Howard School Chess Club

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Howard School Chess Club
Directed by David Israel and Heather
Harvey
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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.

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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 well-known 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.

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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.

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There are three groups of openingsOne

• 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

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Ruy Lopez

• The Ruy Lopez (also called the "Spanish" opening)
  starts out as
• 1. e4 e5
• 2. Nf3 Nc6
• 3. Bb5

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• 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.

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Ruy Lopez
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5        
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Ruy Lopez1. 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).

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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

                              
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"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.

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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.

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There are three groups of openingsTwo

• White can start by moving the Queen's pawn to
  "d4".
• This leads to openings

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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.

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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.

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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!".

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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".

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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 Caro-Kann
  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).

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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

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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.

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There are three groups of openingsThree

• White can start with some other move than "e4" or
  "d4". One example is the English Opening.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

                              
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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.