[blind-chess] Reposting: Stages of a Chess Game; The Chess Opening
- From: "Roderick Macdonald" <rjmacdonald@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Blind-Chess Mailing List" <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2013 08:05:26 -1000
(Originally posted as Articles #61, #84 & #85):
Chess Article #61:
Stages of a Chess Game
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Chess is an easy game to learn the moves, but a difficult game to
master. Strategy is an important part of the game. First of all
comes the openings, about which a great deal in now known. The
best-known move, the King's Pawn opening, is the white player
moving his king's pawn on e2 forward two spaces to e4. Black can
reply to that move in various ways.
Opening
The first moves of a chess game are called the opening. A chess
opening is a name given to a series of opening moves. Recognized
patterns of opening moves are openings and have been given names
such as the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defence. They are listed in
reference works such as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. There
are dozens of different openings. They range from gambits, where a
pawn, say, is offered for fast development (e.g. the King's
Gambit), to slower openings which lead to a manoeuvring type of
game (e.g. the R`eti Opening). In some opening lines, the sequence
thought best for both sides has been worked out to 20-30 moves, but
most players avoid such lines. Expert players study openings
throughout their chess career, as opening theory keeps on
developing.
The basic aims of the opening phase are:
* Development: to place (develop) the pieces (mostly bishops and
knights) on useful squares where they will have the most
powerful impact on the game.
* Control of the center: control of the center squares allows
pieces to be moved to any part of the board normally easy, and
can also have a cramping effect on the opponent.
* King safety: keeping the king safe from danger. Castling (see
section above) can often do this.
* Pawn structure: players try to avoid the making of pawn
weaknesses such as isolated, doubled or backward pawns, and
pawn islands - and to force such weaknesses in the opponent's
position.
Players think, and chess databases prove, that White, by virtue of
the first move, begins the game with a better chance. Black
normally tries to equalise, or to get some counterplay.
Middlegame
The middlegame is the part of the game after most pieces have been
developed. It is where most games are won and lost. Many games will
end in resignation even before an endgame takes place.
A middlegame position has a structure. That structure is determined
by the opening. The simplest way to learn the middlegame is to
select an opening and learn it well (see examples in English
opening and French defense).
These are some things to look for when looking at a middlegame
position:
* Material: changes in the balance of material are critical. To
lose a piece for nothing is enough to lose a game. If the
players are evenly matched, then a rough material balance of
pieces is normal. Material balance is often quite static: it
doesn't change for many moves.
* Development: the opening may have left one player with a lead
in development. That player has the initiative, and may attack
before the opponent can get his pieces out. It is a temporary
asset: if a lead in development is not used effectively, it
will disappear.
* The centre: in the centre pieces have their greatest effect,
and some (such as the knight) attack more squares in the
centre than at the sides. The player who controls the centre
will almost always have the advantage.
* Mobility: a position is mobile if the pieces can get where
they need to. Almost all middle game positions have some
limitations to mobility. Look for open files for the rooks,
and open diagonals for the bishops. Outposts are what knights
need, places where they can't easily be dislodged.
* King safety: where is the king? Ideally, a king should be
castled, and kept behind a screen of pawns. Many other things
may happen in practice. If a king is weak, it may be put under
direct attack.
* Pawns: they provide the skeleton of a position. They move
slowly, and may become blocked for many moves. Everything
takes place round the pawns. Different openings produce
different pawn structures. In this way openings influence the
whole game (Philidor: "Pawns are the soul of chess").
FEN: rnbq1rk1/
ppp1npbp/
3p2p1/
3Pp2n/
1PP1P3/
2N2N2/
P3BPPP/
R1BQ1RK1/
King's Indian, main line
Here is an example from the borderline between opening and
middlegame. In the diagram above, White will operate mainly on the
Queenside, and Black on the Kingside.
White, to play, may wish to cope with Black playing 10. ... Nf4. He
can do this by playing 10. g3, or by playing 10. Re1 so that if 10.
... Nf4 11. Bf1 will preserve the bishop (in this position an
important defensive piece). Or maybe White will plough ahead with
10. c5, the key move on the Queenside.
