The Bishop's Opening is a

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 Defen ...

that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Bc4 White attacks Black's f7-square and prevents Black from advancing the d-pawn to d5. By ignoring the beginner's maxim "develop

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

before

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

", White leaves its f-pawn unblocked, preserving the possibility of f2–f4. The f2–f4 gives the Bishop's Opening an affinity with the

King's Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, White has two main plans. The first is to play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit ...

and the

Vienna Game The Vienna Game is an opening in chess that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nc3 White's second move is less common than 2.Nf3, and is also more recent. The original idea behind the Vienna Game was to play a delayed King's Gambit with ...

, two openings that share this characteristic. The Bishop's Opening can

transpose In linear algebra, the transpose of a matrix is an operator which flips a matrix over its diagonal; that is, it switches the row and column indices of the matrix by producing another matrix, often denoted by (among other notations). The tr ...

into either of these openings, and in particular a favorable variation of the King's Gambit, but with care Black can circumvent this. Transpositions into the Giuoco Piano and the Two Knights Defense and other openings are also possible. The ''

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' () is a reference work describing the state of opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Serbian company Šahovski Informator (Chess Informant). It is curre ...

'' assigns the Bishop's Opening the codes C23 and C24.

History and use

The Bishop's Opening is one of the oldest openings to be analyzed; it was studied by

Lucena Lucena, officially the City of Lucena ( fil, Lungsod ng Lucena), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. It is the capital city of the Provinces of the ...

and

Ruy Lopez The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez is named after 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. It is one ...

. Later it was played by Philidor. Larsen was one of the few grandmasters to play it often, after first using it at the 1964

Interzonal Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by the World Chess Federation FIDE from the 1950s to the 1990s. They were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle and were held after the Zonal tournaments, and before the C ...

tournament. Although the Bishop's Opening is uncommon today, it has been used occasionally as a surprise by players such as Kasparov. Nunn uses it to avoid

Petrov's Defence Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game – russian: Русская партия) is a chess opening characterised by the following moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nf6 Tho ...

(1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6), and Lékó played it in the 2007 World Championship against Kramnik, known to consistently play the Petrov. Weaver Adams in his classic work ''White to Play and Win'' claimed that the Bishop's Opening was a win for White by from the second move. He was unable to prove this by defeating players stronger than himself, however, and later abandoned the Bishop's Opening for the

, making the same claim. Grandmaster

Nick de Firmian Nicholas Ernest de Firmian (born July 26, 1957) is an American chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in 1985. He is a three-time U.S. chess champion, winning in 1987 (with Joel Benjamin), 1995, and 1998. He also tied for ...

, in the 14th edition of ''

Modern Chess Openings ''Modern Chess Openings'' (usually called ) is a reference book on chess openings, first published in 1911 by the British players Richard Clewin Griffith (1872–1955) and John Herbert White (1880–1920). The fifteenth edition was published in ...

'', concludes that the Bishop's Opening leads to with best play by both sides, and notes that, "Among modern players only

Bent Larsen Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess grandmaster and author. Known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, he was the second strongest non-Soviet player, behind Bobby Fischer, for much of the 19 ...

has played it much, but even Kasparov gave it a whirl (winning against Bareev)."

Main variations

Because White's second move makes no direct threat, Black has many possible second-move responses. As shown below, the Bishop's Opening offers opportunities to transpose to several other

Open Game An Open Game (or Double King's Pawn Opening) is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: :1. e4 e5 White has moved the king's pawn two squares and Black has replied in kind. The result is an Open Game. Other responses to 1.e4 are te ...

Berlin Defense: 2...Nf6

Probably Black's most popular second move is 2...Nf6, forcing White to decide how to defend the e-pawn. After 3.d3 Black must be careful not to drift into an inferior variation of the King's Gambit Declined. One continuation that avoids this pitfall is 3...c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6. White sometimes chooses the Bishop's Opening move order to transpose into the Giuoco Piano while preventing Black from playing Petrov's Defense. For example, 2...Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 reaches the quiet

Giuoco Pianissimo The Giuoco Piano ( Italian: "Quiet Game"; ), also called the Italian Opening, is a chess opening beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 "White aims to develop quickly – but so does Black. White can construct a pawn ce ...

