I will explain all best chess openings starting with 1.e4 including key ideas and plans which will help you to learn openings quickly.

If you already know names of your opening, then I suggest you to go to your openings, and check if you are applying these key ideas in your opening or not.

Let’s begin without taking much time.

1. Ruy-Lopez (Spanish Opening)

Key Ideas:

Ruy Lopez begins with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. In this opening white puts pressure on Black’s c6 knight in order to attack the central pawn, which is e5.

In the whole opening stage, white fights really hard to attack on e5 pawn, while creating attack on black’s king, these two plans give white upper hand and these plans also put lot of pressure on black’s play.

2. Sicilian Defense

Key Ideas Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense begins with 1.e4 c5, this is very complex and fighting opening against e4. There are lot of variations in Sicilian Defense but mostly played are 23.

In every variation black has different ideas but in general and mostly black fights for d5 push and expands on queenside, while white attacks on black’s king and controls the center.

The Sicilian defense is just like do or die variation where both chess players play for win.

Here I have written all 23 variations of Sicilian Defense with short introduction, you may check out this link if you are willing to play Sicilian Defense: https://chessmars.com/blog/what-is-the-sicilian-defense-in-chess/

3. French Defense

Key Ideas in French Defense

French defense begins with 1.e4 and e6. it is a solid but passive.

The key ideas are that white builds the center with e4 and d4 pawn, and black counters and try to break white’s control on the center.

In French Defense, there are some variations where both king castles on opposite side and then both try to attack each other’s king.

Please note that the French defense is also famous defense and very strategical opening. In order to understand this defense, you have to learn proper theory and you have to study chess games.

4. Caro-Kann Defense

Key Ideas in Caro Kan Defense

Caro Kan Defense begins with 1.e4 c6. It is a solid defense against 1.e4, and it is well suited for positional players who wants to avoid tactical openings.

The key idea of black’s c6 move is to attack the e4 pawn with the support of d5 pawn and then black will have pawn chain of e6 and d5 pawn, and black will play on queen side for minority attack.

5. Italian Game

Key Ideas in Italian Game

Italian Game starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. The Bishop c4 move is one of the favorite move of Bobby Fischer. He always played Bc4 when he got the chance.

The ideas are that white attacks at f7 which is weakest square in the opening, in this opening white is aiming for black king with fast development of his pieces.

6. Ponziani Opening

Key Ideas in Ponziani Opening

Ponziani opening starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3. In the beginning of opening phase, white plays c3 in order to play d4 and the idea is that white wants to have strong center with pawns and later white will attack black’s king.

7. Scotch Game

Key Ideas in Scotch Game

The scotch game arises 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4. It is very sharp and tactical opening.

Key ideas are that white opens the center immediately while developing his pieces, while black loses tempo on material, if black is careless, he will be lost, because in this game you can not afford inaccuracy in the opening.

8. Four Knights Game

Key Ideas in Four Knight Game

Its all about center, both fights for controlling the center, but white is a tempo up, and its up to your skill whether you get advantage in symmetrical opening or not.

If you are willing to play four knights game then you can try one interesting gambit which is called Halloween gambit where white sacrifices his knight to get two three tempo.

Please note one thing is that it can also transpose to other openings like scotch or Italian.

Notable Players in Four Knight Game: José Raúl Capablanca, Paul Morphy.

9. Two Knights Defense

Key Ideas in Two Knight Defense

Black attacks white’s e4 pawn by developing Nf6, if allowed black captures e4 pawn. The ideas will depend on what white wants to play next.

Notable Players in Two Knight Defense:  Garry Kasparov, Nigel Short.

10. King’s Gambit

Key Ideas in Kings Gambit

White Sacrifices the f-pawn to gain rapid development and it opens the f file on which white’s caslted rook will be aiming to black’s king. Its very sharp gambit, both side must play very accurately.

Notable Players in Kings Gambit: Paul Morphy, Bobby Fischer.

11. Vienna Game

Key Ideas in Vienna Game

The very first idea is that white stops black’s d5 pawn, which is black’s key move in often e4-e5 openings, the second thing is that white prepares f4 for an aggressive kingside attack.

Notable Players in Vienna Game: Wilhelm Steinitz, Magnus Carlsen.