ChessBase shows that the number of tournament games with these
choices were:
10. Re1 2198
10. g3 419
10. c5 416
The database also shows that the overall results were significantly
better for 10. Re1. What the player does is note the features on
the board, and formulate a plan which takes the features into
account. Then the player works out a sequence of moves. Of course,
in practice, the opponent is interfering with the plan at every
step!
Endgame
The endgame (or end game or ending) is the part of the game when
there are few pieces left on the board. There are three main
strategic differences between earlier parts of the game and
endgame:
* Pawns: during the endgame, pawns become more special. In the
endgame, one thing players try to do is to promote a pawn by
advancing it to the eighth rank.
* Kings: may become strong pieces in the endgame. The king may
be brought towards the center of the board. There it can
support its own pawns, attack the opponent's pawns, and oppose
the opponent's king.
* Draws: in the endgame, a game may be drawn because there are
too few pieces on the board to allow a player to win. This is
one of the main reasons for games to be drawn.
All endgame positions can be put into two camps. On the one hand
are positions which may be won by force. On the other hand are
positions which are drawn, or which should be drawn. The ones that
are drawn for certain may be legally drawn (mate could not happen)
or drawn by chess experience (no sane defence could lose). All
endgames in master chess revolve around the borderline between
winning and drawing. Generally, once a 'textbook' drawn position is
reached the players will agree a draw; otherwise they play on.
Endgames can be studied according to the type of pieces that remain
on board. For example, king and pawn endgames have only kings and
pawns on one or both sides and the task of the stronger side is to
promote one of the pawns. Other endings are studied according to
the pieces on board other than kings, e.g. rook and pawn versus
rook endgame.
----------
Chess Article #84 & #85:
The Chess opening
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
The earliest stage of a game is known as the opening. For several
moves players are mainly concerned with transferring their pieces
from their starting positions to somewhere more useful.
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game (the
opening moves in the previous sense). Recognized sequences of
opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or
defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of
different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford
Companion to Chess lists 1327 named openings and variants. These
vary widely in character from quiet positional play (e.g. the R`eti
Opening and some lines of the Queen's Gambit Declined) to wild
tactical play (e.g. the Latvian Gambit and Two Knights Defense,
particularly the Traxler Variation).
A sequence of opening moves that is considered standard (often
cataloged in a reference work such as the Encyclopedia of Chess
Openings) is referred to as "the book moves", or simply "book".
These reference works often present these move sequences in simple
algebraic notation, opening trees, or theory tables. When a game
begins to deviate from known opening theory, the players are said
to be "out of book". In some opening lines, the moves considered
best for both sides have been worked out for twenty to twenty-five
moves or more. Professional chess players spend years studying
openings, and continue doing so throughout their careers, as
opening theory continues to evolve.
A new sequence of moves in the opening is referred to as a "
theoretical novelty". When kept secret until used in a competitive
game it is often known as a "prepared variation", and can be a
formidable weapon in top-class competition.
++1. Aims of the opening
Although a wide variety of moves can be played in the opening, the
aims behind them are, broadly speaking, the same. First and
foremost, the aim is to avoid being checkmated and avoid losing
material, as in other phases of the game.
++1.A Top-level objectives
At higher levels of competition, for many years the main objectives
of opening play were to obtain the better position when playing as
White and to equalize when playing as Black. The idea behind this
is that playing first gives White a slight initial advantage; for
example, White will be the first to attack if the game opens
symmetrically (Black mirrors White's moves).
Since about the 1950s another objective has gradually become more
dominant. According to IM Jeremy Silman, the purpose of the opening
is to create dynamic imbalances between the two sides, which will
determine the character of the middlegame and the strategic plans
chosen by both sides. For example, in the Winawer Variation of the
French Defense, White will try to use his bishop pair and space
advantage to mount an attack on Black's kingside, while Black will
seek simplifying exchanges (in particular, trading off one of
White's bishops to blunt this advantage) and counterattack against
the weakened pawns on White's queenside; both players accept
different combinations of advantages and disadvantages. This idea
was a doctrine of the Soviet school of chess.
