Openings

Austrian Defense, also known as the Symmetrical Defense, is quite a rare opening. Most people have never seen its starting position, although it has been known since 1604! Nowadays it has been played a ton by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and once even by Magnus Carlsen. He used the Austrian Defense as Black to beat his second, […]

1.e4 “best by test” opening might very well be the best fit for you! And here are the five reasons why you should consider playing 1.e4 if you are an attacking player! Are you an attacking player, that always wants to do something ‘active’ in a position and hates maneuvering, prophylactic moves, and other non-essential […]

Benoni Defense comes from the Hebrew expression “Ben-Oni”, which means “son of my sorrow.” This might have given you melancholic impressions, but don’t let it deceive you. The Benoni Defense is one of the most aggressive chess openings. It leads to highly unbalanced positions, and players of all levels opt for it when they want […]

Nimzo-Indian Defence is probably one of the most common answers against 1.d4 nowadays. The defense was introduced by Aaron Nimzowitsch, the founder of hypermodern chess. Black doesn’t occupy the centre with pawns right from the start and plays for quick development. The center is controlled first by the pieces and only later on black will […]

The sicilian Dragon is one of the most complex lines of the Sicilian Defense. Black aims for a sharp, aggressive play and puts white under pressure right from the start. It is a line full of tactical ideas, perfect for those who want to play for a win with the black pieces. There are many […]

Chess openings: How to learn them? One important step in improving your level as a chess player is having a solid, well-developed opening repertoire that stands the test of time. You shouldn’t have to change your repertoire often. Rather improve and update the lines you already have. A good repertoire will help you get good, […]

1.d4 Opening – everything you must know! Most of the chess players enjoy having the initiative, being the attacking side. It is good but hard to achieve in every game: in some positions, the best you can do is to trade pieces and go into an endgame or play against some positional weaknesses. Those who […]

Caro-Kann Defense is one of the most fashionable openings nowadays at the grandmaster and beginner levels. It is a reliable weapon that does not require a lot of memorization and usually leads to calm positional games. The good thing is that it still allows Black to play for a win: the positions are not sharp […]

Dutch Defense is characterized by the moves 1.d4 f5 when Black is using the flank pawn to control the center. It breaks the symmetry and gains space on the kingside. Later, this can provide good attacking chances against the White king. Such an approach usually leads to double-edged positions and is good for playing for […]

Larsen’s Opening (1.b3) is quite enticing for White. It is getting harder and harder to achieve any advantage with White pieces in the main lines. Black seems to hold their own in most of the popular openings. Modern chess players of all levels have access to the strongest engines, and they use them for opening […]