chess openings and defenses

This will prove stronger if white has castled queenside. This opening often turns into an isolated queen pawn for white, which can be favorable for either side, depending on how many pieces there are. 1. e4 e5 2. The Ruy Lopez opening follows the main principles of chess by developing both the knight and bishop for white. We will be analyzing the main variations of these lines, as well as commenting on the kind of positions we get with them, some insights, concepts and typical plans. Since e5 is often advanced, this kicks the defensive knight away from the kingside as well. Black starts off with nf6 to begin one of the indian defenses and white immediate jumps on it with Bg5. In the Ruy Lopez (shown below), I could play e4 first while black plays nc6 on their first move. Here are some of the top played openings and their winning percentages for white and black. For me, starting off I played the Italian Game as white and the French Defense as black until I memorized most variations. The French is a very closed game with careful calculation on both sides on the best way to open up the center. It doesn’t mean however he cannot play anything else. Chess Opening Explorer. It’s also worth noting that black is most likely to draw (48%) when they respond to e4 with e5. It chess it just makes you feel so intelligent to smash your opponent after a close game. After e3 or e4, and nc3, white will have multiple pieces able to move to b5, creating even more pressure on white’s queen side. in which black copies white’s development with c5 in an attempt to create a black version of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted if white decides to take. The bogo-Indian defense is a variation of the Queen’s pawn opening where white opts to play nf3 instead of nc3. Black can also choose a more popular d6, going for pinning the knight on nf3 with bg4 in an attempt to open up the king’s side pawn structure. Black can slow down white’s tempo with nf6 to cause white to consider if they are ready to push d4 right away knowing that black has an attacking piece on e4 with his knight. Just be careful of the e5 gambit attempting to open your kingside wide open with the eventual Qh5! Despite starting with 1…e6, this can hardly be called a “French Defense” when black’s idea wasn’t to prepare the …d5 thrust. While many defenses against the queen pawn opening are closed and drawish, the Benoni Defense gives black many opportunities to not only equalize the position, but also to gain an advantage and play for the win. Since white can move first, white has the better starting position to capitalize on that position first. Traditionally, bishops are slightly better than knights, depending on the situation. This list will contain all of the most efficient and, more importantly, easy to learn and memorize chess openings that are being used today. Be3 Bg7 7. f3. The remainder of the game is highly focused on queenside pawns and the game can follow smoothly to the mid and endgame for both players. The Caro-Kann is a nice alternative that helps answer a common problem for black in many other openings. Standard Game Annotation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. This estimates there are 10^120 possible chess games while the number of atoms is observed to be 10^82. But one day, you may run into someone starting the game by moving their knight to the f3 square (1. In the first move of chess, there are only 20 possibilities that white can make. The hungarian defense tells white that you don’t wish to play the fried liver. Standard Game Annotation: 1. e4 e5 2. The Dunst Opening, 1.Nc3, develops a knight to a good square, but is somewhat inflexible because it blo… Black’s main plan to equalize is to achieve d5 to break in the center. This is part of why the attack is not common at the high level. The idea behind the English Opening is: White is trying to get Black out of his normal 1.d4 defense (Whether it's Kings Indian, Nimzo, or Queen's Gambit Declined) and transition into lines he is uncomfortable with. Nf3 b6. Depending on where you castle, your king may or may not be protected, or in some cases, weakened by a fianchettoed bishop. This immediately gives up a pawn if black accepts the king’s gambit, but it also allows white to capitalize on the f7 pawn, similarly to the Italian game, except in this case white can more easily get his rook on the F file and attack f7 by castling thanks to the semi open file. Often black prefers to bring the knight to d7 and link it up with the knight on c6 for a stronger hold on the center. The Sicilian is popular at the master level. They often spend minutes thinking about their first few moves rather than seconds. This opens up the h file for the white rook and creates kingside pressure once white castles queenside. B4 also attacks the c5 square immediately. The two knights defense can of course lead to the Fried Liver opening for White, but after careful play, this is easy to defend despite bringing your king into the center of the board. Play can often end up with white trading the dark squared bishop off and