Openings
King’s Indian Defense is an aggressive opening with a rich history. In the middle of the last century, it was popularized by great Soviet chess players such as Smyslov, Geller, Boleslavsky, Bronstein, Stein, and others. Later, it became the main weapon of the greatest chess players of all time Robert Fischer and Garry Kasparov. Chess […]
Benko Gambit is quite different from usual Gambits in chess which are usually associated with ferocious attacks, mating threats, and opening traps. In Benko Gambit, Black does not get any immediate reward for the sacrificed pawn. Instead, the main idea is to clear files for their pieces for the future play on the queenside.
London System is one of the openings that has become increasingly popular over the past few years. For a long time, it has been considered a second-hand opening choice for white with a reputation of being dull, uninteresting, and suitable only for the “lazy players” who don’t want to learn any mainstream openings.
Queen’s Gambit Declined is one of the most classical and solid chess openings. It starts with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 when Black strengthens the center with a pawn and prepares the development of the kingside. Later, Black can opt for different schemes of development but all of them promise stability and safety. This […]
Owen’s Defense starts with the moves 1.e4 b6 or 1.e4 e6 2.d4 b6 when Black is going to fianchetto the light-squared bishop. This is a bit slow and allows White to occupy the center but Black is hoping to attack it later with pieces and pawns. This system is not going to equalize any quickly, […]
Grunfeld Defense is one of the most dynamic and sound chess openings. It starts after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5, when Black opens files and diagonals for their pieces to target White’s center. This unusual system of development started gaining popularity in the 1920-s. It happened after Ernest Grunfeld successfully employed it […]
Queen’s Gambit is itself one of the oldest, most played, and respectable openings ever. It was played already by Gioachino Greko back in 1620. Netflix’s “Queen’s Gambit” miniseries boosted the interest of people in chess but had no effect on the popularity of the opening of the same name. As there was no need.
French Defense is not played because most GMs and super-GMs play 1…c5 and 1…e5 to 1.e4 instead of it. On being asked why it is so, Peter Svidler recently commented: “I think the answer is twofold. Firstly, both the Spanish and the Sicilian offer you a much broader scope to choose from. If you play […]
Rapport-Jobava System: Sometimes, even a single move can change the course of a game—even so much as to turn a good opening into a GREAT one! That’s what the move 2.Nc3 does to the regular London System. Not that the London system is a bad opening or such, it has got a few drawbacks where […]
Modern Defense, starting with 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7, follows any other hypermodern openings and is highly provocative and dynamic—as much as an opening can get. Black fianchetto a bishop early on the g7-square eyeing on the long dark-squared diagonal running from h8 to a1.
