Questions tagged [opening]
Questions relating to the initial moves of the game and their aims
1,564
questions
4
votes
5
answers
304
views
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 ...
4
votes
2
answers
807
views
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 ...
- 333
1
vote
1
answer
214
views
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/...
- 543
1
vote
1
answer
163
views
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?
- 145
2
votes
1
answer
185
views
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 &...
- 145
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
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 ...
- 435
8
votes
1
answer
269
views
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 ...
- 5,294
6
votes
2
answers
198
views
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?
- 3,470
4
votes
4
answers
220
views
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 ...
- 8,311
8
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is a move called a "book move", if it leads to a familar book position but objectively speaking, this move is obviously inferior?
For example, after 1. Nf3 e5?, the move 2. Nxe5 is objectively the best continuation. However, the move 2. e4 leads to a familiar opening position. In this case, do we call 2. e4 a "book move&...
- 8,311
9
votes
2
answers
678
views
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 ...
- 8,311
6
votes
2
answers
264
views
Is Nxd5 playable in the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense?
The following move is considered dubvious in lichess.org opennings explorer because of the sacrifice in f7:
[FEN "r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n2n2/3Pp1N1/2B5/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 0 5"]
1... ...
user27142
3
votes
1
answer
127
views
Fragility of the King's Indian setup for black
I have been working on the Kings Indian setup/Pirc defense for black(from the advice of one of the comments on my previous posts) and have had quite some unsuccessful games.
What I noticed was that a ...
- 381
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why doesn't Black develop the light-square bishop after 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3?
After 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Stockfish gives the best move as 2...e6, entering a QGD position.
Why does Black voluntarily block the LSB instead of develop it first with 2...Bf5?
- 24.3k
2
votes
1
answer
291
views
Why is forking the king and rook a blunder in this Halloween Gambit line?
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR"]
[Title "Halloween Gambit Game"]
[StartPly "22"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6?! 6. d5 Ne5 7. ...
- 1,052
7
votes
1
answer
355
views
Danish Gambit normal variation
I'm studying the Danish gambit lines and trying to understand a particular move:
The engine (depth 30 Stockfish 14.1), and theory (by that I mean GrandMasters talking about it) suggest Nc3 without ...
6
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Is the Caro-Kann principled? Why is there no refutation?
As a beginner, one quickly learns about chess principles, and in particular, opening principles.
The first openings most beginners learn are the Open Games. These were historically discovered first ...
- 5,294
1
vote
2
answers
182
views
Attacking the Spanish Opening
I'm studying the Spanish opening by developing some possible attacks against it and seeing how it could resist those attacks.
In the below position, White has moved the light-squared bishop from f1 to ...
- 111
6
votes
1
answer
397
views
Why should Black capture with different pawns in these similar Spanish game variations?
As a general “rule”, I have read that pawn captures toward the center should be preferred.
I have found 2 different positions which look similar but the best way for Black to recapture with the pawn ...
- 1,052
0
votes
0
answers
74
views
Openings that are devastating for the opponent if they don't know the theory [duplicate]
I'm a 1200 on chess.com and people at my level play random openings. They usually don't blunder and the games often go to boring, equal endgames.
I have been loving the Vienna game because most of my ...
- 381
1
vote
0
answers
41
views
How can I practice not blundering in the opening? [duplicate]
For a couple days now I have been searching for a way to practice openings. I do not want to memorize a specific opening, I want to exercise in responding to my opponent.
I'm looking for some kind of ...
- 111
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Elo disadvantage due to one pawn move in Indian Chess
In Indian chess, the pawn doesn't move two squares, however in the western chess, pawn can move two squares. Now, since the pawn can't move 2 in the Indian style, the fianchetto is a natural square to ...
- 307
5
votes
3
answers
552
views
How to understand which positions result from certain opening
I was watching Irina Krush's great lecture on YouTube and, at 20:06, she asks "Which opening is this position from?" The answer is apparently the Sicilian, which made me wonder. How do you ...
- 538
1
vote
0
answers
213
views
Can I counter the English opening with the same setup as the Pirc defense? [closed]
How can I counter hypermodern openings such as English opening when I play as black?
- 29
3
votes
1
answer
129
views
What are some common opening positions where reasonable looking moves are misplays?
A perfect example of what I'm looking for is a position like this one, the "Blackburne Shilling Gambit"
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nd4?
[fen "r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/8/4p3/2BnP3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/...
- 416
10
votes
1
answer
662
views
Is this theoretical novelty double-piece sacrifice actually sound?
Working my way through Hannes Langrock's book on the modern Morra Gambit (second edition), I came across an interesting sacrifice that he believes is at best worth a draw. Indeed that's also Stockfish'...
- 547
1
vote
1
answer
369
views
Sharp lines in the QGD, for black?
As a 1.e4 player who deeply enjoys sharp lines and studying/memorizing openings, I have always struggled with responding to 1.d4 since it leads to slow positional lines which usually have multiple ...
- 960
7
votes
1
answer
189
views
Filter PGN for games for one sided openings
I want to filter a PGN database for games where one side plays a series of moves but I don't care what the other side does during that sequence. For example the bongcloud is where one side plays 1. e3 ...