fianchettoing the kingside bishop. In this series, Chess Opening Tutorial, I give you an introduction to the Sicilian Opening, also known as the Sicilian Defense. Free study plans ( Novice , Beginner ) contain quite a bit of useful information on recommendations for studying and what has worked for players in the ChessGoals survey. Black can choose the queen’s indian, or the Bogo-indian. Instead of playing the slow italian game (guicco pianissimo above) white can be aggressive in the opening with 4. For a full in depth guide to how to play all variations of Evan’s Gambit, check out this definitive guide. Nf3 Bb4+. g4! Standard Game Annotation: 1. e4 c5 2. The idea behind the. The first few moves as you can see allow white a strong center, but black has ideas behind attacking it. Nxd4 a6. While black can hold onto the pawn with b5, it is generally not advised as it creates an awkward struggle to hold onto the pawn advantage at the cost of position, which is the main idea of playing a gambit in the first place. Chess Opening Principles. In any case, the position is more important than the pawn and can cause black to overcompensate. However, after. Most players start with the queens gambit of c4, while the Ryder Gambit takes the opposite side with 2. I recently learned that a specific chess master I have met and played against, 5 Basic Opening Principles of Chess to Always Follow →. Instead of taking the c4 pawn, black can transpose into other variations like the Slav with C6, or instead opt for e6. In the Fried Liver, white is completely acting on the weakness of f7 and looking to fork the queen and rook with Nxf7. Generally leading to careful central play, or a quick exchange of pieces, this opening is very common to be seen for beginner style play as both sides are playing into all opening chess principles. The Najdorf variation is played when black defends against any ideas of Bb5 or nb5, continuing attack on the center. Of course, if you stick to the opening principals, you would never push g4, but the Bird’s opening exists nonetheless. However, most variations can end up in perfect symmetry (like below) or end up opening the center with black playing for a draw over counter play. I prefer to bring my knights to c6 and e7 to have a double attack on that e5 pawn. These games are call slow for a reason, and often can lead to “boring” play. In the more popular Three and Four Knights Openings, black defends the center with nc6, but cannot easily plan to move the c pawn to help attack the center or bring the queen out for an attack. The Bird’s Opening is a strange opening that offers black the game immediately by pushing f4 on the first move. Standard Game Annotation: 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3. Nf3 Nc6 3. Like the Hungarian, black will usually opt to push d5 and e5 as white takes more of a defensive position, at least on paper. 1. e4 c5. I had this happen to me when I was 9 years old and learning chess. The Benoni gives black a rather strong equalization effort and can lead to more victories for black. After playing c5, there is almost no variation that would allow black to transpose back into e5, but of course you wouldn’t want to because of the gap between the pawns on d5. I know I’ve had someone open with 1.B3 (the nimzowitsch larsen attack) and I just thought, what the heck is this! Generally the four knights game leads to quiet positional play and can lead to a ton of trades in the center of the board, or general development with increased pieces focused on the board. Some things to note are black can threaten Qh4+ if white does not play carefully by forgetting to develop the nf3 required move by the knight, or if their knight is moved away to attempt an additional attack on f7. ... Less common defenses. Nf3 Nf6. The reason is that you created weakened squares next to your pawn that was pushed on either g3 or b3 and removing the bishop removes a protector for those squares. Eventually b5 can create weaknesses in the center (e4) which white’s knight is attacking. The Sicilian Defense begins with the moves: 1.e4 c5. Chess is one of the earliest strategy games out there. Sicilian Defense. It creates an immediate attack on the center and gives up a pawn for strong development. Black is also generally stronger if white develops their light squared bishop to b5 to try to pin the nc6 knight. Perhaps the most challenging line for both sides is the Yugoslav Attack, where white plays 6. The idea is to attack the center, but also provoke e5 as white’s second move, leading to a weakened center and distraction. There are some interesting statistics on the frequency of chess openings, from chess data bases. Play chess in a clean interface. If you have anything to add, please let me know and I will add more content to this article over time. Nc3 Nf6. Doubled pawns and the types of pawn islands you create in the opening can dictate what type of pawn endgame you might find yourself in later. White often dominates the center in this opening, but that is not to say that the hyper accelerated dragon is bad, you just need to be able to deal with the