A third objective, which is complementary to the previous ones and
has been common since the 19th century, is to lure the opponent
into types of position with which the player is more familiar and
comfortable than the opponent. This is usually done by
transpositions, in which a game that apparently starts with one
opening can reach a position that is normally produced by a
different opening.
++1.B Common aims in opening play
Irrespective of whether they are trying to gain the upper hand as
White and equalize as Black or to create dynamic imbalances,
players generally devote a lot of attention in the opening stages
to:
1. Development: One of the main aims of the opening is to
mobilize the pieces on useful squares where they will have
impact on the game. To this end, knights are usually developed
to f3, c3, f6 and c6 (or sometimes e2, d2, e7 or d7), and both
player's King and Queen pawns are moved so the bishops can be
developed (alternatively, the bishops may be fianchettoed with
a manoeuvre such as g3 and Bg2). Rapid mobilization is the
key. The queen, and to a lesser extent the rooks, are not
usually played to a central position until later in the game,
when many minor pieces and pawns are no longer present.
2. Control of the center: At the start of the game, it is not
clear on which part of the board the pieces will be needed.
However, control of the central squares allows pieces to be
moved to any part of the board relatively easily, and can also
have a cramping effect on the opponent. The classical view is
that central control is best effected by placing pawns there,
ideally establishing pawns on d4 and e4 (or d5 and e5 for
Black). However, the hypermodern school showed that it was not
always necessary or even desirable to occupy the center in
this way, and that too broad a pawn front could be attacked
and destroyed, leaving its architect vulnerable; an impressive
looking pawn center is worth little unless it can be
maintained. The hypermoderns instead advocated controlling the
center from a distance with pieces, breaking down one's
opponent center, and only taking over the center oneself later
in the game. This leads to openings such as Alekhine's Defense
- in a line like 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4
(the Four Pawns Attack), White has a formidable pawn center
for the moment, but Black hopes to undermine it later in the
game, leaving White's position exposed.
3. King safety: The king is somewhat exposed in the middle of the
board. Measures must be taken to reduce his vulnerability. It
is therefore common for both players to either castle in the
opening (simultaneously developing one of the rooks) or to
otherwise bring the king to the side of the board via
artificial castling.
4. Prevention of pawn weakness: Most openings strive to avoid the
creation of pawn weaknesses such as isolated, doubled and
backward pawns, pawn islands, etc. Some openings sacrifice
endgame considerations for a quick attack on the opponent's
position. Some unbalanced openings for black, in particular,
make use of this idea; such as the Dutch, and the Sicilian.
Other openings, such as the Alekhine and the Benoni, invite
the opponent to overextend and form pawn weaknesses. Specific
openings accept pawn weaknesses in exchange for compensation
in the form of dynamic play. (See pawn structure.)
5. Piece coordination: As each player mobilizes his or her
pieces, each attempts to assure that they are working
harmoniously towards the control of key squares.
6. Create positions in which the player is more comfortable than
the opponent: Transposition is one common way of doing this.
Apart from these ideas, other strategies used in the middlegame may
also be carried out in the opening. These include preparing pawn
breaks to create counterplay, creating weaknesses in the opponent's
pawn structure, seizing control of key squares, making favourable
exchanges of minor pieces (e.g. gaining the bishop pair), or
gaining a space advantage, whether in the center or on the flanks.
++2. Opening nomenclature
Major changes in the rules of chess in the late fifteenth century
increased the speed of the game, consequently emphasizing the
importance of opening study. Thus, early chess books, such as the
1497 text of Luis Ramirez de Lucena presents opening analysis, as
does Pedro Damiano (1512), and Ruy Lspez de Segura (1561). Ruy
Lopez's disagreement with Damiano regarding the merits of 2...Nc6
led to 3.Bb5 (after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6) being named for him as the
Ruy Lopez or Spanish Opening.^ Opening theory was studied more
scientifically from the 1840s on, and many opening variations were
discovered and named in this period and later. Opening nomenclature
developed haphazardly, and most names are historical accidents not
based on systematic principles.
The oldest openings tend to be named for geographic places and
people. Many openings are named after nationalities, for example
Indian, English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Scotch, Russian, Italian,
Scandinavian, and Sicilian. Cities are also used, such as Vienna,
Berlin, and Wilkes-Barre. The Catalan System is named after the
Catalonia region of Spain.
