An Open Game (or Double King's Pawn Opening) is a generic term for a family of
chess openings
The 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, known as ''openings'', have standard names such as " Sicilian Defense". ' ...
beginning with the moves:
:1. e4e5
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 termed
Semi-Open Game
A Semi-Open Game is a chess opening in which White plays 1.e4 and Black breaks symmetry immediately by replying with a move other than 1...e5. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 365. ''semi-open game''. The Semi-Open Games are also called Single King Pawn, ...
s or Single King's Pawn Games.
When written in lowercase, the term "open game" refers to a chess position where , and are open, and tending to more tactical gameplay. It is possible that an Open Game may lead to a .
Analysis
White opens by playing 1.e4, which is the most popular opening move and has many strengths – it immediately stakes a claim in the , and frees two pieces (the
queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
and king's
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
) for action. The oldest openings in chess follow 1.e4.
Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...
wrote that 1.e4 is "Best by test." On the negative side, 1.e4 places a
pawn
Pawn most often refers to:
* Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game
* Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral
Pawn or The Pawn may also refer to:
Places
* Pa ...
on an undefended square and weakens the squares d4 and f4. If Black keeps the symmetry by replying 1...e5, the result is an Open Game .
Variations
2.Nf3
The most popular second move for White is 2.Nf3 (the
King's Knight Opening
The King's Knight Opening is a chess opening consisting of the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3
White's second move attacks the e-pawn. Black ...
), attacking Black's king
pawn
Pawn most often refers to:
* Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game
* Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral
Pawn or The Pawn may also refer to:
Places
* Pa ...
, preparing to
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
, and preparing for d2–d4.
2...Nc6
Black's most common reply to 2.Nf3 is 2...Nc6. This can lead to the
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 remains one of the most popular chess openings, featuring many variations. In ...
(3.Bb5), one of the most popular openings at all levels of chess, and one of the most extensively analyzed.
The
Italian Game
The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3 ...
(3.Bc4) is a popular alternative, usually leading to either the
Giuoco Piano
The (; )Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 153. ''Giuoco Piano''. "The name means 'quiet game' and until the 19th century was often applied to any opening that was not a gambit." is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. ...
(3...Bc5) or the
Two Knights Defense
The Two Knights Defense (also called the Prussian Defense) is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Bc4 Nf6
First recorded by Giulio Cesare Polerio (c. 1550 – c. 1610) in the late 16th century, this line o ...
(3...Nf6).
The
Scotch Game
The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. d4
Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise ''Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese'' ("On ...
(3.d4) was popular in the 19th century and remains so at amateur level. After 3...exd4 White may either recapture with 4.Nxd4, usually leading to an equal game, or play the
Scotch Gambit
The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. d4
Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise ''Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese'' ("On ...
(4.Bc4), a dangerous tactical line against an unprepared opponent.
3.Nc3 Nf6, the
Four Knights Game
The Four Knights Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Nc3 Nf6
This is the most common sequence, but the knights may in any order to reach the same position.
The Four Knights usually leads to quiet ...
, was often played in the late 19th to early 20th century. Less commonly, 3....g6 or ...Bb4, (the
Three Knights Game
The Three Knights Game is a chess opening which most commonly begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Nc3
In the Three Knights Game, Black chooses to break symmetry in order to avoid the main lines of what is often considered the ...
), are possible.
The
Ponziani Opening
The Ponziani Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc ...
(3.c3) has never achieved widespread popularity but is occasionally used as a surprise weapon. Other third moves for White such as the
Konstantinopolsky Opening
The Konstantinopolsky Opening is a rarely played chess opening that begins with the moves as illustrated below:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. g3
Description
The opening was first played in the game Alexander Konstantinopolsky versus Viachesla ...
(3.g3), and
Inverted Hungarian Opening
The Inverted Hungarian Opening or Tayler Opening is an uncommon chess opening that starts with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Be2
It is so-named because the position of White's bishop on e2 resembles that of Black's bishop on e7 in the ...
(3.Be2) are rarely played and offer White no advantage.
Other second moves for Black
Black's most popular alternative to 2...Nc6 is 2...Nf6, usually leading to
Petrov's Defense
Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game ">/nowiki> is a chess opening characterised by the following moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nf6
Though this response has a long ...
, though White can avoid the extensive theory of the Petrov by playing 3.Nc3.
The
Philidor Defense
The Philidor Defence (or Philidor's Defence) is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 d6
The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternativ ...