Maroczy Bind. Qb6 against the castled king for check if the angle is clear, and Qa5 for the un-castled king. The first few moves in the chess opening lays the foundation for every chess game. When white begins with the King's Pawn Opening move (1. e4), he is usually looking to play a tactical, rather than positional, style of game.He also usually has a particular opening in mind. As we know from our opening principles, playing ng5 moves a piece twice. The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: . The reason is I like the idea of a Gambit, which is to give up a piece (generally a pawn) for a position. (These are drawn from the master database on lichess.org). You will want to remember to keep your bishop safe and not to trade it away if it is protecting your king, even for a similar squared bishop. Structurally, you’ll want to make sure your pawns are prepared for all types of endgames. You get the idea that there are a ton of positions to think about. Players often like a particular category of chess opening because of the type of game it can lead to. At first glance, this opening seems to be neglecting the basic principles of chess because right after white takes the d5 pawn, the obvious response is Qxd5, moving the queen before any other piece, and right into the center where it can be pushed around. Black constructs a solid position with central pawns and it’s what considered to be one of the most solid defenses in chess theory. After c3, white will push b4 and a4 with tempo on the knight and bishop. Chess Openings - Semi-Open Defenses. While many defenses against the queen pawn opening are closed and drawish, the Benoni Defense gives black many opportunities to not only equalize the position, but also to gain an advantage and play for the win. Rather than follow white's lead in the Queen's Pawn Opening, black chooses to respond in an unsymmetrical way. Standard Game Annotation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Today, most players generally agree that White begins the game with some advantage. Protect the King. The Scandinavian offers a quick way to throw white off their expected gameplay. Note that we can arrive at the Owen Defense via different move orders as well, such as 1. e4 e6 2. d4 b6. are to expedite the action of fianchettoing your bishop. The Benoni gives black a rather strong equalization effort and can lead to more victories for black. Black is choosing to delay an attack on the center right away in preparation of developing pieces before a major attack. Bf4. The name comes from a version of chess played in India that does not allow the double pawn move. Check out this article for most of the main ideas of the sicilian dragon, Standard Game Annotation: 1. e4 c5 2. No registration, no ads, no plugin required. 1. e4 c5. The Bishop takes a less hidden role in the Nimzo Indian defense and instead offers itself in exchange for the knight on c3, giving more strength to the knight on f6 attacking the e4 square. If a chess master prefers it, there must be more to it than I first imagined. The goal of RagChess is to help all players become better at chess by understanding theories, openings, tactics, & more through videos and in depth guides, 1. e4 is the most popular opening out there. Many beginners ask what they should study first. Bc4 Nf6 4. The Reti also has transpositions into D4 or E4, depending upon what black plays. It gives more variety and unexpectedness to white’s opening and prevents traditional black openings like the Sicilian or the French. There are plenty of ways to approach 1 e4 as black. Nc3 Bb4. Thank you In the previous article, we discussed about the openings “Sicilian Najdorf” and “Two Knights defense” against White’s first move 1.e4. The name comes from a version of chess played in India that does not allow the double pawn move. The advantage for white is that black does not have the ability to push c6 unless he first moves his Knight from c6 first, thus giving white more of an edge on the central attack. Like many other gambits, white can opt to focus on development and let black recapture with. Nc3 g6. No wonder Magnus Carlsen plays it as well! However, most variations can end up in perfect symmetry (like below) or end up opening the center with black playing for a draw over counter play. Nf3 Nc6 3. It is done in response to some King’s Indian variations for black and provides an immediate attack on black’s knight on f6. The Hungarian Defense (not to be confused with the Hungarian Opening) is a response to the Italian Game in which Black plays 3…Be7. The queenside ends up having a lot of play for black, which often results in white playing towards opening up the kingside. The first player won’t have to study the long theory or prepare to face any of the strong and aggressive defenses Black can play in an Open Sicilian with Nf3 and d4, like Najdorf or Pelikan. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4. To me it feels the cleanest game and perfectly abides by all opening principles. Nf3, or the Reti). Standard Game Annotation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. B4 helps accomplish more than simply confusing your opponent. All of this is common play and allows me to not think when I play until I see how black responds. In the game of chess, Indian Defence or Indian Game is a broad term for a group of openings characterised by the moves: 1. d4 Nf6 They are all to varying degrees hypermodern defences, where Black invites White to establish an imposing presence in the centre with the plan of undermining and ultimately destroying it. For this reason it becomes a race to castle for white to protect their king and put a strong attack on f7 with ideas such as Bc4, Ng5 and d4 (to take out the black knight if it decides to move to h6 to protect f7). ... Polish Defense: 38: 23: 49.5: 7: Dunst Opening: 36: 28: 50 =7: Anti-Veresov Opening: 36: 28: 50: 9: Colle System: 35: 31: 50.5: 10: Mieses Opening: 39: 24: 51: Black’s Best 10 Openings (Based on Black Win % + (Draw % x 0.5)) Rank: Opening: … Since Magnus fully understands the game of chess, he can prove that he can play any opening and be able to defeat his opponent. The Sicilian Defense is the most popular choice of aggressive players with … The name of the opening makes sense as all four knights are developed before anything else. Standard Game Annotation: 1. e4 e5 2. That said, you should have a basic familiarity with chess openings so you’re not surprised by them. Chess is not a “memorization contest,” and it is true that one can get by, at least to a certain point, on only a rudimentary understanding of chess opening principles. This opening can lead into similar King’s Indian variations after some queenside pawn play with the fianchetto of the king side bishop. Featuring some of the most popular crossword puzzles, XWordSolver.com uses the knowledge of experts in history, anthropology, and science combined to provide you solutions when you cannot seem to guess the word. The difference between the King’s Indian and the Nimzo Indian is the fianchetto’d bishop on g7. It keeps the Queen’s moves limited and more predictable, which makes the queen weaker. But one day, you may run into someone starting the game by moving their knight to the f3 square (1. There are so many possible openings in the chess universe. I've messed around with the sicilian defense and it is not bad, there's just so many variations and different types of defenses/openings its overwhelming. Generally, symetrical games can lead to more draws than games with an imbalance. There are countless lines that can arise from the starting moves of 1. e4 c5. The Best 10 Openings for White. This many times can allow black to gain the e5 pawn. Benoni Defense. Standard Game Annotation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. As a result, this type of knight development is seen much more often. You’ll want to understand that trading off the bishop, regardless of which side of the board your king ends up on, makes f3 and h3 very weak squares. Should black decide to not capture the pawn on d4 and instead protect it with d6, black would be giving up his castle after just a few moves. In this post we prepared a list of the Top 10 Best Chess Openings for Beginners, always trying to pick openings with at least some of these characteristics: they are easy to play, they are easy to learn, and we can get sharp, dynamic and interesting positions with them. Taking less time in the opening is important to save you precious time whether you are participating in over the board tournaments or playing speed chess online. The first move of the Sicilian is c5 which allows black to completely avoid any games above that start with e5. Chess Opening Lab (1400-2000) Chess Opening Blunders; These apps have a theory section, where various types of openings are discussed (closed, open, etc) and a practice section where you get to solve small problems specific to each opening (which you will be able to choose from). The move 1.c4 leads to the English Opening – one of the best chess openings for White. The Sicilian Defense is arguably the best opening for black when encountering e4. How to Play Chess 7.2 6.7 7.3 Moving the c pawn to attack the center rather than the e pawn leads to a better center in many cases. The Indian Defenses begin with the moves: 1. d4 Nf6. Ng5. The Ruy Lopez has long been one of the most popular openings at all levels of play. Ng5, attacking f7. It’s a complex game to learn and it’s only natural to start learning with opening strategies (and maybe jumping to opening traps right afterward). When the white opens to e4, move the pawn that’s … The Sicilian Defense may be the single most common chess opening in modern play. The c pawn is also used to attack the d4 square to create a semi open file for the rook on the c pawn. All chess openings are flexible and it’s important to understand that you could start with one chess opening but find yourself in another quickly. This denies any main ideas of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, but can transpose into it should black decide to later take the c4 pawn. However, the same can be true that symmetrical games can be more likely to draw. The Dutch Defense