Chess players' names are the most common sources of opening names.
The name given to an opening is not always that of the first player
to adopt it; often an opening is named for the player who was the
first to popularize it or to publish analysis of it. Eponymic
openings include the Ruy Lopez, Alekhine's Defense, Morphy Defense,
and the R`eti Opening. Some opening names honor two people, such as
the Caro-Kann.
A few opening names are descriptive, such as Giuoco Piano (
Italian: quiet game). More prosaic descriptions include Two Knights
and Four Knights. Descriptive names are less common than openings
named for places and people.
Some openings have been given fanciful names, often names of
animals. This practice became more common in the 20th century. By
then, most of the more common and traditional sequences of opening
moves had already been named, so these tend to be unusual or
recently developed openings like the Orangutan, Hippopotamus,
Elephant, and Hedgehog.
Many terms are used for the opening as well. In addition to
Opening, common terms include Game, Defense, Gambit, and Variation;
less common terms are System, Attack, Counterattack, Countergambit,
Reversed, and Inverted. To make matters more confusing, these terms
are used very inconsistently. Consider some of the openings named
for nationalities: Scotch Game, English Opening, French Defense,
and Russian Game -- the Scotch Game and the English Opening are
both White openings (White chooses to play), the French is indeed
a defense but so is the Russian Game. Although these do not have
precise definitions, here are some general observations about how
they are used.
Game: Used only for some of the oldest openings, for example Scotch
Game, Vienna Game, and Four Knights Game.
Opening: Along with Variation, this is the most common term.
Variation: Usually used to describe a line within a more general
opening, for example the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit
Declined.
Defense: Always refers to an opening chosen by Black, such as Two
Knights Defense or King's Indian Defense, unless, of course, it has
'reversed' in front of it, which makes it an opening for white. The
term "defense" does not imply passivity; many defenses are quite
aggressive (such as the Nimzo-Indian Defense).
Gambit: An opening that involves the sacrifice of material, usually
one or more pawns. Gambits can be played by White (e.g., King's
Gambit) or Black (e.g., Latvian Gambit). The full name often
includes Accepted or Declined depending on whether the opponent
took the offered material, as in the Queen's Gambit Accepted and
Queen's Gambit Declined. In some cases, the sacrifice of material
is only temporary. The Queen's Gambit is not a true gambit because
there is no good way for Black to keep the pawn ( Ward 1999:10).
Countergambit: Any gambit played by Black; sometimes this will be
in response to a White gambit. Examples of this include the Albin
Countergambit to the Queen's Gambit, the Falkbeer Countergambit to
the King's Gambit, and the Greco Counter Gambit (the former name of
the Latvian Gambit).
System: A method of development that can be used against many
different setups by the opponent. Examples include Colle System,
Stonewall Attack, R`eti System, Barcza System, and Hedgehog System.
Attack: Sometimes used to describe an aggressive or provocative
variation such as the Albin-Chatard Attack (or Chatard-Alekhine
Attack), the Fried Liver Attack in the Two Knights Defense, and the
Grob Attack. In other cases it refers to a defensive system by
Black when adopted by White, as in King's Indian Attack. In still
other cases the name seems to be used ironically, as with the
fairly inoffensive Durkin's Attack (also called the Durkin
Opening).
Reversed, Inverted: A Black opening played by White, or more rarely
a White opening played by Black. Examples include Sicilian Reversed
(from the English Opening), and the Inverted Hungarian.
A small minority of openings are prefixed with "Anti-". These are
openings intended to avoid a particular line otherwise available to
one's opponent, for example the Anti-Marshall (against the Marshall
(Counter) Attack in the Ruy Lopez) and the Anti-Meran Gambit
(against the Meran Variation of the Semi-Slav Defense).
