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 ...
