How to Play Chess (Rogers)/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X
CHESS OPENINGS
The opening moves in a game of Chess are of particular importance for it is in them that the strategy of the game is most clearly distinguished from mere Chess tactics. Each opening is intended to develop a certain theory or course of play, and the skill of a Chess player is indicated by his first moves, as they are made of his own free will and not because his adversary forces him to take an aggressive or defensive position, as is often the case in the later development of the game. For this reason, Chess openings have been a study of profound interest to Chess players all over the world wherever the game is played, and the principal or regular openings are named after the Piece or Pawn which determines their character, the persons who invented them, or the countries where they were originally adopted.
It is evident to the student, therefore, how important it is for him to be familiar with the preliminary moves in a game of Chess, and he must give careful attention to the study of this chapter; following each play on his own board so that it will be perfectly clear to him and easy to remember, for every successful Chess player should know the openings by name when he has occasion to refer to them.
The student has already learned that some openings are regular and some irregular, but it is only necessary for him to become familiar with the former until he has had much experience in practical play.
The four most generally practiced openings are made on the King's side of the board, and the student should become thoroughly familiar with them.
The first opening is called the KING'S KNIGHT'S OPENING. Each player, in turn, moves his KP to K4 and then the first player moves his Kt. to his KB3.
The second opening is called the king's bishop's opening. Each player in turn, moves his KP to his K4 and then the first player moves his KB along the diagonal to QB4.
The third opening is called the queen's bishop's pawn's opening. Each player, in turn, moves his KP to K4 and then the first player moves his QBP to QB3.
The fourth opening is called the king's gambit. The student will remember that a gambit means the sacrifice of a Piece or Pawn for the sake of an advantage that is to be gained later by the first player. Each player, in turn, moves his KP to K4 and then the first player moves his KBP to KB4, where it is in a position to be captured by the adverse Pawn.
The student will note that in each of these openings, the first move of each player is identical, i.e., the KP to K4. This opening move clears the way for the King, the Queen, and the King's Bishop, if the player cares to develop them. Each of these openings has a number of variations in the plays which follow, and these variations are recognized and given specific names, with which the student must become familiar.
The King's Knight's Opening.
The most important, and hence to be considered first, is the King's Knight's Opening which has ten recognized variations. In notating them, it will be understood that White plays first and his moves will be recorded in the first column. Unfortunately, lack of space prevents recording games that illustrate the development of these variations, but there are so many excellent works on the subject that the student who wishes to go into them more deeply will find ample material for his purpose.
The ten variations under the King's Knight's Opening are as follows:—
The Damiano Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt—KB3 | P—KB3 |
Philidor's Defense.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.–KB3 | P–Q3 |
Petroff's Defense.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB3 | Kt.—KB3 |
(The student will note in this defense that each Pawn is protected by his Knight as each Knight commands the square occupied by his own Pawn.)
The Counter Gambit in the Knight's Opening.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB3 | P—KB4 |
(The student will note that the two Black Pawns occupy squares commanded by White's forces. This constitutes the counter gambit the sacrifice of a force being made by the second player. )
The Giuoco Piano.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—B3 | Kt.—QB3 |
| 3. | KB—QB4 |
Captain Evans's Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB4 | Kt.—QB3 |
| 3. | KB—QB4 | KB—QB4 |
| 4. | P—QKt.4 |
The Two Knights' Defense.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB3 | Kt.—QB3 |
| 3. | KB—QB4 | Kt.—KB3 |
The Knight's Game or Ruy Lopez.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB3 | Kt.—QB3 |
| 3. | KB—QKt.5 |
The Queen's Pawns' Game, or Scotch Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB3 | Kt.—QB3 |
| 3. | P—Q4 |
The Queen's Bishop's Pawn's Game in the Knight's Opening.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | Kt.—KB3 | Kt.—QB3 |
| 3. | P—QB3 |
The King's Bishop's Opening.
The second opening, the King's Bishop's Opening, has seven recognized variations, all of which are important for the student to know and he will also find them of particular interest. In the days of Philidor and his contemporaries, this was considered the safest opening, as it demands no initiatory sacrifice from the first player and permits the Pawns to advance unobstructed, but modern players give it second place and consider the King's Knight's Opening the safest and most effective means of attack. The variations under the King's Bishop's Opening, with their specific names, are:—
The Game of the Two Kings' Bishops.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | KB—QB4 |
The Italians' Defense.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | KB—QB4 |
| 3. | P—QB3 | Q—KKt.4 |
Mc Donnell's Double Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | KB—QB4 |
| 3. | P—QKt.4 | B×Kt.P |
| 4. | P—KB4 |
The Lopez Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | KB—QB4 |
| 3. | Q—K2 | P—Q3 |
| 4. | P—KB4 |
The King's Knight's Defense.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | Kt—KB3 |
The Counter Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | P—KB4 |
The Queen's Bishop's Pawn's Defense.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | KB—QB4 | P—QB3 |
The Queen's Bishop's Opening.