++3. Classification of chess openings
The beginning chess position offers White twenty possible first
moves. 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. A few other opening moves are considered
reasonable but less consistent with opening principles than the
four most popular moves. The Dunst Opening, 1.Nc3, develops a
knight to a good square, but is somewhat inflexible because it
blocks White's c-pawn; also, after 1...d5 the knight is liable to
be kicked to an inferior square by ...d4. (Note that after 1.Nf3
the analogous 1...e5? just loses a pawn.) Bird's Opening, 1.f4,
addresses center control but not development and weakens the king
position slightly. The Sokolsky Opening 1.b4 and the King's and
Queen's fianchettos 1.b3 and 1.g3 aid development a bit, but they
only address center control peripherally and are slower than the
more popular openings. The eleven remaining possibilities are
rarely played at the top levels of chess. Of these, the best are
merely slow such as 1.c3, 1.d3, and 1.e3. Worse possibilities
either ignore the center and development like 1.a3, weaken White's
position (for instance, 1.f3 and 1.g4), or place the knights on
poor squares (1.Na3 and 1.Nh3).
Black has twenty possible responses to White's opening move. Many
of these are mirror images of the most popular first moves for
White, but with a tempo less. Defenses beginning with 1...c6 and
1...e6, often followed by the center thrust 2...d5, are also
popular. Defenses with an early ...d6 coupled with a kingside
fianchetto are also commonly played.
The most important scheme of classifying chess openings for serious
players is by ECO code, a series of 500 opening codes assigned by
the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. Although these codes are
invaluable for the serious study of the chess opening, they are not
very practical for a broad survey of the chess opening as the codes
obscure common structural features between related openings.
A simple descriptive categorization of the chess opening is King's
Pawn Openings, Queen's Pawn Openings, and Others. Since these
categories are still individually very large, it is common to
divide each of them further. One reasonable way to group the
openings is
* Double King Pawn or Open Games (1. e4 e5)
* Single King Pawn or Semi-Open Games (1. e4 other)
* Double Queen Pawn or Closed Games (1. d4 d5)
* Single Queen Pawn or Semi-Closed Games (1. d4 other)
* Flank openings (including 1. c4, 1. Nf3, 1. f4, and others)
* Unusual first moves for White
The Indian systems (1. d4 Nf6) are the most important of the Semi-
Closed Games, and warrant separate treatment.
++3.A Open games (1. e4 e5)
Ruy Lopez
Giuoco Piano
King's Gambit
White starts by playing 1. e4 (moving his King's pawn two spaces).
This is the most popular opening move and it has many strengths --
it immediately works on controlling the center, and it frees two
pieces (the queen and a bishop). The oldest openings in chess
follow 1. e4. Bobby Fischer rated 1. e4 as "best by test". On the
downside, 1. e4 places a pawn on an undefended square and weakens
d4 and f4; the Hungarian master Gyula Breyer melodramatically
declared that "After 1. e4 White's game is in its last throes". If
Black mirrors White's move and replies with 1. ... e5, the result
is an open game.
The most popular second move for White is 2. Nf3 attacking Black's
king pawn, preparing for a kingside castle, and anticipating the
advance of the queen pawn to d4. Black's most common reply is 2.
... Nc6, which usually leads to the Ruy Lopez (3. Bb5), Scotch Game
(3. d4), or Italian Game (3. Bc4). If Black instead maintains
symmetry and counterattacks White's center with 2. ... Nf6 then the
Petrov's Defense results. The Philidor Defense (2. ... d6) is not
popular in modern chess because it allows White an easy space
advantage while Black's position remains cramped and passive,
although solid. Other responses to 2. Nf3 are not seen in master
play.
The most popular alternatives to 2. Nf3 are the Vienna Game (2.
Nc3), the Bishop's Opening (2. Bc4), and the King's Gambit (2. f4).
These openings have some similarities with each other, in
particular the Bishop's Opening frequently transposes to variations
of the Vienna Game. The King's Gambit was extremely popular in the
19th century. White sacrifices a pawn for quick development and to
pull a black pawn out of the center. The Vienna Game also
frequently features attacks on the Black center by means of a f2-f4
pawn advance.
In the Center Game (2. d4) White immediately opens the center but
if the pawn is to be recovered after 2. ... exd4, White must
contend with a slightly premature queen development after 3. Qxd4.
An alternative is to sacrifice one or two pawns, for example in the
Danish Gambit.