(2...d6) has the disadvantage of restricting the mobility of Black's king's bishop, and typically leads to solid but passive positions for Black. For this reason, it largely fell out of favor by the early 20th century as Black players sought more dynamic options; however, it is still occasionally seen at grandmaster level.
The
Gunderam Defense The Gunderam Defense, also known as the Brazilian Defense or the Câmara Defense if followed by moves ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...Nf6, creating the typical King's Indian formation, is a rarely played chess opening starting with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. ...
(2...Qe7) is an offbeat choice which blocks the development of the king's bishop, and has never achieved widespread popularity.
The
Elephant Gambit
The Elephant Gambit (also called the Queen's Pawn Countergambit, Englund Counterattack or Turkish Gambit) is a rarely played chess opening beginning with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 d5
The Elephant Gambit is generally considered unsound, wi ...
(2...d5) and the
Latvian Gambit
The Latvian Gambit (or Greco Countergambit) is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 f5
It is one of the oldest chess openings, having been analysed in the 16th century by Giulio Cesare Polerio and then the 17th cent ...
(2...f5) are considered very risky for Black, with the latter usually seen only in correspondence play. The
Damiano Defense
The Damiano Defence is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
# e4 e5
# Nf3 f6?
The defence is one of the oldest chess openings, with games dating back to the 16th century. It is a weak opening that gives a large advantage for White after 3. ...
(2...f6) may be met by either 3.Nxe5 or 3.Bc4 with advantage and is almost never seen.
Other second moves for White
The most popular alternatives to 2.Nf3 are 2.f4 (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 may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with domination, or direc ...
), 2.Nc3 (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 f ...
), and 2.Bc4 (the
Bishop's Opening
The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening 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 before bishops", White ...
). These three openings have some similarities; some of the quieter lines in the Vienna and Bishop's Opening can
transpose
In linear algebra, the transpose of a Matrix (mathematics), 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 ...
to positional variations of the King's Gambit Declined, when White plays f2–f4 before playing Nf3. The King's Gambit was popular in the nineteenth century with grandmaster and amateur alike. White offers a pawn for speedy development, as well as to attack Black's central outpost. The Vienna Game also frequently features attacks on the Black center by means of f2–f4.
In the Center Game (2.d4), White immediately opens the center, though if the pawn is to be recovered after 2...exd4, White must prematurely develop their queen. An alternative is to
sacrifice
Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving.
Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
one or two pawns by offering the
Danish Gambit
The Danish Gambit, known as the ' in German and the ' in Dutch (both meaning Nordic Gambit), is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. d4 exd4
:3. c3
White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid and the att ...
(3.c3).
The early development of the queen in the
Danvers Opening
The Danvers Opening''Edward Winter''at chesshistory.com is an unorthodox chess opening characterized by the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Qh5, Qh5
It ...
, also known as the Parham Attack (2.Qh5), is usually played only by amateurs, though
Hikaru Nakamura
Christopher Hikaru NakamuraNapoleon Opening, 2.Qf3, has even less to recommend it as Black can easily block any mating threats without compromising their development. The
Portuguese Opening
The Portuguese Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Bb5
The Portuguese is an uncommon opening. In contrast to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5), by delaying Nf3, White leaves the f-pawn free to move and re ...
(2.Bb5) and
Alapin's Opening
Alapin's Opening is an unusual chess opening that starts with the moves:
: 1. e4 e5
: 2. Ne2
It is named after the Russo-Lithuanian player and openings analyst Semyon Alapin (1856–1923).
Although this opening is rarely used, it occurred ...
(2.Ne2) are offbeat tries for White, but neither gain any advantage against correct play. The Bongcloud Attack (2.Ke2) is considered a joke opening.
Examples of Open Games
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
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 remains one of the most popular chess openings, featuring many variations. In ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
Italian Game
The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3 ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5
Giuoco Piano
The (; )Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 153. ''Giuoco Piano''. "The name means 'quiet game' and until the 19th century was often applied to any opening that was not a gambit." is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
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 attacking line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the black bishop on c5. If Black accepts, W ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
Two Knights Defense
The Two Knights Defense (also called the Prussian Defense) is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Bc4 Nf6
First recorded by Giulio Cesare Polerio (c. 1550 – c. 1610) in the late 16th century, this line o ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7
Hungarian Defense
The Hungarian Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 without 3...Nf6
Three Knights Game
The Three Knights Game is a chess opening which most commonly begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Nc3
In the Three Knights Game, Black chooses to break symmetry in order to avoid the main lines of what is often considered the ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6
Four Knights Game
The Four Knights Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Nc3 Nf6
This is the most common sequence, but the knights may in any order to reach the same position.
