FAMOUS OPENING

Sicilian Defense - ...d6 Variations

Since the most popular first move in chess is 1.e4, it follows that many of the most popular openings are King's Pawn Openings. Similarly, since the most popular response to 1.e4 is 1...c5, variations of the Sicilian Defense easily make any list of the top 10 openings. Following this logic, the first of our most popular openings is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 as shown in the diagram. The popularity of this variation is due to the combined popularity of the four well known variations that Black can choose with the next move. 5...a6 : Najdorf Variation 5...Nc6 : Classical Variation 5...e6 : Scheveningen Variation 5...g6 : Dragon Variation

Sicilian Defense - Black avoids an early ...d6

Another popular way of playing the Sicilian Defense is by avoiding an early ...d6. Two ways to do this are by playing 2...Nc6 or 2...e6 instead of 2...d6 as in the previous variation. The move 2...Nc6 is slightly more popular than 2...e6, and usually leads to 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 as shown in the diagram. Now Black has at least four acceptable ways to continue. 4...Nf6 4...e6 4...g6 4...e5

Ruy Lopez 4.Ba4

In response to 1.e4, the move 1...e5 is only slightly less popular than 1...c5. The family of openings that start 1.e4 e5 are often known as Open Games. After the natural 2.Nf3 Nc6, attacking and defending Black's Pawn on e5, White continues the attack with 3.Bb5. This is called the Ruy Lopez, known in some languages as the Spanish Game. The most popular continuation is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O as in the diagram. Here Black has three popular continuations. 5...Be7 : Closed Ruy Lopez 5...Nxe4 : Open Ruy Lopez 5...b5

Italian Game

Instead of attacking Black's e-Pawn as in the Ruy Lopez, White can attack Black's sensitive Pawn on f7. This shouldn't be done by playing Qh5, which exposes the Queen to an attack by ...Nf6, but rather by Bc4, which develops a minor piece at the same time that it attacks f7. White can play 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4, but a more popular continuation is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 as in the diagram. Now Black has two excellent continuations. 3...Nf6 : Two Knights' Defense 3...Bc5 : Giuoco Piano

French Defense

The last of our popular openings which start 1.e4 is the French Defense (1...e6). It is considerably less popular than either 1...c5 or 1...e5, but considerably more so than any of the alternatives. The French usually starts 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 as in the diagram. Now White has four good moves. 3.Nc3 : Leads to two great families depending on whether Black responds 3...Bb4 or 3...Nf6. 3.Nd2 : Tarrasch Variation 3.e5 : Advance Variation 3.exd5 : Exchange Variation

Nimzo Indian or Queen's Indian?

Black must also be prepared to play against 1.d4. There are two great families known as the Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6) and the Closed Game (1.d4 d5). Since the various Indian

Defenses taken together are more popular than the Closed Game, two of our top 10 popular openings are in the Indian family. The first is where Black plays 2...e6, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 as in the diagram. Now White decides whether to allow an immediate pin on the Queen's Knight. 3.Nc3 Bb4 : Nimzo Indian (the alternative 3...d5 transposes to a Closed Game) 3.Nf3 b6 : Queen's Indian (or 3...d5, also transposing to a Closed Game)

King's Indian or Gruenfeld?

The second of our popular openings in the Indian family is where Black plays 2...g6 The most popular variation is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 as in the diagram. Black has two popular responses. 3...Bg7 : King's Indian Defense 3...d5 : Gruenfeld Defense (occasionally called the Gruenfeld Indian Defense)

Closed Game

The Closed Game usually starts 1.d4 d5 2.c4 as in the diagram. This is better known as the Queen's Gambit. Black has three responses which have different characteristics. 2...e6 : Queen's Gambit Declined 2...c6 : Slav Defense 2...dxc4 : Queen's Gambit Accepted

Reti System

Are you surprised to find that one of our top 10 popular openings is a single move? In fact we have two first moves for White in our top 10. The slightly more popular of the two is 1.Nf3 as shown in the diagram. We have three reasons for choosing a single move.

