Transcript Slide 1

Howard School Chess Club
Directed by: David Israel
and Heather Harvey
OPENING MOVES
• The first moves of a chess game are termed the "opening" or
"opening moves".
• A good opening will provide better protection of the King.
• Provide control over an area of the board (particularly the
center).
• Provides greater mobility for pieces.
• Possibly opportunities to capture opposing pawns and pieces.
• The possible opening moves of chess have been extensively
studied for hundreds of years.
• Many of these sequences have been given names to simplify
discussion of a game.
OPENING MOVES
• This briefly lists a few of the more well-known chess
openings.
• This is so that when you see the first few moves you can
at least say "Ah! That's the X!", where X is some wellknown opening.
• Many books and encyclopedias give "how to play"
information on each opening;
• Here, we'll concentrate on at least knowing some
common approaches to starting chess.
•
• This is a small subset of well-known openings; many
others are not covered here.
OPENING MOVES
•
•
•
•
•
In all openings there is a struggle for key territory.
In particular the center squares.
An effort to deploy pieces and pawns in useful positions.
Some are direct.
While others are more subtle and indirect approaches
toward these goals.
There are three groups of openings:
One
• White can start by moving his King's pawn 2 spaces, i.e. playing "e4".
• This move has many strengths.
• It immediately works on controlling the center, and it frees two pieces (the
Queen and a Bishop).
• This is a popular first move, leaving Black with two options:
• Black may choose to mirror White's move and reply with "e5" for the same
reasons:
• Black can also try something other than mirroring White's "e4" move,
leading to openings:
Ruy Lopez
• The Ruy Lopez (also called the "Spanish" opening)
starts out as
• 1. e4 e5
• 2. Nf3 Nc6
• 3. Bb5
• The Ruy Lopez is an old opening; it is named after Ruy Lopez,
• A 16th Century Spanish clergyman and chess enthusiast.
• However, although it is named after him, this particular opening was
known earlier.
• It is included in the Gottengen manuscript, which dates from 1490.
• The opening is still in active use;
• It is a favorite of Gary Kasparov and Bobby Fischer.
• In it, White creates a potential pin of the d-pawn or Knight and starts
an attack immediately, while simultaneously preparing to castle.
Ruy Lopez:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5
Ruy Lopez:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5
• White generally directs pressure on Black's e-pawn and tries to
prepare for a pawn on d4.
• It's known that Black's best reply on move 3 is (a6), which
attacks White's attacking bishop.
• After that, White can back up (Ba4) or exchange pieces
(Bxc6).
Giuoco Piano
• This "Quiet Game" has White
performing a mild attack with his
Bishop.
• But Black is often able to even up
the game with his defenses.
• It starts as:
• 1. e4 e5
• 2. Nf3 Nc6
• 3. Bc4 Bc5
• If White then replies "d3", you
have the "Guioco Pianissimo"
("The Quietest Game") - a very
passive game
"Evans Gambit"
• If White replies with
"b4?!",
• you have the "Evans
Gambit",
• in which White offers a
pawn in exchange for a
powerful center
• and possibly opening his
Queen Bishop.
King's Gambit
• White offers a pawn in exchange
for rapid development.
• It's rarely seen now at the master
level;
• According to Keene it's been
found that Black can obtain a
reasonable position (giving
nothing for White's pawn).
• 1. e4 e5
• 2. f4 A
• natural following move is "exf4"
accepting the gambit.
There are three groups of openings:
Two
• White can start by moving the Queen's
pawn to "d4".
• This leads to openings
Sicilian Defense
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Sicilian starts as:
1. e4 c5
The Sicilian is popular at the master
level.
Black immediately fights for the
center.
But by attacking from the c-file
(instead of mirroring White's move)
he creates a position that leads to lots
of complicated positions.
Black tries to attack White's e-pawn,
often through a Knight at f6 and
Bishop at b7.
Black would like to make the move
"d5" without retribution.
Sicilian Defense
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Sicilian has been extensively
studied, and there are many
variations.
A popular variation is the "Dragon"
variation, which starts as:
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 g6
In this variation, Black finachettos a
bishop on the h8-a1 diagonal.
