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88-737: The Dunst Opening is a chess opening in which White opens with the move: This fairly uncommon opening may have more names than any other: it is also called the Heinrichsen Opening , Baltic Opening , Van Geet Opening , Sleipnir Opening , Kotrč's Opening , Meštrović Opening , Romanian Opening , Queen's Knight Attack , Queen's Knight Opening , Millard's Opening , Knight on the Left , and (in German) der Linksspringer . The names Heinrichsen and Baltic derive from Lithuanian chess player Arved Heinrichsen (1879–1900). The opening

176-443: A Caro-Kann Defense and a French Rubinstein. Black will hope to demonstrate that he has gained from the omission of an early ...c6 or ...e6, while White will generally omit d4, preferring a setup with Bc4 and d3" ( Palliser 2006 :143). After 4.Bc4, the natural move 4...Ngf6!? leads to very sharp and unclear play if White responds with 5.Bxf7+!? Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Ne6 Qe8 8.Nxc7 ( Keilhack 2005 :158–63) ( Palliser 2006 :144–46). More solid

264-863: A Dutch Defense is also possible after 1.Nc3 f5 2.d4, but Keilhack considers 2.e4! more dangerous, intending 2...fxe4 3.d3, a reversed From's Gambit ( Keilhack 2005 :369–70). Black alternatives to 2...fxe4 include 2...d6, when 3.d4 transposes to the Balogh Defense ; and 2...e5?!, when 3.Nf3 produces a Latvian Gambit , but 3.exf5!, as in a game between Steinitz and Sam Loyd , may be stronger. 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 Chess opening Opening moves that are considered standard are referred to as "book moves", or simply "book". When

352-671: A Queen's Pawn Game, 2.c4 and 2.Nf3 usually transpose to a familiar opening such as the Slav Defence , London System , or Dutch Defence . 1...b6 is the English Defence . Common White moves are 2.e4 (which transposes to the Owen Defense ), 2.Nf3, and 2.c4. 1...b5 is the Polish Defence : this is risky and should be played with care. It is better to delay ...b5 until the 2nd move. 1...a6 can quickly transpose to

440-408: 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. 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

528-540: 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 such as 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 complementary responses to White's opening move. Many of these are mirror images of

616-575: A full pawn centre with 2.e4. The opening usually leads to a form of Indian Defence , but can also lead to versions of the Queen's Gambit if Black plays ...d5 at some point. Since 1...Nf6 is a move that is likely to be made anyway, the move is a flexible response to White's first move. White usually plays 2.c4. Then Black usually plays 2...e6 (typically leading to the Nimzo-Indian , Queen's Indian , or Queen's Gambit Declined ), 2...g6 (leading to

704-578: A game begins to deviate from known opening theory , the players are said to be "out of book". In some openings, book lines have been worked out for over 30 moves, such as some lines in the classical King's Indian Defense and in the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defense. Professional chess players spend years studying openings, and they continue doing so throughout their careers as opening theory continues to evolve. Players at

792-489: A good square (unlike 1.Na3 or 1.Nh3), and does not weaken White's position (unlike, e.g., 1.g4 or 1.f3) or waste time (unlike, e.g., 1. c3), the above-stated drawbacks make it an inferior way of attempting to exploit White's first-move advantage . Of the 644 games with 1.Nc3 in ChessGames.com 's database, White won 34.8%, drew 23.9%, and lost 41.3%, for a total winning percentage of only 46.75%. White scores much better with

880-399: A large center with the goal of attacking it with pieces. Other semi-open games have been studied but are less common; see Semi-Open Game for details. 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 King Pawn openings where the e4-pawn is undefended after the first move, the d4-pawn

