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20-604: According to various databases, out of the twenty possible first moves from White, the move 1.b4 ranks ninth in popularity. It is considered an irregular opening , so it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings . One of the earliest opening plays of b4 was by Bernhard Fleissig playing against Carl Schlechter in 1893, although Fleissig was handily defeated in just 18 moves. Nikolai Bugaev defeated former world champion Wilhelm Steinitz with it in

40-609: A simul exhibition game , and later published an analysis of the opening in 1903 in a Russian magazine article. Savielly Tartakower defeated Richard Réti using b4 in a match in 1919 when both were top-level players, and Reti himself defeated Abraham Speijer in Scheveningen 1923 using the opening. The most famous use came in a game between Tartakower and Géza Maróczy at the New York 1924 chess tournament on March 21, 1924. The name "The Orangutan" originates from that game:

60-437: A draw. In May 2021, world champion Magnus Carlsen essayed the opening against GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So in the online FTX Crypto Cup rapid tournament. The opening is largely based upon tactics on the queenside or the f6- and g7-squares. Black can respond in a variety of ways: For example, a common response is for Black to make a claim on the centre , which White's first move ignores, with 1...e5 (it

80-677: A few non- transposing lines beginning 1.g3, are classified under the code "A00" by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings and described as "uncommon" or "irregular". Although they are classified under a single code, these openings are unrelated to each other. The openings classified as A00 are: The Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack (1.b3, ECO code A01) and Bird's Opening (1.f4, ECO codes A02–A03) have also been described as "irregular", particularly in older books. Openings in which Black makes an unconventional response to 1.e4 are classified as B00 ( King's Pawn Game ). Included in this code are: Of these, 1...Nc6, 1...b6, 1...a6, and 1...g5 have received

100-657: Is an opening considered unusual or unorthodox. In the early 19th century the term was used for any opening not beginning with 1.e4 e5 (the Open Game ) or 1.d4 d5 (the Closed Game ). As opening theory has developed and openings formerly considered "irregular" have become standard, the term has been used less frequently. Because these openings are not popular with chess players, the standard opening references such as Modern Chess Openings (MCO) and Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) do not cover them in detail. While

120-491: Is normal for White to ignore the attack on the b-pawn and play 2.Bb2, where 2...d6, 2...f6, and 2...Bxb4 are all playable), 1...d5 (possibly followed by 2.Bb2 Qd6, attacking b4 and supporting ...e7–e5), or 1...f5. Less ambitious moves like 1...Nf6, 1...c6 (called the Outflank Variation, preparing ...Qb6 or ...a5), and 1...e6 are also reasonable. Rarer attempts have been made with 1...a5 or 1...c5. Black's reply 1...e6

140-403: Is that many players have not studied the resulting positions in depth. As such, they can be a useful tool when played intentionally, similar to chess traps , to throw the other player off their preferred openings they've prepared for and played many times, and force the game onto a path that only the irregular opening player has studied. This advantage can offset the theoretical weakness; even if

160-552: Is the chemical symbol for the element sodium . Similarly, the Amar Opening (1.Nh3) is sometimes referred to as the "Ammonia Opening". White may follow up by playing c4, e.g. 1...d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nxc4. This development of the queen's knight does little to utilize White's advantage of the first move . On a3 the knight does not control central squares, and White would have to move this knight again (e.g., to c2 or c4) for it to follow common rules such as controlling

180-768: Is usually followed by ...d5, ...Nf6 and an eventual ...c5. After 1...a5 White will most likely play 2.b5 and take advantage of Black's queenside weakness. Black's 1...c5 is much sharper and more aggressive and is normally used to avoid theory. After the capture Black will generally place pressure on the c5-square and will develop an attack against White's weak queenside structure at the cost of an inferior central position. 1.Na3: Durkin 1.a3: Anderssen 1.b3: Nimzowitsch-Larsen 1.Nc3: Dunst 1.c3: Saragossa 1.d3: Mieses 1.e3: Van 't Kruijs 1.Nf3: Zukertort 1.f3: Barnes 1.g3: Benko 1.Nh3: Amar 1.h3: Clemenz Irregular chess openings In chess , an irregular opening

200-473: The center. Angus Dunnington suggests that combining this with a gradual central expansion should give White a reasonable position. Bibliography 1.Na3: Durkin 1.a3: Anderssen 1.b3: Nimzowitsch-Larsen 1.Nc3: Dunst 1.c3: Saragossa 1.d3: Mieses 1.e3: Van 't Kruijs 1.Nf3: Zukertort 1.f3: Barnes 1.g3: Benko 1.Nh3: Amar 1.h3: Clemenz This chess opening -related article

