Unorthodox opening
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In chess, irregular opening is a traditional term for any
opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...
considered unusual or unorthodox. In the early 19th century it was used for any opening not beginning with 1.e4 e5 (the Open Game) or 1.d4 d5 (the Closed Game). As opening theory has developed and openings formerly considered "irregular" have become standard, the term has been used less frequently.Hooper & Whyld, ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'', Oxford University Press, 1996, p 182, "Irregular opening, in the early 19th century any opening that did not begin with 1.e4 e5 or 1.d4 d5. However, Jaenisch said, 'As this distinction is purely arbitrary, and unfounded on principle, we cannot ourselves adopt it. We distinguish all the openings as "correct", or else as "incorrect" or "hazardous".' Since then many so-called irregular openings have become standard play. These and many other openings have acquired names and the term irregular opening has gradually fallen into disuse." Because these openings are not popular with chess players, the standard opening references such as '' Modern Chess Openings'' (MCO) and '' Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (ECO) do not cover them in detail.


Usage of the term

While the term has frequently been used in chess literature, its meaning has never been precise and has varied between writers. One of the earliest references to "irregular openings" in chess literature was made by
William Lewis William or Willie Lewis may refer to: Politicians * William Lewis (MP for Anglesey) (by 1526–1601 or later), MP for Anglesey in 1553 and 1555 * William Lewis (MP for Helston), MP for Helston in 1584 * William Lewis (MP for King's Lynn) (died 15 ...
in his 1832 work ''Second Series of Lessons on the Game of Chess''. Lewis classified openings under the headings " King's Bishop's Game" (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4), " King's Knight's Game" (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3), " Queen's Bishop's Pawn Game" (1.e4 e5 2.c3), " King's Gambit" (1.e4 e5 2.f4), "
Queen's Gambit The Queen's Gambit is the chess opening that starts with the moves: :1. d4 d5 :2. c4 It is one of the oldest openings and is still commonly played today. It is traditionally described as a ''gambit'' because White appears to sacrifice the c ...
" (1.d4 d5 2.c4) and "Irregular Openings" (all other openings). Lewis comments that the irregular openings are "seldom played, because they are generally dull and uninteresting". Among the openings he analyzes under this heading are the French Defence and English Opening (both now considered standard),
Bird's Opening Bird's Opening (or the Dutch Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the move: :1. f4 Bird's is a standard flank opening. White's strategic ideas involve control of the e5-square, offering good attacking chances at the expense of slightly ...
and a few 1.d4 d5 lines without the Queen's Gambit. Lewis assigns no names to these openings.
William Lewis William or Willie Lewis may refer to: Politicians * William Lewis (MP for Anglesey) (by 1526–1601 or later), MP for Anglesey in 1553 and 1555 * William Lewis (MP for Helston), MP for Helston in 1584 * William Lewis (MP for King's Lynn) (died 15 ...

''Second Series of Lessons on the Game of Chess''
Simpkin & Marshall, London 1832
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 the ...
, who was an early advocate of the French and Sicilian defences, rejected this use of the term "irregular", saying that openings should rather be classified as "correct", "incorrect" or "hazardous".
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 the ...
br>Jaenisch's Chess Preceptor: A New Analysis of the Openings of Game
Longman, Brown, Green & Longman, London, 1847 (original in French, St. Petersburg 1843)
In ''The Chess-Player's Handbook'' (1847), for many years the standard English-language reference book on the game of chess, Howard Staunton accepted Lewis's overall classification system while tacitly acknowledging Jaenisch's objections. He wrote "Those methods of commencing the game, in which the first or second player moves other than (1.e4 e5 or 1.d4 d5) are usually designated "Irregular". Without assenting to the propriety of this distinction, I have thought it advisable, for the sake of perspicuity, to adopt a general and well known classification in preference to arranging these peculiar ''débuts'' under separate and less familiar heads." Under this heading, Staunton considers the French Defence, Sicilian Defence,
Scandinavian Defence The Scandinavian Defense (or Center Counter Defense, or Center Counter Game) is a chess opening characterized by the moves: :1. e4 d5 This opening is classified under code B01 in the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (). The Scandinavian ...
,
Owen's Defence Owen's Defence (also known as the Queen's Fianchetto Defence or Greek Defence) is an uncommon chess opening defined by the moves: :1. e4 b6 By playing 1...b6, Black prepares to fianchetto the where it will participate in the battle for the . ...
,
Dutch Defence The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. d4 f5 Black's 1...f5 stakes a claim to the e4-square and envisions an attack in the middlegame on White's ; however, it also weakens Black's kingside to an extent (especia ...
,
Benoni Defence The Benoni Defense is a chess opening characterized by an early reply of ...c5 against White's opening move 1.d4. Most commonly, it is reached by the sequence: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 c5 :3. d5 Black can then sacrifice a pawn with 3...b5 (the Benk ...
, Bird's Opening and English Opening.Howard Staunton
''The Chess-Player's Handbook''
Henry G. Bohn, London 1847