The Queen's Bishop's Pawn's Opening was a great favorite with European Chess players in the sixteenth century, and Ruy Lopez has devoted much space to it in his oft-quoted work on Chess. Philidor, however, condemned it, but the Italian school has proved that it can safely be adopted, though it offers comparatively few opportunities for striking or instructive combinations of play. The object of the opening, on the part of the first player, is to occupy the center of the board with his Pawns rather than to develop his Pieces. The variations have no specific names, but to illustrate this opening the student should study the following preliminary moves from games played by famous Chess players. Only the first four moves of each player are given.
| CAPTAIN EVANS (WHITE) VERSUS AN AMATEUR (BLACK). | ||
| | white. | black. |
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—QB3 | Kt—KB3 |
| 3. | P—Q4 | P×P |
| 4. | P—K5 | Kt.—K5 |
| STAUNTON (WHITE) VERSUS COCHRAN (BLACK). | ||
| white. | black. | |
| 1. | P–K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—QB3 | P—Q4 |
| 3. | Kt.—KB3 | Kt.—KB3 |
| 4. | KKt.×P | KKt.×P |
| WALKER (WHITE) VERSUS ST. AMANT (BLACK). | ||
| white. | black. | |
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4. |
| 2. | P—QB3 | P—Q4 |
| 3. | P×P | Q×P |
| 4. | Kt.—KB3. | KB—QB4 |
In the game between Captain Evans and the amateur, Captain Evans was the victor; in the game between Staunton and Cochran, Staunton won; and in the game between Walker and St. Amant, St. Amant won.
The King's Gambit.
The King's Gambit, the fourth of the principal openings, is the delight of the Chess player's heart as it affords opportunities for the most intricate and scientific combinations to which Chessmen are subject, and their study gives the student an almost unlimited fund of instruction and entertainment.
The variations of the King's Gambit, with their specific names, are:
The King's Gambit (Proper).—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P×P |
The King's Knight's Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | Kt.—KB3 |
The Cunningham Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | Kt.—KB3 | B—K3 |
The Salvio and Cochrane Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | Kt.—KB3 | P—KKt.4 |
| 4. | KB—QB4 | P—KKt.5 |
| 5. | Q—R5 (ch.) | |
| 6. | (According to Cochrane) | |
| K—Bsq. | P—KB6 | |
| 6. | (According to Salvio) | |
| K—Bsq. | Kt.—KBsq. or KR3 | |
The Muzio Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | KT.—KB3 | P—KKt.4 |
| 4. | KB—QB4 | P—KKt.5 |
| 5. | O—O, or P—Q4 | P×Kt. |
The Allgaier Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | Kt.—KB3 | P—KKt.4 |
| 4. | P—KR4 |
The King's Rook's Pawn's Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | P—KR4 |
The King's Bishop's Gambit.—
| 1. | P—K4 | P—K4 |
| 2. | P—KB4 | P×P |
| 3. | KB—QB4 |
The Gambit Declined.
When the Gambit is declined Black's second move is generally one of the following:
KB—QB4, P—Q3, or P—Q4.
The second move is objectionable, as it confines the King's Bishop, a Piece that the student will learn to use with advantage.
The Queen's Gambit.
Another Chess opening, with which the student should be familiar, is the QUEEN'S GAMBIT. While it requires less skill and brilliancy of play than the King's Gambit, it is improving for the student to study, as it offers him practice in accuracy of play. It is notated thus:—
| 1. | P—Q4 | P—Q4 |
| 2. | P—QB4 | P×P |
When the Queen's Gambit is declined, Black's second move is generally one of the following:—
P—K3, P—QB3, or P—KB3.
Irregular Openings.
Before leaving the subject of openings, a word may be said of IRREGULAR OPENINGS. They are generally recognized as those in which the first move of each player is some other than P—K4, or P—Q4. Staunton, however, classifies them as those of attack, in which the first player's first move is either P—KB4 or P—QB4 and those of defence in which the second player, in answering the first player's first move, P—K4 or P—Q4, moves his P—K3, P—QB4, P—KB4, or P—Qkt3.