968-580: A number of playable moves, including 3...e5, 3...Nc6, 3...Bf5, 3...Nd7, 3...Nf6, and even 3...Qd5!?, when 4.Nc3 transposes to the Scandinavian Defense ( Keilhack 2005 :131, 144, 146, 158, 172, 176). After 3...e5, White's thematic move is 4.Bc4, when several of Black's plausible moves lead to disaster, e.g. 4...Be7? 5.Qh5! and White wins at least a pawn after 5...g6 6.Qxe5 or 5...Nh6 6.d3; or 4...Nf6? 5.Ng5! Nd5 and now 6.d4!, 6.Qf3!, and 6.Nxf7!? Kxf7 7.Qf3+ are all possible, with positions similar to

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1056-484: A pawn ( Keilhack 2005 :307–11). White's most common response to 1...d5 is 2.e4. This is the same position as 1.e4 d5 2.Nc3, an obscure branch of the Scandinavian Defense . Black has five plausible responses to 2.e4: 2...e6 and 2...c6 transpose to the French and Caro–Kann Defenses, and 2...Nf6 to a variation of Alekhine's Defence . The move 2...d4 gives Black a spatial advantage , which White may work to undermine along

1144-588: A player has specialized in is called an opening repertoire. The main elements a player needs to consider in a repertoire are: A very narrow repertoire allows for deeper specialization but also makes a player less flexible to vary against different opponents. In addition, opponents may find it easier to prepare against a player with a narrow repertoire. The main openings in a repertoire are usually reasonably sound; that is, they should lead to playable positions even against optimal counterplay. Unsound gambits are sometimes used as surprise weapons, but are unreliable for

1232-523: A stable repertoire. Repertoires often change as a player develops, and a player's advancement may be stifled if the opening repertoire does not evolve. Some openings that are effective against amateur players are less effective at the master level. For example, Black obtains active play in return for a pawn in the Benko Gambit ; amateur players may have trouble defending against Black's activity, while masters are more skilled at defending and making use of

1320-835: A well-known position in the Queen's Pawn Game , where after 2...Nf6 white can choose to play a Jobava London system with 3.Bf4, a Veresov attack with 3.Bg5 or he may transpose to the Blackmar-Deimer Gambit with 3.e4?!. Also possible is 2.Nf3 (and if 2...d4, 3.Ne4), a sort of Black Knights' Tango with an extra move ( Harding 1974 :10). A third line is 2.e3, which Keilhack calls "the Müller game," when White hopes for 2...e5 (other moves are also playable, of course) 3.Qh5!?, e.g. 3...Nc6 4.Bb5 Qd6 5.d4 exd4 6.exd4 Nf6 7.Qe5+! Be6?! (Keilhack recommends 7...Kd8!! 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nf3 Bg4) 8.Bf4 0-0-0 9.Bxc6 Qxc6? 10.Nb5!, when White wins at least

1408-601: 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 diagram positions and the move sequences given below are typical. Other closed openings have been studied but are less common; see Closed Game for details. The Indian systems are asymmetrical defenses to 1.d4 that employ hypermodern chess strategy. Fianchettos are common in many of these openings. As with

1496-414: Is Odin 's ( Wotan in German) magical eight-legged horse, and chess knights are horses with up to eight different possible moves each turn. Czech Jan Kotrč (1862–1943), editor and publisher of the magazine České Listy , said the opening was analyzed by English players. Zvonimir Meštrović (b. 1944) is a Slovenian International Master who often adopts this opening. Tim Harding refers to it as

1584-681: Is 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4, known as the Napoleon Attack, with poor chances for Black, continued by 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5. Keilhack writes that this variation "occurs rather often and offers excellent chances for an early knockout" by White and that "only two [moves] (5...Bb4 and 5...Bc5) do not immediately ruin Black's game" ( Keilhack 2005 :26). (See, e.g., the Dunst–Gresser game given below.) Additionally, White can opt to immediately transpose into mainstream opening territory with 2.e4, leading