3
votes
1
answer
285
views
Why is 2…f6 a blunder in the Center Game?
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR"]
[Title "Center Game"]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. d4 f6??
Stockfish says that 2…f6 was a blunder and recommends 2…...
- 1,052
4
votes
1
answer
519
views
Where does the name of the Guatemalan Defense come from?
I recall reading a story that the Guatemalan Defense (1. ... b6, 2. ... Ba6) is named after a game of correspondence chess that was played between (presumably some chess team representing) Guatemala ...
- 293
4
votes
3
answers
646
views
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 ...
- 5,294
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Opening positions where declining a gambit is a blunder
Are there any gambit lines in which declining the gambit is a blunder or at least can be considered a misplay?
- 416
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How can you deal with gambits/traps opening, assuming you don't know the theory of the opening yet?
For example, the Danish opening:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5. Bxb2
where basically, White gives up two pawns for positional play. And if you don't know the theory, ...
- 695
6
votes
2
answers
505
views
Can deep preparation for the early novelty be useful?
As far as I know, most novelties at top-level games happen near moves 10 to 15. Before that, players just follow the lines, deeply knowing several best moves that lead to reasonable variations.
But ...
- 290
-1
votes
1
answer
88
views
What is the best approach when an opponent's queen is in the center and all of their pieces are developed?
I have played several games where my opponent's queen is somehow placed in the center of the board. However, this type of aggressive move positions my king in a dangerous spot. I can't castle because ...
user26887
2
votes
2
answers
363
views
White is down 3 pawns in opening, but it doesn't seem like white is really losing
Lichess suggests Re3, Nb1, h4, Bf1, and e5 as top 5 moves. Evaluation is within (-0.7, 0.5). I expected it to be the evaluation to be at most -1. What's going on?
[FEN "rnbnk1r1/pp1p1p1p/2p1p1p1/...
- 1
5
votes
1
answer
879
views
Why is 4…Bb4 an inaccuracy in the Berlin Defense?
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR"]
[Title "Berlin Defense"]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bb4?!
When White castles, ...
- 1,052
1
vote
3
answers
133
views
Chess openings variations on-line
I need a web site, where there are links with the names of openings and they and their variations are
illustrated graphically rather than as a chess notation like here
move by move.
Does this exist ?
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
117
views
Is it computationally feasible to find a board with proven outcome, reachable in 2 plies?
As is well known, neither the 0-ply game, the starting state, nor 1-ply games, all of white's first moves, have rigorously proven outcomes. Not even first moves for white considered very bad (1. g4) ...
0
votes
0
answers
525
views
Best apps for chess openings [duplicate]
Can you recommend best chess apps for preparing openings? It is weakest part of my game and soon I will be playing my first local chess turnament. It would meant a lot to me!
Also, can you give me ...
- 119
4
votes
2
answers
420
views
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 ...
- 1,002
3
votes
1
answer
109
views
Looking for a French exchange sub-variation where white castles long
I remember seeing a video a while back, which introduces this sub-variation to spice things up and to surprise black when they expect a dull draw game.
I don't think it has a name, and I can't quite ...
- 2,408
6
votes
1
answer
131
views
What is the point of 6...Ne8 in the f3 Nimzo?
4...O-O followed by 6...Ne8!? is a popular line in the f3 Nimzo at master level, but I'm still struggling to understand why it's played.
[FEN ""]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 O-O 5.a3 ...
- 1,907
14
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What are the advantages of keeping the identity of a second secret?
At the top levels of chess the identity of the coach/assistant is sometimes kept secret.
What are the advantage(s) of this?
I found:
That mystery [second] turned out to be the intensely creative ...
- 2,077
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Ruy Lopez - why does Black not take e4?
In the following Ruy Lopez opening;
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 (5... Nxe4)
Now the question, instead of Be7 why does Black not play Nxe4 as e4 is not defended?
...
- 111
2
votes
3
answers
273
views
What is this opening called?
I would like to know what this opening is called, if someone has made a bad move, and who stands better.
Finally if this opening is played by grandmasters here.
- 173
5
votes
1
answer
146
views
How feasible is 7.Qa4+ in this Ponziani sideline?
Recently I played a game with a fairly standard Ponziani opening when something slightly interesting occurred. The game started as thus:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4 Nxe4 5.d5 ...
- 435
2
votes
2
answers
260
views
Marshall Defense transposition to Gruenfeld
Can this move order be considered a good surprise weapon against 1.d4 players since the Marshall Defense is known to be dubious and now black is trying to transpose it to a Gruenfeld. From my ...
- 1,600
1
vote
2
answers
239
views
Transpose to the Slav as Black after 1. ...Nf6?
What is the best move order to transpose to the Slav after Nf6?
The reason this may be interesting is that Nf6 is much more flexible than d5 and still allows to go for hypermodern setups, depending on ...
- 5,294
7
votes
1
answer
299
views
Why is the immediate ...d5 in the 4. d3 Italian not played?
The line may seem suspicious at first, but after a few precise moves (some may say artificial moves) by Black an interesting middlegame position is reached.
I did some analysis on my own and probably ...
- 3,470