12. Philidor Defense

Key Ideas in Philidor Defense

Its a solid but passive defense,  black wants to have a strong pawn center, and meanwhile also wants to protect his e5 pawn, but this clever idea of protecting his e5 pawn with d6 often costs him lack of space and if you are playing with white pieces, then you must seize the opportunity of space in the opening, in order to get solid and positional advantage.

Notable Players in Philidor Defense: Philidor himself, Daniil Dubov.

13. Petroff Defense

Key Ideas in Petroff Defense

In this opening, black wants to play symmetrical pawn structure, although white has slight advantage in activity, which may increases if black makes inaccuracy and that’s where white will have big advantage.

Chess players especially from black side sometime play this defense in order to get a drawish  game. But don’t forget Kramnik, he won lot games in Petroff Defense.

If you want to play a simple, solid defense, then I suggest you to study Kramnik chess games for Petrrof Defense.

Notable Players in Petroff Defense: Fabiano Caruana, Vladimir Kramnik.

14. Center Game

Intro: Begins with 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4. A rare but aggressive option for White.

Key Ideas:  Its a tricky chess opening, white allows black to develop his Nc6 for attacking his queen and then white returns his queen ,and now black faces problem on and pressure on pushing his pawn to d5.

For more information, I suggest you to watch GM Igor Smrinov video on YouTube on this opening.

15. Alekhine’s Defense

Key Ideas Alekhine’s Defense

Black has a very clever idea, the point of developing Black’s knight is that it provokes white to push his central pawns.

Once pawns reaches at the center then black tries to attack and break the center with moves like d6 and then e5 or c5.

White counters black’s idea by getting the center and seizing the space, and later white converts into his advantage if black is careless.

16. Latvian Gambit

Key Ideas Latvian Gambit

It’s the same like kings gambit reverse, black opens its f file and wants to attack early, this is very risky gambit, if white is careless, he often faces difficulties in development of his king side pieces.

17. Max Lange Attack

Key Ideas in Max Lange Attack

White sacrifices his central d pawn in order get rapid development of pieces, and if black copies white like Bc5 then white pushes his e4 pawn to e5 pawn and that’s where white starts the attack on black’s king.

18. Danish Gambit

Key Ideas in Danish Gambit

White sacrifices his pawn to get two tempos with rapid development of his pieces, the idea is to crush black before castling, whether you are able to convert opening advantage into win or not its totally depend on your skill and level.

19. Giuoco Piano

Key Ideas in Giuoco Piano

Since black is delaying with Nf6, white can sacrifice d4 pawn in order to launch direct attack with d4 and then knight g4 attacking f7 pawn. White can also transpose to Evans Gambit by playing b4 move.

20. Evans Gambit

Key Ideas in Evans Gambit

White sacrifices a pawn for quick development, if black captures then white will attack bishop by playing c3 followed by d4.

This is very sharp and solid gambit, where accuracy is needed from both side. White get compensation in quick development, after that it depends on player whether he is able to convert this advantage into a win or not.

I have also written a detail article on Evans Gambit Accepted, if you want to try it, I suggest you to study this article first:>  Evans Gambit Accepted.

Conclusion:

As Bobby Fischer stated that 1.e4 is best by test, i think you should try one of above chess openings in your repertoire.

The post Best E4 Chess Openings with Key Ideas appeared first on Chess Mars.

If you are e4 player then I suggest you to try Smith Morra Gambit Accepted in your games for attacking game play.

Because smith morra gambit accepted gives you two to three extra moves and you have a huge advantage in development.

Let’s start with the first few moves of opening with white pieces until you reach in smith morra gambit accepted variation.

1.e4 c5

White opens the game with 1.e4 and black replies with 1.c5 move.

2.d4 cxd4

White plays d4 move and black captures with cxd4.

3. c3 white offers another pawn for entering into smith morra gambit accepted.

3. dxc3 black accepts the pawn and now white enters his favorite smith morra gambit accepted variation.

Theory of Smith Morra Gambit Accepted

The theory of this gambit is very simple and straight forward, white sacrifices c3 pawn in order to get two tempos, which means white is two move ahead from black.

White is ahead of development

In above position, white is ahead of two moves from black and now black has the problem of his king side’s development.

This is the position where we will study the accepted line of smith morra gambit and I will explain some main lines and sidelines.

