The Bishop's Opening is a

chess opening The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established Chess_theory#Opening_theory, theory. The other phases are the chess middlegame, middlegame and the chess endgame, endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''op ...

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 a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

before

bishops 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 ...

", White leaves their 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 may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with domination, or direc ...

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 f ...

, two openings that share this characteristic. The 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 ...

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 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. ...

and 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 ...

and other openings are also possible. The ''

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (''ECO'') is a reference work describing the state of Chess theory#Opening theory, opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugos ...

'' 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 (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of ...

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 remains one of the most popular chess openings, featuring many variations. In ...

. Later it was played by

Philidor Philidor (''Filidor'') or Danican Philidor was a family of musicians that served as court musicians to the French kings. The original name of the family was Danican (D'Anican) and was of Scottish origin (Duncan). Philidor was a later addition to t ...

, whose influence gave the opening long-lasting popularity.Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 42. The opening fell out of favor after improvements for Black were introduced in the mid-19th century.

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

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 Ca ...

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

Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion (1985–2000), political activist and writer. His peak FIDE chess Elo rating system, ra ...

John Nunn John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was form ...

uses it to avoid

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 ...

(1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6), and

Peter Lékó Peter Leko (; born September 8, 1979) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and commentator. He became the world's youngest grandmaster in 1994. He narrowly missed winning the Classical World Chess Championship 2004: the match was drawn 7–7 and s ...

played it in the 2007 World Championship against

Vladimir Kramnik Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (; born 25 June 1975) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. He was the World Chess Champion#Split title (1993–2006), Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the 14th undisputed World Ch ...

, 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 f ...

, 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 Griffith (chess player), Richard Clewin Griffith (1872–1955) and John Herbert White (1880–1920). The fif ...

'', concludes that the Bishop's Opening leads to with best play by both sides, and notes that, "Among modern players only Bent Larsen 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 generic term for 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 White has moved the king's pawn two squares and Bl ...

Berlin Defense: 2...Nf6

Black's most active 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 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 direct ...

. One continuation that avoids this pitfall is 3...c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6. White sometimes chooses the Bishop's Opening to transpose into the

while preventing Black from playing

. For example, 2...Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 reaches the quiet

Giuoco Pianissimo 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. ...

. The Urusov Gambit is named after Russian Prince

Sergey Semyonovich Urusov Prince Sergey Semyonovich Urusov (3 August 1827 – 20 November 1897) was a leading 19th century Russian chess player; he was also a self-published amateur mathematician. His brother Dmitry Urusov (1829-1903) was also a strong player. He was a ...

(1827–1897). After 2...Nf6 3.d4 exd4 (3...Nxe4 4.dxe5 gives White some advantage) 4.Nf3, Black can transpose to the

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 Petrov's Defense after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4. The Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit is named after English players and chess writers

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 of ...

and

Lionel Kieseritzky Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky (; – ) was a Baltic German chess master and theoretician, known for his contributions to chess theory, as well for a game he lost against Adolf Anderssen, known as the "Immortal Game". Kieseritzky's ...

. 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 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 ...

can prove very problematic. Safer for Black are

Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837July 10, 1884) was an American chess player. During his brief career in the late 1850s, Morphy was acknowledged as the world's greatest chess master. A prodigy, Morphy emerged onto the chess scene in 1857 ...

'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 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 ...

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

. 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's Defense) 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 The Center Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. d4 exd4 The game usually continues 3.Qxd4 Nc6, with a gain of tempo for Black due to the attack on the white queen. (Note that 3.c3 is considered a separate openi ...

, by transposition) **3...exd4 4.Nf3 (Urusov Gambit) ***4...Bc5 5.0-0 Nc6 (

Max Lange Attack The Max Lange Attack is a chess opening that can arise from several different opening lines, including the Two Knights Defense, Petroff's Defense, Scotch Gambit, Bishop's Opening, Center Game, and Giuoco Piano. Two of the most commonly seen are ...

, by transposition) ***4...Nc6 (

, by transposition) ***4...Nxe4 5.Qxd4 (Urusov Gambit Accepted) *3.Nf3 (

, 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 ">/nowiki> is a chess opening characterised by the following moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nf6 Though this response has a long ...

) *3.f4 (Greco Gambit) **3...Nxe4 4.d3 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 or 5...e4 **3...exf4 ( Bishop's Gambit, by transposition) **3...d5 4.exd5 e4! ( Falkbeer Countergambit favorable to Black, by transposition)

Classical Defense: 2...Bc5

The Classical Defense (also known as the Boi Variation) is Black's symmetrical response, 2...Bc5. White can then transpose into the

(3.Nc3) or the

(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, the Wing Gambit is an opening 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 an opening in which Black plays an early ...b5. The most common ...

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 attacking line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the black bishop on c5. If Black accepts, W ...

. It can transpose into the Evans Gambit, for instance by 3.b4 Bxb4 4.c3 Ba5 5.Nf3 Nc6. It can also lead to the Four Pawns Gambit after 3...Bxb4 4.f4 exf4 5.Nf3 Be7 6.d4 Bh4+ 7.g3 fxg3 8.0-0 gxh2+ 9.Kh1. Black's most energetic response to the Philidor Variation is the Lewis Countergambit, 3.c3 d5, named for the English 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, 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. In a ...

. 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 for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

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 (

, 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. 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 ...

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

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wi ...

's homeland,

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

. It is considered dubious, as the line recommended by

Carl Jaenisch Carl Ferdinand von Jaenisch (; 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 world.Adriano Chicco, Giorgio Porreca, ''Dizionario enciclopedico degli sc ...

, 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)

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * *

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