Howard School Chess Club

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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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:

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

7. 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.

8. Ruy Lopez:

9. 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).

10. 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

11. "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.

12. 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.

13. There are three groups of openings:Two • White can start by moving the Queen's pawn to "d4". • This leads to openings

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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!".

17. 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".

18. 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).

19. 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

20. 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.

21. There are three groups of openings:Three • White can start with some other move than "e4" or "d4". One example is the English Opening.

22. 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).

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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".

27. 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.