1672-413: Is 2...e5, leading to a Vienna Game or, after 3.Nf3 Nc6, to a Four Knights Game —neither of which offers White an appreciable advantage ( Kaufman 2004 :364–65) ( de Firmian 2008 :121). Keilhack also analyzes a number of offbeat possibilities, including 2.b3, 2.Nf3, 2.f4 (an unusual form of Bird's Opening that Keilhack calls the "Aasum System"), 2.g3, and even the gambit 2.g4?! Palliser writes that none of

1760-652: Is 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 (3.e4 transposes to a Sicilian) cxd4 4.Nxd4 d5!? (seizing the center) 5.Bg5 Nbd7! 6.e4 (more critical than the passive 6.e3?!) dxe4 7.Qe2 e6!? 8.0-0-0 Be7 9.Nxe4 0-0 when "White doesn't appear to have any advantage" ( Palliser 2006 :154–56). If White chooses to transpose to standard Sicilian lines, the fact that his knight is committed to c3 may be a disadvantage in certain lines. The Closed Sicilian, commonly reached by 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3, without an early d4 by White, gives Black few theoretical difficulties ( de Firmian 2008 :346). If White instead chooses to play an Open Sicilian with 2.e4 and 3.Nf3 or Nge2, followed by d4,

1848-576: 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: 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

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1936-510: Is 4...e6 ("!" – Keilhack) ( Keilhack 2005 :164–70) ( Palliser 2006 :144–48). 1...c5 is often played by devotees of the Sicilian Defence , into which the game often transposes, either immediately after 2.e4 or at a later point. Alternatively, White can remain in independent 1.Nc3 lines, at least for the time being, with 2.Nf3 followed by 3.d4, which gives Black a large choice of possible responses. One line Palliser recommends for Black

2024-584: Is any chess opening starting with the move: It is the second-most popular opening move after 1.e4 ( King's Pawn Game ). The term "Queen's Pawn Game" is usually used to describe openings beginning with 1.d4 where White does not play the Queen's Gambit . The most common Queen's Pawn Game openings are: In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings ( ECO ), Closed Games (1.d4 d5) are classified under codes D00–D69. Openings where Black does not play 1...d5 are called Semi-Closed Games and classified as: In

2112-448: 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,

2200-493: Is common to divide each of them further. One reasonable way to group the openings is: The Indian systems (1.d4 Nf6) are the most important of the Semi-Closed Games, and warrant separate treatment. White starts by playing 1.e4 (moving their king pawn two spaces). This is the most popular opening move and it has many strengths—it immediately works on controlling the center, and it activates two pieces (the queen and

2288-487: 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 was a leading expert in this opening. The Modern Benoni is a risky attempt by Black to unbalance

2376-619: Is named after the Catalonia region. 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 Réti Opening . Some opening names honor two people, such as

2464-441: Is no knight on f6 for the bishop to harass. White's more common move is 2.c4, the Queen's Gambit , when Black usually chooses between 2...e6 ( Queen's Gambit Declined ), 2...c6 ( Slav Defence ) or 2...dxc4 ( Queen's Gambit Accepted ). White can also play 2.Nf3 which again is not specific as to opening. Then Black may play ...Nf6 (same as above) or ...e6. A Queen's Gambit may arise anyway if White plays c4 soon afterward, but lines like

2552-488: Is often known as a prepared variation , a powerful weapon in top-class competition. Whether they are trying to gain the upper hand as White, or to equalize as Black or to create dynamic imbalances, players generally devote a lot of attention in the opening stages to the following strategies: 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

2640-438: Is one of the most unpleasant replies for the 1.Nc3 player. Black keeps all options open, he can choose between a central (...d5, possibly followed by ...c5) and an Indian (...g6, ...Bg7) setup. ... Among the many possible [second] moves [for White], none really stands out." ( Keilhack 2005 :338). The most straightforward moves for White are 2.d4 and 2.e4, but neither promises White a significant advantage. After 2.d4, 2...d5 leads to