Strategic considerations

Irregular openings are usually considered somewhat weaker than standard openings if both players play "perfectly". An element that many irregular openings share in common to their favor, however, is that many players have not studied the resulting positions in depth. As such, they can be a useful tool when played intentionally, similar to
chess traps In chess, a trap is a move which tempts the opponent to play a losing move. Traps are common in all phases of the game; in the opening, some traps have occurred often enough that they have acquired names. List of chess traps Ordered by chess ope ...
, to throw the other player off their preferred openings they've prepared for and played many times, and force the game onto a path that only the irregular opening player has studied. This advantage can offset the theoretical weakness; even if the other player avoids any direct blunders, they may be forced to spend time deriving the correct move through personal analysis, rather than instantly knowing the "correct" reply from a memorized opening book. In the same way, such strategies could be effective against older and weaker computer chess programs from the 1980s and 1990s: a chess program that heavily relied on memorized opening books from games of top players could be set adrift quickly by an irregular opening, and forced to calculate moves for itself. Such tactics no longer work on modern chess programs, however, which are significantly stronger.


Examples


Unusual first moves by White

The vast majority of high-level chess games begin with either
1.e4 The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with t ...
,
1.d4 Queen's Pawn Game broadly refers to any chess opening starting with the move 1.d4, which is the second most popular opening move after 1.e4 (King's Pawn Game). Terminology The term "Queen's Pawn Game" is usually used to describe openings begin ...
, 1.Nf3, or 1.c4.Randy Olson
''Popularity of chess openings over time''
ChessBase, 24 June 2014
Also seen occasionally are 1.g3, 1.b3, and 1.f4. Other opening moves by White, along with a few non- transposing lines beginning 1.g3, are classified under the code "A00" by the '' Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' and described as "uncommon" or "irregular". Although they are classified under a single code, these openings are unrelated to each other. The openings classified as A00 are: *1. a3
Anderssen's Opening Anderssen's Opening is a chess opening defined by the opening move: :1. a3 Anderssen's Opening is named after unofficial World Chess Champion Adolf Anderssen, who played it three times in his 1858 match against Paul Morphy. Although Anderssen was ...
*1. a4
Ware Opening The Ware Opening, also known as Meadow Hay Opening, is an uncommon chess opening for White beginning with the move: : 1. a4 It is named after Preston Ware, a U.S. chess player who often played uncommon openings. The Ware is considered an irregu ...
*1. b4
Sokolsky Opening The Sokolsky Opening (also known as the Orangutan or Polish Opening) is an uncommon chess opening that begins with the move: :1. b4 According to various databases, out of the twenty possible first moves from White, the move 1.b4 ranks ninth ...
, also known as the Polish Opening or Orangutan Opening *1. c3
Saragossa Opening The Saragossa Opening is a chess opening defined by the opening move: :1. c3 Since White usually plays more aggressively in the opening, the Saragossa is considered an irregular opening, classified as A00 by the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Open ...
*1. d3
Mieses Opening The Mieses Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move: :1. d3 The opening is named after the German-British grandmaster Jacques Mieses. It is considered an irregular opening, so it is classified under the A00 code in the ''Encyclopa ...
*1. e3
Van 't Kruijs Opening The Van 't Kruijs Opening () is a chess opening defined by the move: :1. e3 It is named after the Dutch player Maarten van 't Kruijs (1813–1885) who won the sixth Dutch championship in 1878. As this opening move is rarely played, it is ...
*1. f3Barnes Opening, also known as Gedult's Opening *1. g3King's Fianchetto Opening or Benko's Opening *1. g4
Grob's Attack Grob's Attack is an unconventional chess opening in which White begins with the move: :1. g4 It is widely considered to be one of the worst possible first moves for White. International Master John Watson writes, "As far as I can tell, 1 g4 i ...
*1. h3Clemenz Opening, or Basman's Attack *1. h4
Desprez Opening The Desprez Opening is a chess opening characterised by the opening move: :1. h4 The opening is named after the French player . Like a number of other rare openings, 1.h4 has some alternate names such as Kádas Opening (after Gabor Kádas, a Hung ...
, or Kadas Opening *1. Na3Durkin Opening, also known as Durkin's Attack or the Sodium Attack *1. Nc3Dunst Opening *1. Nh3Amar Opening, also known as the Paris Opening, Ammonia Opening, or Drunken Knight Opening The Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack (1.b3, ECO code A01) and
Bird's Opening Bird's Opening (or the Dutch Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the move: :1. f4 Bird's is a standard flank opening. White's strategic ideas involve control of the e5-square, offering good attacking chances at the expense of slightly ...
(1.f4, ECO codes A02–A03) have also been described as "irregular", particularly in older books.
Savielly Tartakower Savielly Tartakower (also known as ''Xavier'' or ''Ksawery'' ''Tartakower'', less often ''Tartacover'' or ''Tartakover''; 21 February 1887 – 4 February 1956) was a Polish and French chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grand ...
& Jules du Mont
''500 Master Games of Chess''
Dover, 1952, p651


