Chess Openings For Dummies

James Eade became a United States Chess Federation chess master in 1981. International organizations awarded him the master title in 1990 (for correspondence) and in 1993 (for regular tournament play). Today, he writes about and teaches chess. Carsten Hansen is a FIDE Master (1990) and Trainer (2016) and is one of the most prolific authors of chess books, with more than sixty books to his credit.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Conventions Used in This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 3How This Book Is Organized 3Icons Used in This Book 4Beyond the Book 5Where to Go from Here 5Part 1: Principles of Play 7Chapter 1: Understanding Chess Openings 9Identifying a Chess Opening 9Distinguishing “the” opening from “an” opening 10Seeing how a move turns into an opening 10Watching an opening transform right before your eyes 11Finding an opening that’s right for you 12Reviewing Chess Shorthand 13Describing the board and pieces 14Describing the action 14Chapter 2: Exploring the Elements of Chess 17Getting Time on Your Side 18When Spacing Out Is Good 19Making the Most of Your Material 20Structuring your pawns 22Securing your king 24Chapter 3: Picking the Right Type of Opening 25Considering Naming Conventions 25Examining Opening Types 27Breaking open the board with open games 28Counterattacking with semi-open games 28Shutting down your opponent with closed games 29Playing coy with semi-closed games 30Playing on the sidelines with flank games 31Part 2: Winning with Open Games 33Chapter 4: Gambling with Gambits 35Why Gamble with a Gambit? 35Trotting Out the King’s Gambit 36The King’s Gambit accepted 37The King’s Gambit declined 42Delving into the Danish Gambit 47When things go White’s way 48When things go Black’s way 49Gambits for Black 51Gambits All the Way 52Chapter 5: Opening Softly with a Big Stick: The Bishop Makes Its Move 53Preying with the Bishop’s Opening 54When things go White’s way 54When things go Black’s way 56Keying Up for the Giuoco Piano 58When things go White’s way 59When things go Black’s way 61Attacking with the Evans Gambit 63When things go White’s way 63When things go Black’s way 65Chapter 6: Workin’ on Some Knight Moves 67Calling in the Calvary: The Four Knights 67When things go White’s way 68When things go Black’s way 70Ambitious but a Bit Ambiguous: The Two Knights Defense 72When things go White’s way 72When things go Black’s way 74Chapter 7: Employing the Royal Ruy 77Running with the Ruy López 77Closing the Deal with the Open Variation 78When things go White’s way 78When things go Black’s way 81Staying Open-Minded with the Closed Variation 84When things go White’s way 84When things go Black’s way 88Marshalling Your Forces with the Marshall Attack and the Anti-Marshalls 91When things go White’s way 92When things go Black’s way 95Chapter 8: The Best of the Rest of the Open Games 99Pouring on the Scotch 99When things go White’s way 100When things go Black’s way 102Waltzing with the Vienna Game 105When things go White’s way 106When things go Black’s way 109Dabbling with Petroff’s Defense 112When things go White’s way 113When things go Black’s way 115Part 3: Having It Both Ways with Semi-open Games 119Chapter 9: Sharpening the Sicilian 121The People’s Choice 121Entering the Dragon 122When things go White’s way 123When things go Black’s way 126Knocking Around the Najdorf 129When things go White’s way 130When things go Black’s way 132Claws Out in the Chelyabinsk 135When things go White’s way 136When things go Black’s way 139Can They Cancan in the Kan? 143When things go White’s way 143When things go Black’s way 148Some Words about the Anti-Sicilians 151Chapter 10: Parlez-vous the French? 153Nothing Diplomatic Here 153Charging the Advance 154When things go White’s way 154When things go Black’s way 157Staying Classical 161When things go White’s way 161When things go Black’s way 163Winning with the Winawer 166When things go White’s way 166When things go Black’s way 168Taking Out the Tarrasch 171When things go White’s way 172When things go Black’s way 174Chapter 11: Anyone Can Caro-Kann 177Caring about the Caro-Kann 177The Classical Variation 178When things go White’s way 179When things go Black’s way 181Being Advanced 183When things go White’s way 184When things go Black’s way 186Chapter 12: Rope-a-Dope with the Pirc and Modern Defenses 189Picking the Pirc 189The Austrian Attack 190When things go White’s way 190When