Openings

The Slav Defense was a perennial sight on the chessboards of masters in the early 20th century. This an astute reply to White’s Queen’s Gambit, whose sole creation was based on solving the problems inherent to the Queen’s Gambit Declined. It is a solid defense and is played from the beginner to the World Championship […]

Queen’s Gambit Accepted (QGA) can be categorized under the postmodern category of openings. This is because it is a mixture of classical and hypermodern opening ideas. Generally, in classical openings, the opening is played out in such a way that there are no major weaknesses created, whereas in Hypermodern openings you give up the center […]

Practical chess has a time limit. You can only make a certain number of moves with high think time. It’s a well-known fact that the number of possibilities in a game increase exponentially as the number of moves increases. Therefore, it makes sense to study the initial part of the game and try to prepare […]

Looking for a dynamic opening for White, full of sacrifices and aggressive play? Look no further. IM Zaur Tekeyev recommends the Modern Vienna Game.

If you’re looking to add a new surprise weapon to your opening repertoire, I have some exciting news for you. The Hanham Variation offers Black good control of the center, along with positional and strategic advantages. It is a solid and reliable opening based on Philidor Defense.

As you keep improving in chess, there comes the point where you have to learn a chess opening to better fight for the advantage. However, learning a chess opening can be a huge task for beginners and even intermediate players. There are so many openings, having different ideas and concepts, variations, and subtleties. How can […]

Englund Gambit is one of the openings that can surprise and confound your opponent, leading to an exciting and rich position with lots of possibilities. If you want to add excitement and unpredictability to your games, the Englund Gambit can be a fun and effective option. An often underlooked element in chess is creativity. The […]

A chess opening is the only stage of the game where you can anticipate and prepare moves in advance. This is the reason why having a good repertoire of openings is so important for any chess player who wants to improve their game. A well-prepared opening can help you get the positions you want in […]

Opening strategy refers to the specific moves and principles employed during the first few moves of a chess game, with the goal of gaining an early advantage or controlling key positions on the board. The first stage of a chess game is opening. It’s surprising how often good players find themselves in unfavorable positions within […]

1.d4 gambits are some of the most important gambits in chess. When it comes to opening preparation, it makes sense to devote more time to more popular variations. This way, you can be better prepared in the lines that are more likely to happen in your games. On the other hand, it makes you more […]