First, although 1.Nf3 is played less frequently than 1.e4 or 1.d4, it is far more popular than the next group of initial moves for White. It can't be overlooked or ignored. Second, while there are several good responses to it, the most popular response is 1... Nf6. Now if White continues 2.d4 or 2.c4, the game will often transpose into an Indian Opening or a Closed Game. In other words, the most popular response leads back into popular openings that we have already chosen. Finally, none of the alternatives to 1...Nf6 are as popular as our other top 10 openings. Taken together they have many adherents. 1...d5 1...c5 1...g6

English Opening

Our last opening is again a single move. White often plays 1.c4, as in the diagram. We include 1.c4 for the same reasons as 1.Nf3 : (1) although played less frequently than 1.e4 or 1.d4, it has a considerable following; (2) the most popular response leads back to the 1.d4 openings; and (3) none of the alternate responses are as popular. There is one additional consideration : there are so many good responses that no single move is considerably more popular than any other. 1...Nf6 1...e5 1...e6 1...c5 1...g6 1...c6 1...f5

Many of these moves lead to less popular responses to 1.d4. The moves 1.c4 c6 will often transpose to a Slav Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6), while the moves 1.c4 f5 will usually transpose to a Dutch Defense (1.d4 f5). Only 1.c4 e5 and 1.c4 c5 lead to systems not often seen after 1.d4. Taken together, they represent an important branch of chess openings.

CHESS TRAP Ruy Lopez

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. Bc4 C61.02.04; There is no need for this retreat. 5. O-O is better. 5... Nf6 6. e5 d5 7. Bb3 Bg4 Dubious, but it works here. Better is 7... Ne4 F1-d.12 8. f3 Ne4 9. O-O d3 (Diagram) 10. fxg4 10. Qe1 10... Bc5+ 11. Kh1 Ng3+ 12. hxg3 Qg5 13. Rf5 h5 mates 14. gxh5 Qxf5 *

Sicilian Defense
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. f4 Bg7 6... Nc6 is better 7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 (Diagram) 8... Nd5 B71.04.15 8... Nfd7 is better, e.g. 9. e6 Ne5 9. Bb5+ Kf8 10. O-O Bxe5 11. Bh6+ Kg8 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 12... e6 is the best chance, but loses to 13. Nf3 13. Nf5 Qc5+ 14. Be3 Qc7 *

Queen's Gambit Declined, Rubinstein Trap

a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h White wins a pawn with 13.Nxd5 EuweRubinstein, 1928 b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 (transposing into the Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense) 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nc3 0-0 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 a6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. 0-0 Re8 11. Qb3 h6 12. Bf4 Nh5? (see diagram; Black falls into the trap) 13. Nxd5 (now Black will lose a pawn after 13...Nxf4 14.Nxf4, or more, after 13...cxd5 14.Bc7 with the c file now open, White's rook protects the bishop on c7. The black queen, surrounded, cannot escape.).

Queen's Gambit Declined, Elephant Trap

The Trap
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7
This sequence of opening moves usually indicates that Black intends to play the Cambridge Springs Defense with 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5, but it can also lead to the Orthodox Defense if Black plays ...Be7. (The Cambridge Springs opening had not yet been invented in 1848 when MayetHarrwitz was played.) Black has set a trap; if White tries to win a pawn by :

a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1

h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

b c d e f g h Position after 6.Nxd5??

b c d e f g h Position after 7...Bb4+

5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd5?? (see first diagram) White thinks that the black knight on f6 is pinned to the queen and cannot be moved. 6... Nxd5! 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ (see second diagram) Black regains the queen as White has only one legal move to get out of check. 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ Harrwitz played the equally good 8...Kxd8, intending 9...Bxd2+.9. Kxd2 Kxd8 Black comes out a minor piece ahead.

CHESS PUZZLE
Beginner Puzzle 1
Black to play and win in 1 move

1.......Nf3++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 2
Black to play and win in 3 moves.

1.......Rxd1+ 2. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 3. Qxd1 Rxd1++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 3
White to play and win in 3 moves.

1. b6 Kc8 (or if 1...Ka8 then 2. Rd8++ Mate) 2. Rd6 Kb8 3. Rd8++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 5
White to play and win in 2 moves.

1. Rd8+ Kh7 2. Rh8++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 6
Black to play and win in 2 moves.

1. Nd3+ Kf1 2. Qxf2++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 7
White to play and win in 3 moves.

1. Qxd8+ Rxd8 2. Re8+ Rxe8 3. Rxe8++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 8
White to play and win in 2 moves.

1. Re8 Qxe8/Qf8 (or if any other move then 2. Qxg8++ Mate) 2. Qg7++ Mate

Beginner Puzzle 9
White to play and win in 2 moves.

1. Qxf5+ Kxf5 2. Bb1++ Mate