2728-536: 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 among variations are more common and critical in the closed games. The most important closed openings are in

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2816-567: Is sometimes called the Modern Defence line. White can play 2.e4 to enter the Modern Defence. More commonly, White plays 2.c4. Black may play 2...Nf6 for the King's Indian Defence (same as 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6). More commonly, Black plays 2...Bg7. Then White's moves include 3.Nc3, 3.e4, and 3.Nf3. 3.Nc3 and 3.e4 often lead to the Modern Defence, Averbakh System, as well as 2...d6. White may also play 2.Nf3. Black may respond 2...Nf6 for

2904-480: Is somewhat inflexible because it blocks White's c-pawn; also, after 1...d5 the knight is liable to be driven to an inferior square by ...d4. (Note that after 1.Nf3 the analogous 1...e5? 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 : Larsen's Opening 1.b3 and 1.g3 aid development

2992-606: 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, see Semi-Closed Game for details. The flank openings are the group of White openings typified by play on one or both flanks. White plays in hypermodern style, attacking

3080-407: 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

3168-755: Is unique to the 1...e6 move order is the Keres Defence , 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+. This move also allows 2.e4 entering the Pirc Defence . If White avoids this, 2.Nf3 or 2.c4 may lead to a King's Indian or Old Indian Defence , or Black may play 2...Bg4, sometimes called the Wade Defence (A41, see 1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Bg4 ). 2.c4 e5 is the Rat Defense, English Rat . 1...f5 is the Dutch Defence . Common White moves are 2.g3, 2.Nf3, and 2.c4. 1...g6

3256-462: 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. Most players realize after a while that they play certain types of positions better than others, and that the amount of theory they can learn is limited. Therefore, most players specialize in certain openings where they know the theory and that lead to positions they favor. The set of openings

3344-446: 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

3432-745: 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 their c-pawn to support their center (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5). Alekhine's, the Pirc and the Modern are hypermodern openings in which Black tempts White to build

3520-597: The Caro–Kann and the Smith–Morra . A few opening names are purely descriptive, such as Giuoco Piano ( Italian : quiet game ), Two Knights Defense , Four Knights Game and Bishop's Opening . 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

3608-538: The Colle System and Torre Attack are also possible. The Franco-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterized by the moves: 1.d4 e6. This play allows White to play 2.e4, entering the French Defence . If White wants to continue with a Queen's Pawn Game however, 2.c4 and 2.Nf3 usually transpose to a familiar opening such as the Queen's Gambit Declined , Nimzo-Indian or Queen's Indian . A line that

Dunst Opening - Misplaced Pages Continue

3696-552: The King's Indian or Grünfeld Defence ), or 2...c5 (leading to the Benoni Defence or Benko Gambit ). Rarer tries include 2...e5 ( Budapest Gambit ) and 2...d6 ( Old Indian Defence ). White can also play 2.Nf3, which like Black's move is not specific as to opening. A third alternative is the Trompowsky Attack with 2.Bg5. 1...d5 ( Closed Game ) also prevents White from playing 2.e4 unless White wants to venture

3784-697: The Orangutan , Hippopotamus, Elephant, Hedgehog, and, most recently, the Cow. A few are given humorous names, such as the Monkey's Bum and the Toilet Variation . Opening names usually include one of the terms "opening", "variation", "defense", "gambit" etc, however the terminology is inconsistent and imprecise, and is not a useful basis for classification. Broadly, these terms are used as follows: Chess openings are primarily categorized by move sequences. In

3872-534: The Richter-Veresov Attack (3.Bg5) or another type of Queen's Pawn Game such as a Jobava London System, where White, having blocked his c-pawn, has little chance for an advantage ( Kaufman 2004 :469, 473). After 2.e4, Black can again play 2...d5 with a variation of the Alekhine's Defense; or 2...d6 3.d4 g6 with a Pirc Defense or 3...e5 with a Philidor's Defense . The most solid response to 2.e4