things go Black’s way 193Picking the Pirc Classical 195When things go White’s way 196When things go Black’s way 198Thoroughly Modern Maneuvers 200When things go White’s way 201When things go Black’s way 203Chapter 13: The Best of the Rest of the Semi-Open Games 205Analyzing Alekhine’s Defense 206When things go White’s way 206When things go Black’s way 209Striking Back with the Scandinavian 213When things go White’s way 213When things go Black’s way 216Part 4: Conquering with Closed And Semi- Closed Games 219Chapter 14: Offering the Queen’s Gambit 221The Queen’s Gambit Accepted 222When things go White’s way 223When things go Black’s way 225Remaining Orthodox 227When things go White’s way 228When things go Black’s way 229Testing the Tartakower 231When things go White’s way 232When things go Black’s way 233Trading on the Exchange 235When things go White’s way 235When things go Black’s way 237Chapter 15: Declining with the Slav and Semi-Slav 239Declining or Delaying? 239Going Down the Main Line 240When things go White’s way 240When things go Black’s way 242Meeting the Meran Variation in the Semi-Slav 244When things go White’s way 244When things go Black’s way 246Betting on the Botvinnik Variation 248When things go White’s way 248When things go Black’s way 251Chapter 16: Getting Hypermodern with the Nimzo-Indian 253What Is the Nimzo-Indian? 253Playing Differently with the Sämisch 254When things go White’s way 255When things go Black’s way 257Kicking Off with the Classical Variation 259When things go White’s way 260When things go Black’s way 262Running with the Rubinstein 264When things go White’s way 264When things go Black’s way 267Nimzo’s Friends — Some Related Indians 269Queen’s Indian Defense 269Bogo-Indian Defense 270Chapter 17: Fighting Back with the King’s Indian 271The Center Can Wait 271Getting Classical 272When things go White’s way 272When things go Black’s way 275Playing Differently with the Sämisch 277When things go White’s way 277When things go Black’s way 279Finessing with the Fianchetto System 281When things go White’s way 281Chapter 18: Grinding in the Grünfeld 283Hypermodern to the Max 283Examining the Exchange Variation 284When things go White’s way 285When things go Black’s way 288Rolling Out the Russian System 291When things go White’s way 291When things go Black’s way 294Chapter 19: The Best of the Rest of the Semi-Closed Games 297Loving the London System 297When things go White’s way 298When things go Black’s way 300The Trompowsky Tango 303When things go White’s way 303When things go Black’s way 306Going Dutch 307The Leningrad 307When things go White’s way 308When things go Black’s way 309The Stonewall Dutch 312When things go White’s way 312When things go Black’s way 313Part 5: Advancing with Flank Openings 317Chapter 20: Speaking the King’s English 319The British Are Coming! 319Reversing the Sicilian 320When things go White’s way 320When things go Black’s way 323Stampeding in the Four Knights 327When things go White’s way 327When things go Black’s way 331Staying Symmetrical 335When things go White’s way 335When things go Black’s way 338Chapter 21: Getting Réti 341The Contemporary Réti 341When things go White’s way 342When things go Black’s way 344The Radical Réti 346When things go White’s way 347When things go Black’s way 350Chapter 22: The Best of the Rest of the Flank Openings 355Larsen Attack 356When things go White’s way 356When things go Black’s way 358Winging it with the Bird’s 360When things go White’s way 361When things go Black’s way 363Some Other Flank Action 366Part 6: the Part of Tens 367Chapter 23: Ten Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Opening 369Wasting Time 369Leading with the Lady 371Losing Material 372Abandoning the Center 373Creating Weaknesses 373Pawn Grabbing 374Exposing the King 374Blocking Lines 375Falling for Traps 375Memorizing Moves 376Chapter 24: Ten Best Ways to Study Chess Openings 377Getting a Coach 378Study Online 378Finding a Friend 379Reading Annotations 379Playing in Real Time 379Blitzing It Out 380Basing the Data 380Revving an Engine 381Studying Your Games 381Buying A(nother) Book 382Chapter 25: Ten (or so) Great Chess Websites 383Playing Sites 384Lichess 384Chess.com 384Honorable mention 384Training Sites 385Chessable 385Chessify 385Chessmood 385Honorable mentions 385Informational Sites 386The Week in Chess 386ChessBase & ChessBase India 386YouTube 386Twitch 386Facebook 387Honorable Mentions 387Index 389