. The ''Urusov Gambit'' is named after Russian Prince Sergey Semyonovich Urusov (1827–1897). After 2...Nf6 3.d4 exd4 (3...Nxe4 4.dxe5 gives White some advantage) 4.Nf3, Black can transpose to the Two Knights Defense with 4...Nc6, or can decline the gambit with 4...d5 5.exd5 Bb4+ 6.c3 (6.Kf1 is recommended by Michael Goeller, winning a pawn at the expense of castling rights) 6...Qe7+ 7.Be2 dxc3, when 8.bxc3 and 8.Nxc3 both offer approximately equal chances. Instead, Black can accept the gambit with 4...Nxe4 5.Qxd4 Nf6 (5...Nd6 6.0-0 gives White an overwhelming attack), and White will continue with Nc3, Bg5, Qh4, 0-0-0, and usually intends to meet ...0-0 and ...h6 with the piece sacrifice Bxh6, exposing the black king. Black has a solid position with no clear weaknesses, but White has attacking chances and piece activity as compensation for the pawn. The Urusov Gambit is also occasionally reached via the

Petrov Defence Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game – russian: Русская партия) is a chess opening characterised by the following moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nf6 Tho ...

after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4. The ''Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit'' is named after English player and chess writer

Samuel Boden Samuel Standidge Boden (born 4 May 1826 in East Retford, Nottinghamshire; d. 13 January 1882 in Bedford Square, London) was an English professional chess master. The mating pattern " Boden's Mate" was named after the mate that occurred in one o ...

and

Lionel Kieseritzky Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky (russian: Лионель Адальберт Багратион Феликс Кизерицкий; – ) was a Baltic German chess master and theoretician, famous for his contributions to chess theory, ...

. Boden published the first analysis of it in 1851. Opening theoreticians consider that after 2...Nf6 3.Nf3 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nxc3 5.dxc3 f6, White's attack is not quite worth a pawn. The game may continue 6.0-0 Nc6 (not 6...Be7? 7.Nxe5! with a tremendous attack, but 6...d6 is also ) 7.Nh4 g6 8.f4 f5 9.Nf3 (9.Nxf5? d5!) e4 10.Ng5 (10.Ne5 Qe7! threatening Qc5+ is strong) Bc5+. In practice, Black's lack of and inability to

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

can prove very problematic. Safer for Black are

Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 – July 10, 1884) was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and is often considered the unofficial World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he was c ...

's solid 5...c6 6.Nxe5 d5, returning the pawn with equality, and 4...Nc6 (instead of 4...Nxc3) 5.0-0 (5.Nxe4 d5) Nxc3 6.dxc3 Qe7! when, according to

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

in ''

My 60 Memorable Games ''My 60 Memorable Games'' is a chess book by Bobby Fischer, first published in 1969. It is a collection of his games dating from the 1957 New Jersey Open to the 1967 Sousse Interzonal. Unlike many players' anthologies, which are often titled ''M ...

'', "White has no compensation for the Pawn." Black can also decline the pawn with 3...Nc6, transposing into the Two Knights Defense. He must, however, be willing to offer a gambit himself after 4.Ng5. White may invite an offshoot of the Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit with 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Nc3. Irregular move orders are 2.Nc3 (Vienna) Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nf3 and 2.Nf3 Nf6 (Russian or Petrov Defence) 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3.

Summary after 2...Nf6

*3.Nc3 (Vienna Game, by transposition) *3.d3 *3.d4 (Ponziani's Gambit) **3...exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 ( Center Game, by transposition) **3...exd4 4.Nf3 (Urusov Gambit) ***4...Bc5 5.0-0 Nc6 ( Max Lange Attack, by transposition) ***4...Nc6 ( Two Knights Defense, by transposition) ***4...Nxe4 5.Qxd4 (Urusov Gambit Accepted) *3.Nf3 ( Petrov's Defense, by transposition) **3...Nxe4 4.Nc3 (

Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game – russian: Русская партия) is a chess opening characterised by the following moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nf6 Tho ...