This is called the "Dragon" variation
because Black's pawn structure is
supposed to look like a dragon.
Sicilian Defense
•
Another variation that's quite popular
is the "Najdorf" variation.
•
It starts just like the Dragon, and
diverges on Black's move 5:
•
•
•
•
•
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
•
According to Grandmaster Daniel
King White often responds with
"Be2", permitting Black to attack the
center with "e5!".
French Defense
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
In the French Defense.
Black lets White have more control over
the center,
In exchange for which he builds a
(hopefully) safe wall of pawns.
The French Defense starts as:
1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
Games generally involve jockeying for
position.
The center usually becomes closed.
Two competing pawn chains arise, and
each player tries to outflank the other.
White generally tries to play e5;
Black tries to play c5 or f6.
Black's queen Bishop often becomes
trapped and useless, and it's known as the
"French Bishop".
Caro-Kann
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Caro-Kann is like the French defense
Black lets White build control of the
center.
Black tries to get a pawn at d5.
It looks like a "wimpy Sicilian". The CaroKann starts out as:
1. e4 c6
2. d4 d5
The main line of the Caro-Kann is
1. e4 c6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 dxe4
Black gets to eliminate one of White's
central pawns and can get his pieces
developed.
Which is an advantage over the French
Defense.
However, Black's pieces end up with more
of a passive defensive role.
So players of this opening are often
looking for White to make a mistake
(however slight).
Center Counter
•
•
•
•
•
The Center Counter starts out as:
1. e4 d5
This opening is also called the
"Scandinavian" opening.
A common continuation is
exd5 Qxd5
Pirc/Modern
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It starts:
1. e4 d6 or 1. e4 g6
Keene labels the "Modern Defense" as the
sequence:
1. e4 g6
2. d4 Bg7
This is a relatively new opening.
In the 1930s this was considered inferior.
But by the 1960s it was found to be quite
playable.
Black lets White take the center with the
view to undermining and ruining White's
"wonderful" position.
This opening is tricky to play and correct
play of it is counter-intuitive.
Immediate center control is not a goal,
since Black is trying to undermine that
control.
There are three groups of openings:
Three
• White can start with some other move than
"e4" or "d4". One example is the English
Opening.
Queen's Gambit
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Now we look at openings other than
"1. e4".
The Queen's Gambit starts with:
1. d4 d5
2. c4
White offers up a pawn in exchange
for rapid development.
Black can accept the gambit with
dxc4, playing "Queen's Gambit
Accepted",
Which is a risky way to play this
gambit.
Black can also play Nc6 (the
Tchigoran Defense).
e6 (which leads to the Tarrasch
Defense), or play e6 (the Orthodox
Defense).
King's Indian Defense
•
•
•
•
•
•
This is a "hypermodern" opening,
where Black lets White take the
center with the view to later ruining
White's "wonderful" position.
It's a risky opening, a favorite of both
Kasparov and Fischer.
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6
3. Nc3 Bg7
Black will be interested in playing c5,
and when White plays d5, reply with
e6 and b5.
Nimzo-Indian, Bogo-Indian, and Queen's Indian
Defense
•
•
•
•
•
All of these "Indian" defenses start
with:
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
The Nimzo-Indian continues with
"Nc3 Bb4".
In the Nimzo-Indian, White tries to
create a pawn center and mass
his pieces behind them for attack.
Dutch Defense
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Dutch defense starts as:
1. d4 f5
The Dutch defense is an aggressive
counter play by Black.
Black immediately begins to move
toward White's kingside in an attempt
to crush White.
However, it also creates weaknesses
in Black's position from the beginning
This move of the f-pawn weakens
Black's defenses and doesn't help
develop pieces.
English Opening
•
•
•
•
•
The English opening is a "flank"
maneuver.
It starts very differently:
1. c4
Here White hopes to control the
center by first gaining support on the
side.
A common response for Black is "c5".
References
• How to Play the Opening in Chess. 1993.
Raymond Keene and David Levy.
• ISBN 0-8050-2937-0.
• The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings.
• Batsford Chess Openings 2. 1989, 1994. Garry
Kasparov and Raymond Keene. New York,
New York: Henry Holt and Company.
• ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.