The Four Knights usually leads to quiet ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4
Scotch Game
The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. d4
Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise ''Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese'' ("On ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3
Ponziani Opening
The Ponziani Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3
Konstantinopolsky Opening
The Konstantinopolsky Opening is a rarely played chess opening that begins with the moves as illustrated below:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. g3
Description
The opening was first played in the game Alexander Konstantinopolsky versus Viachesla ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2
Inverted Hungarian Opening
The Inverted Hungarian Opening or Tayler Opening is an uncommon chess opening that starts with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Be2
It is so-named because the position of White's bishop on e2 resembles that of Black's bishop on e7 in the ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
Petrov's Defence
Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game ">/nowiki> is a chess opening characterised by the following moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nf6
Though this response has a long ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
Philidor Defence
The Philidor Defence (or Philidor's Defence) is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 d6
The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternativ ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5
Latvian Gambit
The Latvian Gambit (or Greco Countergambit) is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 f5
It is one of the oldest chess openings, having been analysed in the 16th century by Giulio Cesare Polerio and then the 17th cent ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5
Elephant Gambit
The Elephant Gambit (also called the Queen's Pawn Countergambit, Englund Counterattack or Turkish Gambit) is a rarely played chess opening beginning with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 d5
The Elephant Gambit is generally considered unsound, wi ...
Damiano Defense
The Damiano Defence is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
# e4 e5
# Nf3 f6?
The defence is one of the oldest chess openings, with games dating back to the 16th century. It is a weak opening that gives a large advantage for White after 3. ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.f4
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 may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with domination, or direc ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3
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 f ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
Bishop's Opening
The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening 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 before bishops", White ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 Center Game
* 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3
Danish Gambit
The Danish Gambit, known as the ' in German and the ' in Dutch (both meaning Nordic Gambit), is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. d4 exd4
:3. c3
White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid and the att ...
Alapin's Opening
Alapin's Opening is an unusual chess opening that starts with the moves:
: 1. e4 e5
: 2. Ne2
It is named after the Russo-Lithuanian player and openings analyst Semyon Alapin (1856–1923).
Although this opening is rarely used, it occurred ...
* 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5
Danvers Opening
The Danvers Opening''Edward Winter''at chesshistory.com is an unorthodox chess opening characterized by the moves:
:1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5
:2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Qh5, Qh5
It ...
Portuguese Opening
The Portuguese Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Bb5
The Portuguese is an uncommon opening. In contrast to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5), by delaying Nf3, White leaves the f-pawn free to move and re ...
Diagrams
See also
*
Closed Game
A Closed Game (or Double Queen's Pawn Opening) is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. d4 d5
The move 1.d4 offers the same benefits to and as does 1.e4, but unlike with the king's pawn openings where the e4-pawn is undefended after ...
(1.d4 d5)
*
Flank opening
A flank opening is a chess opening played by White and typified by play on one or both (the portion of the chessboard outside the central d- and e-). White often plays in hypermodern style, attacking the from the flanks with rather than occupyi ...
(1.c4, 1.Nf3, 1.f4, and others)
*
Irregular chess opening
In chess, an irregular opening is an opening considered unusual or unorthodox. In the early 19th century the term 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 ...
*
King's Pawn Game
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 1.d4, the Queen's Pawn Game.
Principles
White opens with the most popular of the ...
*
List of chess openings
This is a list of chess openings, organised by the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (''ECO'') code classification system. The chess openings are categorised into five broad areas ("A" through "E"), with each of those broken up into one hundred ...
*
Semi-Closed Game
A Semi-Closed Game (or Semi-Closed Opening) is a chess opening in which White plays 1.d4 but Black does not make the symmetrical reply 1...d5.Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 365. ''semi-close game''. (The openings starting 1.d4 d5 are the Closed Games.)
...
(1.d4 other)
*
Semi-Open Game
A Semi-Open Game is a chess opening in which White plays 1.e4 and Black breaks symmetry immediately by replying with a move other than 1...e5. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 365. ''semi-open game''. The Semi-Open Games are also called Single King Pawn, ...