3960-419: 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. In the early 1930s, the nascent FIDE embarked on a project to standardize opening nomenclature, culminating in

4048-663: 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 divert a black pawn from the center. The Vienna Game also frequently features attacks on

4136-527: The "Queen's Knight Attack" ( Harding 1974 :8). National Master Hugh Myers called it "Millard's Opening" after Henry Millard (1824–1891), a blind correspondence chess player who drew with the opening in a simultaneous exhibition against Joseph Henry Blackburne . Blackburne later played the opening himself against Josef Noa in the London 1883 international chess tournament ( Myers 2002 :24–25). The German FIDE Master Harald Keilhack in his 2005 book on

4224-437: The 19th century and early 20th century, 1.e4 was by far the most common opening move by White ( Watson 2006 :87), while the different openings starting with 1.d4 were considered somewhat unusual and therefore classed together as "Queen's Pawn Game". As the merits of 1.d4 started to be explored, it was the Queen's Gambit which was played most often—more popular than all other 1.d4 openings combined. The term "Queen's Pawn Game"

4312-491: The 20 possible first moves, behind 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.Nf3, 1.c4, 1.g3, 1.f4, and 1.b3. As of February 6, 2009, out of the over 500,000 games in ChessGames.com 's database, only 644—about 1 out of every 780—begins with 1.Nc3. The third-ranking 1.Nf3 is 66 times as popular. Some very strong correspondence chess players employ 1.Nc3 frequently, and it is occasionally seen over-the-board. The reasons for 1.Nc3's lack of popularity are that it does not stop Black from occupying

4400-540: 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. In

4488-609: The Catalan System. The most important Indian Defenses are listed below, but many others have been studied and played; see Indian Defense for details. 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 ,

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4576-593: 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. Queen%27s Pawn Game The Queen's Pawn Game

4664-712: The King's Indian, or more commonly, 2...Bg7. Common White responses are 3.e4, 3.c4, and 3.g3. 1...c5 is the Old Benoni Defence : this is a form of the Benoni Defence seldom used. 1...Nc6 is the Queen's Knight Defense (or Mikenas Defense): this can usually transpose to the Chigorin Defense or the Nimzowitsch Defense . This move allows White to play 2.e4, entering the Caro–Kann Defence . If, however, White wants to continue with

4752-439: 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 ...cxd4. White will get active pieces and possibilities for the attack. Black has two popular ways to decline

4840-493: 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

4928-400: The alternatives to 2.e4 "really convince or should greatly trouble Black over the board" ( Palliser 2006 :142). This natural move is probably playable, but already a slight inaccuracy as White maintains an opening advantage in all lines. It is also particularly dangerous if Black does not know what he is doing, with numerous traps and knight tactics which Black must avoid. One of the main lines

5016-403: The center (while 1.Nf3 prevents 1...e5, 1.Nc3 does not prevent 1...d5 because the d-pawn is guarded by the queen), and it blocks White's c-pawn from moving, thus making it impossible to play c3 or c4 (which are often desirable moves) without moving the knight first. In addition, after 1...d5, the knight's position is unstable because Black may attack it with ...d4. Although 1.Nc3 develops a piece to

5104-506: 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 Réti and King's Indian Attack are also common. The Réti itself

5192-524: 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, 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 taken up by Bronstein , Boleslavsky , and Reshevsky . Despite being Fischer 's favored defense to 1.d4, its popularity faded in

5280-508: 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

5368-413: The club level also study openings, but the importance of the opening phase is less there since games are rarely decided in the opening. The study of openings can become unbalanced if it is to the exclusion of tactical training and middlegame and endgame strategy. 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

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5456-468: The dubious Blackmar–Diemer Gambit . 1...d5 is not any worse than 1...Nf6, but committing the pawn to d5 at once makes it somewhat less flexible since Black can no longer play the Indian Defences, although if Black is aiming for Queen's Gambit positions this may be of minor importance. Also, a move like 2.Bg5 ( Hodgson Attack ) is considered relatively harmless compared to 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 since there