) *3.f4 (Greco Gambit) **3...Nxe4 4.d3 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 or 5...e4 **3...exf4 (

, by transposition)

Classical Defense: 2...Bc5

The Classical Defense is Black's symmetrical response, 2...Bc5. White can then transpose into the

(3.Nc3) or the Giuoco Piano (3.Nf3 Nc6), or remain in the Bishop's Opening with the ''Wing Gambit'' (3.b4) or the ''Philidor Variation'' (3.c3). The main line of the Philidor Variation runs: 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 d5! 6.exf6 dxc4 7.Qh5 0-0 8.Qxc5 Re8+ 9.Ne2 d3 10.Be3. Transpositions into the

Declined and the Giuoco Piano are also possible after 3.d3. The

Wing Gambit In chess, Wing Gambit is a generic name given to openings in which White plays an early b4, deflecting an enemy pawn or bishop from c5 so as to regain control of d4, an important central square. (Or in which Black plays ...b5, but Wing Gambits ...

results in positions similar to those in the

Evans Gambit The Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 :4. b4 The Evans Gambit is an aggressive line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the black bishop on c5. If Black accepts, ...

. It can transpose into the Evans Gambit, for instance by 3.b4 Bxb4 4.c3 Ba5 5.Nf3 Nc6. Black's most energetic response to the Philidor Variation is the ''Lewis Countergambit'', 3.c3 d5, named for the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

player and author William Lewis (1787–1870) who published analysis of the line in 1834. Among amateurs, 3.Qf3 and 3.Qh5 are also popular, threatening an immediate

Scholar's mate In chess, the scholar's mate is the checkmate achieved by the following moves, or similar: :1. e4 e5 :2. Qh5 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Nf6?? :4. Qxf7 The same mating pattern may be reached by various move orders. For example, White might play 2.Bc4 ...

. But the threat is easily met (e.g. 3.Qh5 Qe7) and the moves are considered inferior since they hamper White's development or leave the queen exposed, leading to loss of

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

Summary after 2...Bc5

*3.b4 (

) *3.c3 (Philidor Variation) **3...d5 (Lewis Countergambit) **3...d6 **3...Nf6 *3.Nc3 (

, by transposition) *3.d3 *3.Nf3 Nc6 ( Giuoco Piano, by transposition) *3.Qg4

Other Black responses

Other Black second moves are rarely played. If Black tries to transpose into the

Hungarian Defense The Hungarian Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Be7 The Hungarian Defense is a line in the Italian Game typically chosen as a response to the aggressive 3.Bc4. With the move 3...Be7, Blac ...

with 2...Be7?, then 3.Qh5 wins a pawn. The ''Calabrese Countergambit'' (2...f5) is named after Greco's homeland,

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. It is considered dubious, as the line recommended by

Carl Jaenisch Carl Ferdinand von Jaenisch (russian: Карл Андреевич Яниш, ''Karl Andreyevich Yanish''; April 11, 1813 – March 7, 1872) was a Finnish and Russian chess player and theorist. In the 1840s, he was among the top players in th ...

, 3.d3 Nf6 4.f4 d6 5.Nf3, gives White the advantage. Other analyses, however, have found that the sharp 3.f4! or safe 3.Nc3 are better for White than 3.d3.

Summary of other Black responses

*2...c6 (Philidor Counterattack) * 2...Nc6 *2...d6 *2...f5?! (Calabrese Countergambit) **3.d3 (Jaenisch Variation)

References

Bibliography * Adams, Weaver W. (1939). ''White to Play and Win''. . * *

External links

*Goeller, Michael
The Bishop's Opening
*Harding, Tim (August 1998)
The Kibitzer: What Exactly is the Bishop's Opening?
''ChessCafe.com''. *Harding, Tim (September 1998)
The Kibitzer: The Eternal Appeal Of The Urusov Gambit
''ChessCafe.com''. *Harding, Tim (October 1998)
The Kibitzer: Is the Urusov Gambit Sound?
''ChessCafe.com'' {{chess, state=collapsed Chess openings 15th century in chess