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Hypermodernism (chess)
Hypermodernism is a school of chess that emerged after World War I. It featured challenges to the chess ideas of central European masters, including Wilhelm Steinitz's approach to the and the rules established by Siegbert Tarrasch. Overview The Hypermodernists demonstrated their new ideas with games and victories. Aron Nimzowitsch, considered the founder and leading practitioner of hypermodernism, showed that games could be won through indirect control of the centre, breaking with Tarrasch's view that the centre must be occupied by pawns. Nimzowitsch advocated controlling the centre with distant pieces rather than with pawns, thus inviting the opponent to occupy the centre with pawns, which can then become targets of attack. This was part of the hypermodern framework, which Nimzowitsch encapsulated in his seminal book '' My System'', which greatly influenced many chess players. It introduced and formalised concepts of the , , undermining, prophylaxis, restraint, rook on the se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen's Indian Defence
The Queen's Indian Defense (QID) is a chess opening defined by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 e6 :3. Nf3 b6 The opening is a solid defense to the Queen's Pawn Game. 3...b6 increases Black's control over the central light squares e4 and d5 by preparing to fianchetto the , with the opening deriving its name from this maneuver. As in the other Indian defenses, Black attempts to control the with pieces in hypermodern style, instead of occupying it with pawns in classical style. By playing 3.Nf3, White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian Defense that arises after 3.Nc3 Bb4. The Queen's Indian is regarded as the sister opening of the Nimzo-Indian, since both openings aim to impede White's efforts to gain full control of the center by playing e2–e4. Together, they are a well-respected response to 1.d4. Main line: 4.g3 4. g3 (''ECO'' E15–E19) has long been White's most popular line against the Queen's Indian. It contests the by preparing to fianchetto the light-squared bishop. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess Opening
A chess opening or simply an opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory; the other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences have standard names such as the "Sicilian Defense". ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' lists 1,327 named openings and variants, and there are many others with varying degrees of common usage. Opening moves that are considered standard are referred to as "book moves", or simply "book". When a game begins to deviate from known opening theory, the players are said to be "out of book". In some openings, "book" lines have been worked out for over 30 moves, as in the classical King's Indian Defense and in the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian Defense. Professional chess players spend years studying openings, and continue doing so throughout their careers, as opening theory continues to evolve. Players at the club level also study openings but the importance of the opening phase is smaller ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larsen's Opening
Larsen's Opening (also called the Nimzo–Larsen Attack or Queen's Fianchetto Opening) is a chess opening starting with the move: :1. b3 It is named after the Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen. Larsen was inspired by the example of the great Latvian-Danish player and theoretician Aron Nimzowitsch (1886–1935), who often played 1.Nf3 followed by 2.b3, which is sometimes called the Nimzowitsch–Larsen Attack. It is classified under the A01 code in the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings''. The flank opening move 1.b3 prepares to fianchetto the where it will help control the central squares in hypermodern fashion and put useful pressure on Black's . The b2-bishop is often a source of recurring irritation for Black, who should not treat it lightly. Although Larsen was initially very successful with this opening, it suffered a setback in the 1970 USSR vs. Rest of the World match in Belgrade, where Larsen played it against reigning world champion Boris Spassky and lost in 17 mov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pirc Defence
The Pirc Defence (pronounced ) is a chess opening characterised by the response of Black to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish a with pawns on d4 and e4. It is named after the Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc. The Pirc Defence is usually defined by the opening sequence :1. e4 d6 :2. d4 Nf6 :3. Nc3 g6 This is the most commonly played line after Black responds to 1.e4 with 1...d6. It has been claimed to give rise to somewhat interesting and exciting games, where Black will have but has to be cautious about playing too passively. According to Garry Kasparov, the Pirc Defence is "hardly worth using in the tournaments of the highest category", as it gives White "too many opportunities for anybody's liking". Description The Pirc Defence is a relatively new opening; while it was seen on occasion in the late nineteenth century, it was considered irregular, thus remaining a sideline. The opening began gaining some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Modern Defence
The Modern Defense (also known as the Robatsch Defence after Karl Robatsch) is a hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" center without attempting to occupy it. The opening has been most notably used by British grandmasters Nigel Davies and Colin McNab. The Modern Defense is closely related to the Pirc Defence, the primary difference being that in the Modern, Black delays developing the knight to f6. The delay of ...Nf6 attacking White's pawn on e4 gives White the option of blunting the g7-bishop with c2–c3. There are numerous transpositional possibilities between the two openings. The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (''ECO'') classifies the Modern Defense as code B06, while codes B07 to B09 are assigned to the Pirc. The tenth edition of '' Modern Chess Openings'' (1965) grouped the Pirc and Robatsch together as the "Pirc–Robatsch Defense". 2.d4 Main line ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alekhine's Defence
The Alekhine's Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 Nf6 Black tempts White's pawns forward to form a broad , with plans to undermine and attack the white structure later in the spirit of hypermodern defence. White's imposing mass of pawns in the centre often includes pawns on c4, d4, e5, and f4. Grandmaster (GM) Nick de Firmian observes of Alekhine's Defence in ''MCO-15'' (2008), "The game immediately loses any sense of symmetry or balance, which makes the opening a good choice for aggressive fighting players."Nick de Firmian, ''Modern Chess Openings, Fifteenth Edition'', 2008, p. 159. . The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' has four codes for Alekhine's Defence, B02 through B05: *B02: 1.e4 Nf6 *B03: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 (including the Exchange Variation and Four Pawns Attack) *B04: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 (Modern Variation without 4...Bg4) *B05: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 (Modern Variation with 4...Bg4) History The opening is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King's Indian Attack