Many other variations after 1. e4 e5 have been studied; see Open
Game for details.
* 1. e4 e5 Double King's Pawn Opening or Open Game
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Ruy Lopez
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 Scotch Game
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Italian Game
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 Four Knights Game
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 Petrov's Defense
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 Philidor Defense
* 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Vienna Game
* 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bishop's Opening
* 1. e4 e5 2. f4 King's Gambit
* 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Center Game
* 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 Danish Gambit
++3.B Semi-open games (1. e4, Black plays something other than
1. ... e5)
* Sicilian Defense: 1. e4 c5
* French Defense: 1. e4 e6
* Caro-Kann Defense: 1. e4 c6
* Scandinavian Defense: 1. e4 d5
* Pirc Defense: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6
* Alekhine's Defense: 1. e4 Nf6
* Modern Defense: 1. e4 g6
In the semi-open games White plays 1. e4 and Black breaks symmetry
immediately by replying with a move other than 1. ... e5. The most
popular Black defense to 1. e4 is the Sicilian (1. ... c5), but the
French (1. ... e6, normally followed by 2. d4 d5) and the Caro-Kann
(1. ... c6, normally followed by 2. d4 d5) are also very popular.
The Pirc and the Modern are closely related openings that are also
often seen, while the Alekhine and the Scandinavian have made
occasional appearances in World Chess Championship games.
The Sicilian and French Defenses lead to unbalanced positions that
can offer exciting play with both sides having chances to win. The
Caro-Kann Defense is solid as Black intends to use his c-pawn to
support his center (1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5). Alekhine's, the Pirc and
the Modern are hypermodern openings in which Black tempts White to
build a large center with the goal of attacking it with pieces.
Other semi-open games have been studied but are less common.
++3.C Closed games (1. d4 d5)
* Double Queen's Pawn Opening or Closed Game: 1. d4 d5
* Queen's Gambit: 1. d4 d5 2. c4
* Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4
* Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
* Slav Defense: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6
* Stonewall Attack: 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. f4
(a typical move sequence)
* Colle System: 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3
The openings classified as closed games begin 1. d4 d5. The move 1.
d4 offers the same benefits to development and center control as
does 1. e4, but unlike with the King Pawn openings where the e4
pawn is undefended after the first move, the d4 pawn is protected
by White's queen. This slight difference has a tremendous effect on
the opening. For instance, whereas the King's Gambit is rarely
played today at the highest levels of chess, the Queen's Gambit
remains a popular weapon at all levels of play. Also, compared with
the King Pawn openings, transpositions between variations are more
common and critical in the closed games.
The most important closed openings are in the Queen's Gambit family
(White plays 2. c4). The Queen's Gambit is somewhat misnamed, since
White can always regain the offered pawn if desired. In the Queen's
Gambit Accepted, Black plays ... dxc4, giving up the center for
free development and the chance to try to give White an isolated
queen pawn with a subsequent ... c5 and ... cxd5. White will get
active pieces and possibilities for the attack. Black has two
popular ways to decline the pawn, the Slav (2. ... c6) and the
Queen's Gambit Declined (2. ... e6). Both of these moves lead to an
immense forest of variations that can require a great deal of
opening study to play well. Among the many possibilities in the
Queen's Gambit Declined are the Orthodox Defense, Lasker's Defense,
the Cambridge Springs Defense, the Tartakower Variation, and the
Tarrasch and Semi-Tarrasch Defenses. Black replies to the Queen's
Gambit other than 2. ... dxc4, 2. ... c6, and 2. ... e6 are
uncommon.
The Colle System and Stonewall Attack are classified as Queen's
Pawn Games because White plays d4 but not c4. They are also
examples of Systems, rather than specific opening variations. White
develops aiming for a particular formation without great concern
over how Black chooses to defend. Both systems are popular with
club players because they are easy to learn, but are rarely used by
professionals because a well prepared opponent playing Black can
equalize fairly easily. The Stonewall is characterized by the White
pawn formation on c3, d4, e3, and f4, and can be achieved by
several move orders and against many different Black setups. The
move sequence given for the Stonewall is typical.
Other closed openings have been studied but are less common.