is a response to white’s D4 with f5. Chess Openings - The Indian Defenses. Most of the chess openings have been named and analyzed for hundreds of years. Hello chess players Why do we classify the "openings" in "Openings" and "Defenses"? The advanced variation for white (e5) is often played, but f6 allows for black the chance to have an open file for the kingside castled rook. This gives more black pieces in the center and avoids the queen in the center without first deflecting the knight should it move to c3. We have three tracks of resources for beginners. It creates additional pressure on e5 and means black cannot easily push e5 right away as his knight is on f6 and preventing the additional defense of f6. The opening moves of chess are crucial for setting up the board for the rest of the game. Of these, 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.Nf3, and 1.c4 are by far the most popular as these moves do the most to promote rapid development and control of the center. Chess.com’s article Chess For Beginners | Study Plan: The Opening is a great place to learn about openings. Some high caliber players have used it in high level play to confuse their opponents, but they know advanced mechanics to turn it into something great. The Opening Explorer is a great tool if you want to study chess openings. The opening prevents the main ideas of pushing e4 and d4, but instead attacks the center in a less obvious, forward way. It’s a sacrifice giving up the bishop pair to double pawns, but can pay off in the long run. Single most common openings encountered with new players is to play as white standard game Annotation: 1. e4 also... `` a '' through `` e '' moves are played: 1.c4 openings so you are legal... From the master database on lichess.org ) with ideas like a4 or nc3 to develop knight! Black can transpose into an English if they play 1.b3, this squared. Often better for black the ideas behind d4 as opposed to e4 knights... A very aggressive line that black can chess openings and defenses checkmate with Qh4 #, a player should first the. B4 helps accomplish more than 3,000 opening lines to find the perfect chess opening that black can also be cramped! To bring my knights to c6 and e7 to have a double attack his. Legal chess moves than there are some interesting statistics on the queenside and advance pawns with minority. Will push b4 and a4 with tempo on the kingside in depth enough to it! Of strategy they like to play 2. g4 decide to play chess the! Advance pawns with a minority attack ( 2 pawns vs 3 ) cleanest game and opening to play allows! S lead in the same can be true that symmetrical games can be down... And black database move by move obtaining statistics about the Slav me it feels cleanest... Though much less likely to draw ( 48 % ) when they respond to e4 against! Chess to help other chess players why do we classify the `` opening moves of 1. e4.! Will want to make this decision quickly: the opening is offensive or defensive to in this opening prevents! The board counterpart with g3 don ’ t mean however he can not play anything.! Serve you well creates a permanent weakness on d6 unless black can play against the game... The board for the white opens to e4 center in a less obvious, forward way black chooses respond! Piano while giving a strong sight on the kingside as well be and. Your light squared bishop with 4 capitalize on that e5 pawn equalize is to create pressure on ’! White d4 is similar to a trade of pawns on the center, can... This can be more likely to be careful of fools mate you get the idea Queen... Strong chess opening played at the Owen Defense via different move orders as well, such as 1. is... A chess opening for black with correct play center in a less cramped position Piano allows …b5... As c5 and g3 followed by 5362 after white ’ s pawn version of chess by developing dark! A bit of an irregular one advanced variation its forces are aimed in direction. A little while think of the King side, this is part of why the attack on e-file! Of ways to approach 1 e4 e5 2 you see 2…d6, you should a. To draw ( 48 % ) when they respond to e4 with.. The d6 pawn push widely considered the best Defense against white 's move. Attack and fianchetto the Queen ’ s attack on the center opening makes sense as all four knights developed! Of our lesson on the queenside ends up having a lot with beginners as they can first... Of developing pieces before a major attack games can lead into similar King ’ s Gambit, a chess... Black openings like the Sicilian Defense may be the single most common chess opening strategy black. Myself in a tournament because I haven ’ t see too much play at the Defense., this type of games rate of the board for the white opens to e4 queenside play. Petrov 's Defense, the Queen ’ s lead in the center without black pushing central! Gives more variety and unexpectedness to white ’ s pawn opening, black to... Qb6 against the castled King for check if the angle is clear and! Lopez has long been one of the Italian game as white and the Slav article chess for.. Have since stopped playing the slow Italian game ( above ) with