Openings

It is named after the famous 18th century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternative to the common 2…Nc6. Today it is known for being a solid, but rather passive, opening for black. It is rarely seen in top level play. Philidor’s main idea behind the move 2…d6 was of course to […]

Italian opening is one of the oldest chess openings. It was analyzed by the greatest Italian masters in XVI century. The main idea for white is formation of ideal pawn center by playing c2-c3 and pushing d2-d4. Black has a weak f7 square, which white using as a target for its attacks.

The opening was developed by Russian master Alexander Petrov. The main idea of Petrov’s Defense (or so called Russian game) is not to defend e5 pawn, but to symmetrically attack white’s e4 pawn. This is strategically rich opening and it’s being used by top player around the globe even these days.

The two knight defense usually leads to a sharp game. Sacrifices are very common here for black as well as for white. This opening is played at the very top level even today.

This opening is the one played very often. Black avoids drawish 4 knights game playing 3…Be7. This opening is not very well known and analyzed, so it may be a good idea to play it, if you want to surprise your opponent. Psychology is big part of chess.

The four knights opening is also very old and well known. Knights can be developed in any order, but the given one is the most common. This opening is more often played by beginners, who avoid complex pawn exchanges. This is a solid opening, but since it’s too symmetrical, white do not get as much […]

Spanish game is one of the oldest and well analyzed openings. The opening was first played and studied by the greatest chess players of XV and XVI century Luzena and Lopez from Spain. This is probably single the most popular opening which is being played today at all levels: from beginners to the elite grandmasters.

Lasker’s Trap can be very powerful weapon for Black in Albin Counter gambit variation. The unusual though very powerful feature of Lasker Trap is underpromotion on seventh move. It is a good idea to use this opening in quick games since it is not very often played and your opponent most likely would be unprepared […]

Legal’s Trap also known as Legal’s Mate often arises in shown or similar positions. In this example it works like an opening trap for Philidor’s Defense. White pseudo-sacrifices the queen and mates by 3 minor pieces. The trap is named after Sire de Légal (1702-1792) who was a French player, or Joseph Henry Blackburne (1841-1924), […]

Unlike Fool’s mate, Scholar’s mate often occurs in games of beginners. The main idea of Scholar’s mate is that “f7” square is weak since it’s being protected by the king alone. Remember, I told you that it is unwise to rely on traps in serious games? Scholar’s mate is a perfect example to show that. […]