220-809: The first or second player moves other than (1.e4 e5 or 1.d4 d5) are usually designated "Irregular". Without assenting to the propriety of this distinction, I have thought it advisable, for the sake of perspicuity, to adopt a general and well known classification in preference to arranging these peculiar débuts under separate and less familiar heads." Under this heading, Staunton considers the French Defence, Sicilian Defence, Scandinavian Defence , Owen's Defence , Dutch Defence , Benoni Defence , Bird's Opening and English Opening. Irregular openings are usually considered somewhat weaker than standard openings if both players play "perfectly". An element that many irregular openings share in common to their favor, however,

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240-469: The game was ultimately drawn. The opening received sporadic play in the decades that followed. Tartakower had more success in 1926 when he used it against Edgard Colle for a victory. One of the most notable proponents was the Soviet player Alexei Pavlovich Sokolsky (1908–1969), who often used it in high-level play. Sokolsky wrote a monograph on the opening in 1963, Debyut 1 b2–b4 , which would lead to

260-610: The irregular openings are "seldom played, because they are generally dull and uninteresting". Among the openings he analyzes under this heading are the French Defence and English Opening (both now considered standard), Bird's Opening and a few 1.d4 d5 lines without the Queen's Gambit. Lewis assigns no names to these openings. Carl Jaenisch , who was an early advocate of the French and Sicilian defences, rejected this use of

280-687: The most theoretical attention. Tony Miles famously used 1...a6 to defeat Anatoly Karpov . Durkin Opening The Durkin Opening (also known as the Durkin Attack or the Sodium Attack ) is a rarely played chess opening that consists of the following move: The Durkin Opening is named for Robert T. Durkin (1923–2014) of New Jersey . The name "Sodium Attack" comes from the algebraic notation 1.Na3, as Na

300-541: The opening being called the "Sokolsky Opening". Sokolsky's work defended the viability of the opening even at the highest levels of professional play. The final term, and the one used in contemporary books and chess websites such as Chess.com and Lichess , is the Polish Opening. This is by analogy to the Polish Defense (1. d4 b5), where Black's Queen's Knight pawn is advanced two spaces. In general,

320-483: The opening is not popular at the top level. Alexander Alekhine , who played in the same 1924 New York tournament as Tartakower and the Orangutan game, wrote that the problem is that it reveals White's intentions before White knows what Black's intentions are. That said, it still sees sporadic use among top level grandmasters. Boris Spassky used it against Vasily Smyslov in a 1960 match, albeit having to settle for

340-818: The other player avoids any direct blunders, they may be forced to spend time deriving the correct move through personal analysis, rather than instantly knowing the "correct" reply from a memorized opening book. In the same way, such strategies could be effective against older and weaker computer chess programs from the 1980s and 1990s: a chess program that heavily relied on memorized opening books from games of top players could be set adrift quickly by an irregular opening, and forced to calculate moves for itself. Such tactics no longer work on modern chess programs, however, which are significantly stronger. The vast majority of high-level chess games begin with either 1.e4 , 1.d4 , 1.Nf3 , or 1.c4 . Also seen occasionally are 1.g3 , 1.b3 , and 1.f4 . Other opening moves by White, along with

360-458: The players visited the Bronx Zoo the previous day, where Tartakower consulted an orangutan named Susan. She somehow indicated, Tartakower insisted, that he should open with b4. Also, Tartakower was impressed with the climbing skills of the orangutan, and thought that the "climb" of the b-pawn was similar. In that particular game, Tartakower came out of the opening with a decent position, but

380-409: The term "irregular", saying that openings should rather be classified as "correct", "incorrect" or "hazardous". In The Chess-Player's Handbook (1847), for many years the standard English-language reference book on the game of chess, Howard Staunton accepted Lewis's overall classification system while tacitly acknowledging Jaenisch's objections. He wrote "Those methods of commencing the game, in which

400-654: The term has frequently been used in chess literature, its meaning has never been precise and has varied between writers. One of the earliest references to "irregular openings" in chess literature was made by William Lewis in his 1832 work Second Series of Lessons on the Game of Chess . Lewis classified openings under the headings " King's Bishop's Game " (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4), " King's Knight's Game " (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3), " Queen's Bishop's Pawn Game " (1.e4 e5 2.c3), " King's Gambit " (1.e4 e5 2.f4), " Queen's Gambit " (1.d4 d5 2.c4) and "Irregular Openings" (all other openings). Lewis comments that

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