Openings

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.07.2015

English Opening is one of white’s most solid start choices. It usually leads to closed positions with very few exchanges on the board. The battle is tense from the very beginning and there aren’t many forced lines for any side. In his prime, Garry Kasparov used the English Opening quite often, achieving remarkable wins and […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.31.2015

Dare to Try 2.Be2!? Sicilian Defense occupies a huge percentage of the training and study time of the majority of chess players, and it is no secret. Working out the mainlines of the most popular choices for black, memorizing forced variations, or finding novelties in critical positions is all part of the day-to-day training.

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.18.2015

Sicilian Taimanov is one of the toughest Sicilians to play against. In recent years, this line has become one of the main weapons for black against 1.e4. This rising popularity is given by the success obtained by top Grandmasters with it. Not only elite players like Vishy Anand, Topalov, and Ivanchuk employ it from time […]

Yury Markushin
07.15.2015
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Yury Markushin
07.15.2015

Sharp Openings and 7 Reasons to Play them. Many chess players are unsure about what kind of openings they should play. These players prefer to stay on the safe side and to play “safe-looking”, quiet positions, which lead to similar continuations time after time. While staying in the comfort zone is good, if you want […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.13.2015

   Alapin variation (2.c3) is among the most popular lines against the Sicilian defense. This dynamic opening variation is played at every level, from club players to strong Grandmasters. Sveshnikov, Tiviakov, and Rozentalis are among the group we can consider experts on the Alapin, but it has also been played by World Champions like Anand, […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.06.2015

  Berlin variation of the Spanish Opening has become part of the main opening weapons for black in today’s chess. The Berlin Defense had a reputation of being a drawish/boring option for black. However, everything changed when Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik used it successfully against Garry Kasparov in the match for the World Chess Championship.

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.19.2015

Sicilian Dragon is one of the most complex lines of the Sicilian Defense. Generally, those who play the Dragon are well-prepared players looking to lure their opponents into sharp positions full of tactical traps. One interesting thing about this variation is that, for white, the Yugoslav attack (Be3, f3, Qd2, etc) has been established (and […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.18.2015

Grand Prix variation against the Sicilian is among the lines that most people study once and move on. A short knowledge of the theory and a few clear ideas is enough to play against it. However, when meeting a specialist of the line, that may not be enough. A few years ago, I was playing […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.14.2015

French Defence is a very popular answer against 1.e4 among chess players of all levels. We have mentioned it several times before in our previous articles, as one of the few opening choices that give black the chance to fight for the game from the very start.

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.08.2015

King’s Indian and fighting the popular 6.h3 variation. Despite all the rumors about dubious lines, allegedly refuted variations, and “black is simply worse” statements by chess players all around, our beloved King’s Indian Defense stays alive and kicking. It is, without any doubt, one of the best openings to play against either 1.c4, 1.Nf3, and […]