Chess Openings: Classic and Modern Chess Openings To Start On Top



Posted: Wednesday, March 05, 2008

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The first moves of a chess game are collectively known as the opening.  Chess openings vary widely in character, from quiet positional play to wild tactical play.

Sometimes a player can opt to start off with a sequence of opening moves that is considered standard. These moves are referred to as book moves. At other times, a player may opt for an opening that is an improvisation on a standard book move. The moves vary, but the aim is the same--to get off to a solid start and into an aggressive position from which to launch an attack on the opponent's King.

In chess one needs to make the best use of the openings to put their pieces in a strong position.   At the onset it is never clear on which part of the board the pieces will be needed most. Therefore it is essential to retain effective control over the squares in the central area of the chessboard, so that specific pieces can be moved with minimal problems whenever required. According to classical theory, placing Pawns on d4 and e4 is the best way to retain control over the central areas of the board.  

The modern school of chess theory advocates a different approach for effective control.   Instead of occupying the center, the idea is to control the center from a distance with pieces breaking down the opponent's center. Accordingly, the King is placed at the middle of the board. This makes it easy for both players to castle in the opening  or to bring the King to the side of the board via artificial castling.

Chess openings usually try to avoid the creation of Pawn weaknesses. Pawn weakness is a term used to describe the presence of isolated, doubled and backward Pawns, or clustering many Pawns together in the form of a Pawn island. Some players sacrifice at the endgame in favor of a fast attack on the opponent's position. Another option is to sacrifice Pawns at the beginning to create a fast attack on the enemy at the endgame stage.

Strategic plans used in the middlegame can also be used in conjunction with chess openings. These include preparing Pawn breaks to create a counterplay, creating weaknesses in the opponent's Pawn structure, seizing control of key squares, and making favorable exchanges of minor pieces.

Different authors on the subject of opening chess moves have opined that it is the White set's task in the opening to preserve and increase the advantage by moving first while the Black set's task is to equalize the game. However, as many players know, not all chess openings by the White set are aggressive, and it is sometimes possible for the Black set to be aggressive in the initial stages and take the initiative away from the White set.

 

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