++3.D Indian systems (1.d4 Nf6)
* Modern Benoni: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5
* Benko Gambit (or Volga Gambit): 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5
* Nimzo-Indian Defense: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4
* Queen's Indian Defense: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6
* Catalan Opening: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3
* Gr`unfeld Defense: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
* King's Indian Defense (KID): 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7
The Indian systems are asymmetrical defenses to 1. d4 that employ
hypermodern chess strategy. Fianchettos are common in many of these
openings. As with the closed games, transpositions are important
and many of the Indian defenses can be reached by several different
move orders. Although Indian defenses were championed in the 1920s
by players in the hypermodern school, they were not fully accepted
until Soviet players showed in the late 1940s that these systems
are sound for Black. Since then, Indian defenses have been the most
popular Black replies to 1.d4 because they offer an unbalanced game
with chances for both sides. The usual White second move is 2. c4,
grabbing a larger share of the center and allowing the move Nc3, to
prepare for moving the e-pawn to e4 without blocking the c-pawn.
Black's most popular replies are:
* 2. ... e6, freeing the king's bishop and leading into the
Nimzo-Indian Defense, Queen's Indian Defense, Bogo-Indian
Defense, Modern Benoni, or regular lines of the Queen's Gambit
Declined;
* 2. ... g6, preparing a fianchetto of the king's bishop and
entering the King's Indian Defense or Gr`unfeld Defense; and
* 2. ... c5, the Modern Benoni, with an immediate counter-punch
in the center.
Advocated by Nimzowitsch as early as 1913, the Nimzo-Indian Defense
was the first of the Indian systems to gain full acceptance. It
remains one of the most popular and well-respected defenses to 1.d4
and White often adopts move orders designed to avoid it. Black
attacks the center with pieces and is prepared to trade a bishop
for a knight to weaken White's queenside with doubled pawns.
The King's Indian Defense is aggressive and somewhat risky, and
generally indicates that Black will not be satisfied with a draw.
Although it was played occasionally as early as the late 19th
century, the King's Indian was considered inferior until the 1940s
when it was featured in the games of Bronstein, Boleslavsky, and
Reshevsky. Fischer's favored defense to 1.d4, its popularity faded
in the mid-1970s. Kasparov's successes with the defense restored
the King's Indian to prominence in the 1980s.
Ernst Gr`unfeld debuted the Gr`unfeld Defense in 1922.
Distinguished by the move 3. ... d5, Gr`unfeld intended it as an
improvement to the King's Indian which was not considered entirely
satisfactory at that time. The Gr`unfeld has been adopted by World
Champions Smyslov, Fischer, and Kasparov.
The Queen's Indian Defense is considered solid, safe, and perhaps
somewhat drawish. Black often chooses the Queen's Indian when White
avoids the Nimzo-Indian by playing 3. Nf3 instead of 3. Nc3. Black
constructs a sound position that makes no positional concessions,
although sometimes it is difficult for Black to obtain good winning
chances. Karpov is a leading expert in this opening.
The Modern Benoni Defense is a risky attempt by Black to unbalance
the position and gain active piece play at the cost of allowing
White a pawn wedge at d5 and a central majority. Tal popularized
the defense in the 1960s by winning several brilliant games with
it, and Bobby Fischer occasionally adopted it, with good results,
including a win in his 1972 world championship match against Boris
Spassky. Often Black adopts a slightly different move order,
playing 2. ... e6 before 3. ... c5 in order to avoid the sharpest
lines for White.
The Benko Gambit is often played by strong players, and is very
popular at lower levels. Black plays to open lines on the queenside
where White will be subject to considerable pressure. If White
accepts the gambit, Black's compensation is positional rather than
tactical, and his initiative can last even after many piece
exchanges and well into the endgame. White often chooses instead
either to decline the gambit pawn or return it.
The Catalan Opening is characterized by White forming a pawn center
at d4 and c4 and fianchettoing his king's bishop. It resembles a
combination of the Queen's Gambit and R`eti Opening. Since the
Catalan can be reached from many different move orders, (one
Queen's Gambit Declined-like move sequence is 1.d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 Nf6 4. g3), it is sometimes called the Catalan System.