Unusual responses by Black

Openings in which Black makes an unconventional response to 1.e4 are classified as B00 (
King's Pawn Game The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twen ...
). Included in this code are: *1.e4 a6 –
St. George Defence The St. George Defence (also known as the Baker's Defence, Birmingham Defence, or Basman Counterattack) is an unorthodox chess opening for Black. The opening begins with the moves: : 1. e4 a6 The St. George Defence is given '' ECO'' code B00 ...
*1.e4 b6 –
Owen's Defence Owen's Defence (also known as the Queen's Fianchetto Defence or Greek Defence) is an uncommon chess opening defined by the moves: :1. e4 b6 By playing 1...b6, Black prepares to fianchetto the where it will participate in the battle for the . ...
*1.e4 f6 –
Barnes Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twenty ...
*1.e4 h6 –
Carr Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twenty ...
*1.e4 Na6 –
Lemming Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twent ...
*1.e4 Nc6 – Nimzowitsch Defence *1.e4 Nh6 –
Adams Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twenty ...
*1.e4 a5 –
Cornstalk Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twen ...
*1.e4 b5 – (loses pawn to 2.Bxb5) *1.e4 f5 – Fred Defence *1.e4 g5 –
Borg Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twenty ...
*1.e4 h5 –
Goldsmith Defence The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: :1. e4 It is the most popular opening move in chess, followed by the Queen's Pawn Game. Details about the move and the game plan White opens with the most popular of the twenty ...
Of these, 1...Nc6, 1...b6, 1...a6, and 1...g5 have received the most theoretical attention.Nick de Firmian
''Batsford's Modern Chess Openings''
2014
Tony Miles famously used 1...a6 to defeat Anatoly Karpov.Les Bunning
Miles known for unorthodox style of play
Ottawa Citizen, 28 June 1980


See also

* List of chess openings *
Bongcloud Attack The Bongcloud Attack or Bongcloud Opening is an irregular chess opening that consists of the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Ke2 It is considered a joke opening, and is associated with internet chess humor. Being a poor move, its usage can suggest a se ...


Notes


References

* * * {{Chess *Irregular openings (chess)