The King's Indian Attack (or KIA), also known as the Barcza System (after Gedeon Barcza) is a chess opening for White, characterized by several moves. The center pawns are developed to e4 and d3, the knights are developed to d2 and f3, the king's bishop fianchettoes at g2 following the g-pawn's movement to g3, and White castles kingside. The resulting arrangement has multiple positional themes: the pawn at d3 and the knight at d2 both defend the pawn at e4, the knight at f3 attacks the center, the fianchettoed bishop may influence the center following subsequent moves, and castling removes the king to safety while bringing a rook into the game. Unlike other chess openings, The King's Indian Attack is not a specific sequence of moves, but rather a ''system'' for White where the moves may be permuted at the player's discretion, in response to the moves of the black pieces. When a game opens with most or all of the above moves, to the exclusion of moves which typify other openin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catalan Opening
The Catalan Opening is a chess opening where White plays d4 and c4 and fianchettoes the white bishop on g2. A common opening sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3, although various other openings can transpose into the Catalan. The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' lists codes E01–E09 for lines with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2; other lines are part of E00. In the Catalan, White adopts a combination of the Queen's Gambit and Réti Opening. White combines the space-gaining moves d4 and c4 with g3, preparing to fianchetto the king's bishop. This places pressure mainly on the queenside while hoping to keep the white king safe in the long-term. The c4-pawn can become vulnerable, however, and White might have to sacrifice a pawn. Black has two main approaches to play against the Catalan: in the Open Catalan Black plays ...dxc4 and can either try to hold on to the pawn with ...b5 or give it back for extra time to free their game. In the Closed Catalan, Black does not capture on c4; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Indian Defence
The Old Indian Defense is a chess opening defined by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 d6 This opening is distinguished from the King's Indian Defense in that Black develops their on e7 rather than by fianchetto on g7. Mikhail Chigorin pioneered this defense late in his career. The Old Indian is considered sound, though developing the bishop at e7 is less than the fianchetto, and it has never attained the popularity of the King's Indian. Some King's Indian players will use the Old Indian to avoid certain anti-King's Indian systems, such as the Sämisch and Averbakh Variations. The opening is classified in the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' with the codes A53–A55. Main line: 3.Nc3 e5 The Main line is 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. e4; White can also play 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+, but despite the displacement of Black's king, this has long been known to offer no advantage, e.g. 5...Kxd8 6.Nf3 Nfd7, with Black often following up with some combination of ...c6, ...Kd8–c7, .. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bogo-Indian Defence
The Bogo-Indian Defense is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 e6 :3. Nf3 Bb4+ The position arising after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 is common. The traditional move for White here is 3.Nc3, threatening to set up a big pawn centre with 4.e4. However, 3.Nf3 is often played instead as a way of avoiding the Nimzo-Indian Defense (which would follow after 3.Nc3 Bb4). After 3.Nf3, Black usually plays 3...b6 (the Queen's Indian Defense) or 3...d5 (leading to the Queen's Gambit Declined), but can instead play 3...Bb4+, the Bogo-Indian, named after Efim Bogoljubow. This opening is not as popular as the Queen's Indian, but is seen occasionally at all levels. The Bogo-Indian is classified as E11 by the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (ECO). Variations White has three viable moves to meet the check. 4.Nc3 is a transposition to the Kasparov Variation of the Nimzo-Indian, therefore the main independent variations are 4.Bd2 and 4.Nbd2. 4.Bd2 4.Bd2 is the most com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grünfeld Defence
The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 g6 :3. Nc3 d5 Black offers White the possibility of 4.cxd5, which may be followed by 4...Nxd5 and 5.e4, giving White an imposing central pawn duo. If White does not take the d5-pawn, Black may eventually play ...dxc4, when a White response of e4 again leads to the same pawn structure. In classical opening theory this imposing pawn centre was held to give White a large advantage, but the hypermodern school, which was coming to the fore in the 1920s, held that a large pawn centre could be a liability rather than an asset. The Grünfeld is therefore a key hypermodern opening, showing in stark terms how a large pawn centre can either be a powerful battering ram or a target for attack. History The first instance of this opening is in an 1855 game by Moheschunder Bannerjee, an Indian player who had transitioned from Indian chess rules, playing Black against John Cochrane in Calcutta, in May ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nimzowitsch Defence
The Nimzowitsch Defence (named after Aron Nimzowitsch) is a somewhat unusual chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 Nc6 This opening is an example of a hypermodern opening in which Black invites White to occupy the of the board at an early stage with pawns. Black's intent is to block or otherwise restrain White's central pawns and, if allowed to do so by inaccurate play by White, eventually undermine the White pawn centre by well-timed pawn advances of their own or by attacking the white pieces defending the centre. World Champion Garry Kasparov and Grandmaster Raymond Keene wrote that it "has never been fully accepted as a dependable opening. Nevertheless it is sound and offers the maverick spirit a great deal of foreign territory to explore." The Nimzowitsch is included under code B00 in the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings''. Main line: 2.d4 White takes the initiative in the centre. Black's main continuations are 2...d5 or 2...e5. 2...d5 The line that Aro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |