Chess Articles > Opening Theory (original) (raw)

GM Bent Larsen was not only one of the best players in the world, but also a great thinker and writer. A book of his selected 50 games is one of the most original chess books I've ever read. It is not just a collection of Larsen's unusual openings...

One of my first chess books had a very interesting feature: Every three to four chapters, it would present about a dozen short games. Initially, I just enjoyed playing through them, but as I started participating in tournaments, the thought of tra...

Most chess players have a favorite opening trap, a trick they use to win many quick games. At the highest level, these tricks have to be quite sophisticated to catch experienced opponents, but when you're new to chess, many opening traps can rake ...

In my previous article, I discussed how to build a strong opening repertoire with the white pieces. Now, we will figure out the even harder challenge of getting a good game as Black. What To Play Against 1.e4 What To Play Against 1.d4 Wha...

Greetings, chess fans! You might remember that in late December I published a study plan for advanced players. I gave a brief overview of what type of openings you should look for and where to look for reliable sources. Now, I'll attempt to expand...

There are many gambit lines known in chess. Some of them are very sharp and dangerous, others are more positional and not even real gambits, like the Queen's Gambit. Today, I want to discuss one of the most dangerous gambits in chess, which you pr...

Former world champion GM Magnus Carlsen recently lamented that it's "kind of sad to see how far you have to go to get a game, that you cannot really play the best lines anymore." Chess engines have demonstrated that all mainstream openings, and ev...

Last year, I shared a powerful opening trap, and judging by the comments, you, my dear readers, liked it. Since I got numerous requests for more traps like this, I will share another one, which is even more powerful than the previous one...

Pictures taken at chess tournaments can tell fascinating stories. Just look at the faces of the players and spectators, and you'll see the whole gamut of human emotions. The Washington Chess Federation has recently posted a brilliant photo on its&...

"I captured on d5. I was terribly ashamed, and from the time I swore: to play for a draw, at any rate with White, is to some degree a crime against chess." - GM Mikhail Tal on the Exchange Variation of the French Defense. Mikhail Tal on a less...

Last month marked 88th birthday of GM Eduard Gufeld, who was born March 19, 1936 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Even though he died over 20 years ago in 2002, he is well-remembered for his entertaining style of play and strong sense of humor. Among many pictur...

It was on July 17, 2019, that I lost all faith in humanity. That was my first loss to the shameful Englund Gambit, which left me wondering what type of person does this. Why would someone play a dubious opening trap that either gives them a quick ...

When initially working with beginner students, I am often told something like, "I struggle to remember opening theory that I have studied." This is because their study is not taking place in the right way to optimize their results. Luckily, Chessa...

There are 20 possible first moves in chess: each of the eight pawns can move one or two squares forward, and each of the two knights has two squares it can go to. But not everything that is equally legal is equally advisable as a course of actio...

In the age of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence computer algorithms that know everything (or almost everything), a YouTube algorithm started recommending me videos of a doctor who promised to cure most health problems with just one simple recipe...

The opening is the part of chess that players study the most. I doubt that this statement came as a big surprise to you, considering the humongous amount of books and videos on this subject. When I ask my students what kind of chess books they hav...

Nowadays, there are two things every new chess player learns very fast. The first is how to move the pieces, the second is that you must hate the London System. pic.twitter.com/tqfhwOS3Wb — Chess.com (@chesscom) November 14, 2021 ...

The 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament recently ended with a convincing victory for GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. The best chess players in the world prepare for months for such an important tournament and try to find new opening ideas. The question for ama...

I spent the end of March 1994 playing the Oslo Open in beautiful Norway. The tournament was very memorable for me mostly for two things: I tied for first place with GM Ilya Smirin and also I had the opportunity to talk to legendary GM David Bronst...

Last week I had one of the worst nightmares a chess coach can experience. No, none of my students blundered a queen nor played the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez—the danger came from a totally different direction. I was watching a playoff...

The whole chess community was stunned by GM Garry Kasparov's disastrous result in the first half of the blitz section in the Croatia Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz. While 0.5 out of 9 games is indeed an utter catastrophe, I completely disagree...

In chess, an opening transposition occurs when a sequence of moves leads to a position that is more commonly reached by a different move order—same resulting position, different paths to reach the position. Transpositions can be a powerful...

Last week my student told me that his internet opponent played a weird opening. I wasn't surprised a bit since any opening that doesn't allow the Scholar's Mate is labeled as "weird" by this little kid. Yet, I was intrigued when he mentioned that ...

"Every strong chess player should have his own opening theory which is different from the mainstream theory." This is one of the most important rules I learned from World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik as a student in his famous Botvinnik-Kasparov s...

How does IM Tuan Minh Le compete in blitz with the top players in the world? He uses the rare and sharp Nimzowitsch Variation of the Sicilian! In this course, Minh Le, along with NM Sam Copeland explains his favorite variation and all of its compl...