The Flank Openings – Part 1
Ideas behind Flank Openings
Flank opening
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A flank opening is a chess opening played by White and typified by play on one or both flanks (the portion of the chess board outside the central d and e files). White plays in hypermodern style, attacking the center from the flanks with pieces rather than occupying it with pawns. These openings are played often, and 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 trail only 1.e4 and 1.d4 in popularity as opening moves.
Contents
- 1Classification
- 2Zukertort Opening (1.Nf3)
- 3English Opening (1.c4)
- 4Bird’s Opening (1.f4)
- 5Others
- 6See also
- 7References
- 8Further reading
| This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. |
Classification[edit]
- 1.c4 – English Opening
- 1.Nf3 – Zukertort Opening– characteristically followed by fianchettoing one or both bishops, and without an early d4, can lead to the Réti Opening
- 1.f4 – Bird’s Opening
- 1.b3 – Larsen’s Opening
- 1.g3 – King’s Fianchetto Opening, also known as Benko’s Opening
In addition, some flank openings that are considered irregular:
- 1.a3 – Anderssen’s Opening
- 1.a4 – Ware Opening
- 1.b4 – Sokolsky Opening, also known as Polish or Orangutan Opening
- 1.c3 – Saragossa Opening
- 1.f3 – Barnes Opening, also known as Gedult’s Opening
- 1.g4 – Grob’s Attack
- 1.h3 – Clemenz Opening, or Basman’s Attack
- 1.h4 – Desprez Opening, or Kadas Opening
- 1.Na3 – Durkin Opening, also known as Durkin’s Attack or the Sodium Attack
- 1.Nc3 – Dunst Opening
- 1.Nh3 – Amar Opening, also known as Paris Opening
Zukertort Opening (1.Nf3)
The King’s Indian Attack (KIA) is a system of development that White may use in reply to almost any Black opening moves. The characteristic KIA setup is 1.Nf3, 2.g3, 3.Bg2, 4.0-0, 5.d3, 6.Nbd2, and 7.e4, although these moves may be played in many different orders. In fact, the KIA is probably most often reached after 1.e4 when White uses it to respond to a Black attempt to play one of the semi-open games such as the Caro-Kann, French, or Sicilian, or even the open games which usually come after 1.e4 e5. Its greatest appeal may be that by adopting a set pattern of development, White can avoid the large amount of opening study required to prepare to meet the many different possible Black replies to 1.e4.
English Opening (1.c4)
The English also frequently transposes into a d4 opening, but it can take on independent character as well including symmetrical variations (1.c4 c5) and the Sicilian Defense in reverse (1.c4 e5).
Bird’s Opening (1.f4)