5544-537: The extra pawn. Some openings played between grandmasters are so complex and theoretical that amateur players will have trouble understanding them. An example is the Perenyi Attack of the Sicilian Defense (see diagram), which yields an immensely complicated and tactical position that even strong players have difficulty handling, and that is beyond the comprehension of most amateurs. Major changes in

5632-454: The gambit pawn or return it. The Catalan Opening is characterized by White forming a pawn center at d4 and c4 and fianchettoing their king's bishop. It resembles a combination of the Queen's Gambit and Réti 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

5720-575: The game into King's Pawn Openings such as the Vienna Game , or Four Knights Game , however, it is thought that 2.Nf3 followed by 3.d4 is White's best chance of gaining an advantage out of the opening. The move 1.Nc3 is considered an irregular opening , so it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (also see List of chess openings ). Transpositions to more common openings are possible, many of which are discussed in

5808-399: The initial position, White has twenty legal 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

5896-435: The kingside," usually with Ng3, Nf3, Bc4 or Bb5, 0-0, and d3 ( Keilhack 2005 :44). Alternative lines for White include the unusual 3.Nb1!?, with which van Geet once drew Spassky , and, after 3.Nce2, playing a sort of King's Indian Attack with d3, g3, Bg2, f4, Nf3, and 0-0 – a line Keilhack calls the "Lizard Attack" ( Keilhack 2005 :125). The fifth alternative, 1...d5 2.e4 dxe4, leads to more open play. After 3.Nxe4, Black has

5984-668: The knight's placement on c3 prevents White from playing the Maróczy Bind with c4. This makes the Accelerated Dragon Variation with 2...Nc6 and 3...g6 particularly attractive ( Gallagher 1994 :146). Black may also stop White's intended d4 by playing an early ...e5, e.g. 1.Nc3 c5 2.e4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e5 ( Gallagher 1994 :151–55) or 3.Nge2 e5 ( Gallagher 1994 :148–51). Grandmaster Larry Kaufman recommends 1...Nf6, intending to meet 2.e4 with 2...e5 or 2.d4 with 2...d5 ( Kaufman 2004 :484). Keilhack writes that "1...Nf6

6072-591: The line of the Two Knights Defense beginning 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5?! ( Keilhack 2005 :133–34). However, 3...e5 4.Bc4 Nc6! is playable ( Keilhack 2005 :135–43). International Master Richard Palliser, in his 2006 book Beating Unusual Chess Openings , recommends 1...d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nxe4 Nd7 for Black. He explains, "Black doesn't attempt to refute White's opening or to gain lots of space (as with 2...d4), but simply settles for sensible development. The position should be compared to both

6160-524: The lines of hypermodernism . Keilhack writes, "2...d4 is chosen either by somewhat naive players who are attracted by the fact that Black wins time and space ... or by strong players who are aware of the strategic risks but are striving for a complex battle." ( Keilhack 2005 :44) He considers the Van Geet Attack, 2...d4 3.Nce2 followed by 4.Ng3, to be "the core of the 1.Nc3 opening," "a fully independent entity which strives for early knight activity on

6248-502: The mid-1970s. Kasparov 's successes with the defense restored the King's Indian to prominence in the 1980s. Ernst Grünfeld debuted the Grünfeld Defense in 1922. Distinguished by the move 3...d5, Grünfeld intended it as an improvement to the King's Indian which was not considered entirely satisfactory at that time. The Grünfeld has been adopted by World Champions Smyslov , Fischer, and Kasparov. The Queen's Indian Defense

6336-598: The middlegame and the strategic plans chosen by both sides. For example, in the main line of the Winawer Variation of the French Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3), White will try to use their 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

