1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 is called Sicillian dragon opening. This is less popular than Sicilian Najdorf, but still very popular at all levels of chess. Black wants to fianchetto the bishop and castle short instead of playing e5 or e6 and Be7. White has two major ways of playing against the Sicilian dragon. Yugoslav…
1.Nc3 is called the Van Geet opening. It is a rare first move. Although it fulfills the fundamental principle of controlling the center, this move is not as popular as 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4 or 1.Nf3. Drawbacks of 1.Nc3 There are 3 main drawbacks of 1.Nc3 1. It doesn’t stop the advance of black’s center pawn. 1.Nf3 stops the move 1…e5.…
Kadas Opening starts with 1.h4. You will rarely see this in any serious games because it is completely against the opening theory. The move is basically passing the initiative to black. Drawbacks of 1.h4 On the other hand, this move breaks three fundamental opening principles. Because of these 3 major downsides, this opening is not recommended for white. Also, there…
King’s Gambit is a king’s pawn opening that starts with 1.e4 e5 2.f4 . It is one of the oldest openings known in chess history. This opening belongs to the romantic era of chess where material was not a major concern. Beauty of chess was seen in sacrifices and tactical combinations. With move 2.f4, white offers a pawn sacrifice in…
Saragossa opening starts with 1.c3. It is not popular because it does not do much to control the center on the first move. Similar to 1.e3 or 1.d3, this move can also be used to transpose into a popular line. We will look at various possible alternatives arising after 1.c3. Sicilian Alapin If black plays 1…c5, white can transpose into…
1.d3 is Mieses opening. Similar to 1.e3, white doesn’t commit to a center pawn advance on the first move but gives a hint at either playing e4 or c4 later on. The idea of playing 1.d3 can be to transpose into a familiar opening with a different move order. We will see various possible structures arising after 1.d3 English Opening…