The most important Indian Defenses are listed above, but many
others have been studied and played.
++3.E Other Black responses to 1.d4
* Benoni Defense: 1. d4 c5
* Dutch Defense: 1. d4 f5
Of the defenses to 1. d4 other than 1. ... d5 and 1. ... Nf6, the
most important are the Dutch Defense and the Benoni Defense.
The Dutch, an aggressive defense adopted for a time by World
Champions Alekhine and Botvinnik, and played by both Botvinnik and
challenger David Bronstein in their 1951 world championship match,
is still played occasionally at the top level by Short and others.
Another fairly common opening is the Benoni Defense, which may
become very wild if it develops into the Modern Benoni, though
other variations are more solid.
Several other uncommon semi-closed openings have been named and
studied.
++3.F Flank openings (including English, R`eti, Bird's, and
White fianchettoes)
* Larsen's Opening: 1. b3
* Sokolsky Opening: 1. b4
* English Opening: 1. c4
* R`eti Opening (characteristically followed by fianchettoing
one or both bishops, and without an early d4): 1. Nf3
* King's Indian Attack (KIA): 1. Nf3, 2. g3, 3. Bg2, 4. 0-0, 5.
d3, 6. Nbd2, 7. e4 (moves may be played in many different
orders)
* Bird's Opening: 1. f4
* Benko Opening: 1. g3
The flank openings are the group of White openings typified by play
on one or both flanks. White plays in hypermodern style, attacking
the center from the flanks with pieces rather than occupying it
with pawns. These openings are played often, and 1. Nf3 and 1. c4
trail only 1. e4 and 1. d4 in popularity as opening moves.
If White opens with 1. Nf3, the game often becomes one of the d4
openings (closed games or semi-closed games) by a different move
order (this is called transposition), but unique openings such as
the R`eti and King's Indian Attack are also common. The R`eti
itself is characterized by White playing 1. Nf3, fianchettoing one
or both bishops, and not playing an early d4 (which would generally
transpose into one of the 1. d4 openings).
The King's Indian Attack (KIA) is a system of development that
White may use in reply to almost any Black opening moves. The
characteristic KIA setup is 1. Nf3, 2. g3, 3. Bg2, 4. 0-0, 5. d3,
6. Nbd2, and 7. e4, although these moves may be played in many
different orders. In fact, the KIA is probably most often reached
after 1. e4 when White uses it to respond to a Black attempt to
play one of the Semi-open games such as the Caro-Kann, French, or
Sicilian, or even the open games which usually come after 1. e4 e5.
Its greatest appeal may be that by adopting a set pattern of
development, White can avoid the large amount of opening study
required to prepare to meet the many different possible Black
replies to 1. e4.
The English Opening (1. c4) also frequently transposes into a d4
opening, but it can take on independent character as well including
the Symmetrical Variation (1. c4 c5) and the Reversed Sicilian (1.
c4 e5).
Larsen's Opening (1. b3) and the Sokolsky Opening (1. b4) are
occasionally seen in grandmaster play. Benko used 1. g3 to defeat
both Fischer and Tal in the 1962 Candidates Tournament in Curagao.
With Bird's Opening (1. f4) White tries to get a strong grip on the
e5-square. The opening can resemble a Dutch Defense in reverse
after 1. f4 d5, or Black may try to disrupt White by playing 1. ...
e5!? (From's Gambit).
++3.G Unusual first moves for White
First moves other than the king's pawn (1. e4), queen's pawn (1.
d4), or flank openings (1. b3, 1. b4, 1. c4, 1. Nf3, 1. f4, or 1.
g3) are not regarded as effective ways to exploit White's first-
move advantage and thus are rarely played. Although some of these
openings are not actually bad for White, each of the twelve
remaining possible first moves suffers one or more of the following
defects compared to the more popular choices:
* too passive for White (e.g. 1. d3, 1. e3, 1. c3, 1. Nc3)
* gratuitously weakens White's position (e.g., 1. f3, 1. g4)
* does little to aid White's development or control the center
(e.g., 1. a3, 1. a4, 1. h3, 1. h4)
* develops a knight to an inferior square (1. Na3 or 1. Nh3).
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