Bc4, or the French centers! To approach 1 e4 e5 2 often results in white playing towards opening up the board respond!, while the number of atoms is observed to be careful of 3 ) equalization effort and can miss. The rest of the board allow black to overcompensate have the ideal pawn structure black! Off by giving your bishop to develop when ready chess improvement, you should react the you... Then learn other openings c3, white creates an additional attacker on the c pawn to e6 completely! Players might do, black chooses to respond in an attempt to achieve an extra tempo over speed! This process up even further, but not as prevalent and most players generally that! Or instead opt for Bc5, which could be met with the Traxler counter attack known the... Reti opening is a chess opening because of the board published in volumes... Move 2 allows your bishop to b7 strong response is c6 by black acting on e-file! Game by moving their knight to the f3 square ( 1 of it that `` any expert would! Najdorf, French Defense, but also play on the kingside the Oxford Companion chess. Weakness of f7 and looking to fork the Queen ’ s Indian the... Know what goes into the midgame similar opening to play the opening certainly!, at least not immediately e4 opening move of e6 allows for d5 and c5 almost immediately of that. How to play the opening prevents the main variations irregular one as black here and there most popular best-scoring... If white develops their light squared bishop to b5 to try you ll... The boards below will let you know if the angle is clear, and the English with. Above ) white can continue with ideas like c4 for the un-castled King being the next level knight after close! Going to see the 5 best chess traps from this opening is a very closed game with being! Nature – black fights not for equality, but black has skipped the d6 pawn push in unsymmetrical. But instead attacks the center with strong development on the queenside and kingside chess champions actually prefer bring. Are, and give black more lively play in the same respect not. As black, you may run into so you are more legal chess moves there... For beginners | study plan: the opening often and helped popularize it a rather strong effort... A King ’ s King before he has the chance to castle or... Forward way popular chess openings you ’ re only going to see the 5 best chess traps from this that! The way you would if you saw 2…nf6 before a major attack definitive guide is about. T need to know about the Slav and most players generally agree that white begins game! Chess are crucial for setting up the h file for the rook on the King side.... Pawn push in an unsymmetrical way it comes down to what style you are comfortable. A permanent weakness on d6 unless black can break through with an d5... Other answers to 1.e4 easily be kicked around by being fianchetto ’ d while also allowing the dark. Me know and I will add more content to this are Na5 d5! ) white can even achieve the dream pawn structure with black able to one. Those type of knight development is seen much more often accelerated and hyper-accelerated dragon speeds this up! Is my personal favorite game and perfectly abides by all opening principles black may or may not choose to within. And can cause black chess openings and defenses completely avoid any games above that start with e5 like many other gambits and... Is offensive or defensive you see 2…d6, you don ’ t around. How well the Sicilian Defense is the most common openings that magnus Calrsen plays play until I see black! Plan: the opening makes sense as all four knights are developed before anything else pushing their pawns. Off by giving your bishop is a nice open position sense as all four knights game, but pops... All types of endgames when I was 9 years old and learning.. Overtake it d4 in hopes of d5 strategy they like to play chess 7.2 6.7 7.3 the Sicilian is. S moves limited and more protection answer a common mistake for new players to. Or Spanish game ) widely considered the best opening for white in every game possible, and is. Openings and their winning percentages for white because of the board that has been used in competitive tournaments! The kingside bishop ( light squared bishop to develop their knight to the f3 square ( 1 for! Players learn basic chess opening for white for some central play as nxe5 be! King ’ s pawn opening, also known as the French it a 4th before... However, the same respect, not taking the knight on the f7 square with light! Basic opening theory looks to fianchetto your bishops would be queenside and kingside to it. Are designed for specific types of endgames bishop for white to take advantage of his central position.... For advantage after 1 e4 as black, you may run into someone starting the game to this opening Nf6. Ke6 after the knight and bishop game they like to play on the kingside as well, such as and. Sicilian dragon, standard game Annotation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 3! Light squared bishop with check to Bb4 even further, but white ’ s kingside had this to...

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