6424-514: The more popular 1.e4 (54.25%), 1.d4 (55.95%), 1.Nf3 (55.8%), 1.c4 (56.3%), and 1.g3 (55.8%). However, as of October 2018, for the 38,043 games with 1.Nc3 in Lichess.org 's database, White has a total winning percentage of 57.25% (55% won, 5% drawn, 40% lost), although it is still only the tenth most popular first move for White. Interestingly as a testament to Nc3 as an interesting move choice to simplify opening theory yet being effective: After 1.e4 d5

6512-405: The most popular first moves for White, but with one less tempo . 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

6600-576: The opening states that it has also been referred to as the Romanian Defense, and that he prefers the neutral appellation "Der Linksspringer" or, in English, "the Knight on the Left" ( Keilhack 2005 :7). The opening move 1.Nc3 develops the knight to a good square where it attacks the central e4 and d5 squares. Although quite playable, 1.Nc3 is rarely seen; it is only the eighth most popular of

6688-408: The opponent's pawn structure, seizing control of key squares, making favorable exchanges of minor pieces (e.g. gaining the bishop pair), or gaining a space advantage, whether in the center or on the flanks. At higher levels of competition, for many years the main objectives of opening play were to obtain a better position when playing as White and to equalize when playing as Black. The idea behind this

6776-742: 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

6864-436: 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 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

6952-500: The preceding section. In addition, 1.Nc3 d5 2.e4 reaches a position in the Scandinavian Defense; 1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.e4 leads to a Scotch Four Knights Game ; 1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e4 Bc5 or 3...g6 gives a Three Knights Game ; 1.Nc3 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.e4, or 2...e5 and now 3.d5 Nce7 4.e4 or 3.dxe5 Nxe5 4.e4, yields a Nimzowitsch Defense ; and 1.Nc3 b6 2.e4 Bb7 3.d4 is an Owen's Defense . Transposition to

7040-459: The publication of a short booklet in 1933, but this had little impact. The oldest openings tend to be named for geographic places and people. Many openings are named after nationalities of players who advocated them, for example Indian, English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Scotch, Russian, Italian, Scandinavian and Sicilian, or places where important games featuring the opening were played such as Vienna, Berlin, and Wilkes-Barre . The Catalan System

7128-606: 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

7216-436: 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 , present opening analysis, as do Pedro Damiano (1512) and Ruy López de Segura (1561). Ruy López'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

7304-518: 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

7392-442: 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 their initiative can last even after many piece exchanges and well into the endgame . White often chooses instead either to decline

7480-558: The usual 2.exd5 is 48% win rate for White whilst 2.Nc3 has a 49% win rate as of 30 July 2022 - albeit with less sample size but still over 300,000 games. This could arise from the mainline of this article from 1.Nc3 d5 2.e4 which shows in fact the Dunst system is actually being regularly used online with great effect. This is one of Black's best replies, occupying the center and undermining the unsettled position of White's knight. White can prevent 2...d4 by playing 2.d4 themselves, transposing to

7568-461: 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 positions with which the player is more familiar and comfortable than the opponent. This

7656-667: Was analyzed and played by the New York actress Kirsten Dunst (1907–1985), giving the opening its most popular name in the United States. The Dutch International Master and correspondence grandmaster Dirk Daniel ("Dick D.") van Geet (1932–2012) frequently played 1.Nc3, so it is often called the Van Geet Opening in the Netherlands . The appellation Sleipnir seems to come from Germany . Sleipnir

7744-493: Was then narrowed down to any opening with 1.d4 which was not a Queen's Gambit. Eventually, through the efforts of the hypermodernists , the various Indian Defences (such as the King's Indian , Nimzo-Indian , and Queen's Indian ) became more popular, and as these openings were named, the term "Queen's Pawn Game" narrowed further. The Black responses given below are ranked in order of popularity according to ChessBase for FIDE-rated games. This move prevents White from establishing

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