And about how the game will continue and how white gets advantage of development against black pieces and how white converts this advantage into a win, all will be explained in below variations.

List of  variation in Smith Morra Gambit Accepted

After reaching above position black has few main lines and side lines which are mentioned below,

• 4.Nc6
• 4.e6
• 4.d6
• 4.a6
• 4.g6
• 4.e5
• 4.nf6
• 4.b6
• 4.Qc7

Now let’s watch one game in every variation to understand smith mora gambit theory and learn how it works and what to on each move.

Let’s start when black replies with Nc6.

Black Replies 4.Nc6 in smith morra gambit accepted

The idea of black’s move is to control the e5 square because white often pushes e5 move to gain more space and kick away black’s knight on f6.

Another use of black’s knight is to control the d4 square indirectly.

Let’s watch one game, in order to know how white should continue from this position.

Game 1 in Nc6 variation

Game 2 in Nc6 variation

In above both games, white took the advantage of development and converted into a win.

Please remember a rule that:

When you have advantage in piece development, you should try to look for tactics especially sacrifices in order to launch direct attack on your opponent’s king.

Black replies 4.d6 in smith morra gambit accepted

The idea behind black’s 4.d6 move is, to prevent e5 move and in the meantime it opens diagonal for black’s dark square bishop, which is often difficult to develop.

Let’s see how white handles this idea and gets advantage.

Game 1 in d6 variation

In above game,  although black made a blunder by taking white’s knight on f3 and because black exchanged his only developed piece, that’s why black went into trouble and lost the game.

Game 2 in d6 variation

Black replies with 4.a6

The idea behind a6 in smith morra gambit accepted is to prevent Nb5 and playing b5 in future for gaining space on queenside and may develop his light square bishop.

Let’s watch one game and see how white gets advantage against a6 move.

Game 1 in a6 variation

Black replies with 4.g6

The idea behind g6 move is very clear, black just wants to avoid central fight for the time being and focus solely on development and safety of his king, by getting castling as soon as possible, and  to avoid any tactical shots from white.

Game 1 in g6 variation

Black replies with 4.e5

This is so far most natural move, challenging white’s knight and controlling d4 square.

This move also open diagonal for kings bishop to develop, but it also has drawback which is weakness of d4 pawn.

Let’s see how white handles this position.

Game 1 in e5 variation

Black replies with Nf6

What is the idea behind this move? the black tricks white to push his e4 pawn, if white pushes immediately then this pawn will be weak, but the question arises here that will black gets compensation for it?

Let’s see how white should play against this idea.

Game 1 in Nf6 variation

Black replies with b6

The idea is very much clear, black wants to develop his queenside bishop as soon as possible and wants to put pressure on e4.

Let’s see how white counters this idea.

Game 1 in b6 variation

Game 2 in b6 variation

Black replied with Qc7

This move in Sicilian defense is called universal move, the idea behind is to control the square of e5 immediately, and it prepares move d6 or a6 followed by b6.

Let’s see how white handles this universal move.

Game 1 in Qc7 variation

Conclusion:

I have covered all main lines and logical and natural moves in smith morra gambit accepted with explanation and exemplary chess games.

I hope that you learned a lot from these chess games and ideas are now clear and now you should be able to take advantage of the development in any opening.

The post Smith Morra Gambit Accepted (Strategies and Key Ideas Explained) appeared first on Chess Mars.

Let me explain in the picture below.

This is the position where the black player has captured the pawn with the knight instead black should play the knight a5 move as shown in the above picture.

If you want to counter the fried liver attack or defend the fried liver attack then you should not take the d5 pawn instead you should play the move knight to a5 attacking the bishop.

This is the move that prevents a fried liver attack. Knight attacks the undefended bishop. Now white has to move or protect his bishop.

The best move for white in this position is the Bb5 check.

In this position black has two best moves, one is to block check with bishop d7 and the other which is more forcing is c6.

I recommend that you should play the c6 move instead of bishop d7 because the c6 move forces white’s bishop on the next move.

White captures the pawn and threatens to discover the check from his bishop. In this position, black must take back with the b pawn and not with the knight.

This is the position where we will watch some of the games from the black side in order to understand how to counter the fried liver attack.

Defending fried liver attack game 1:

This is the game played in 2011 in blitz format between Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov. Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Defending fried liver attack game 2:

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Conclusion

Let’s conclude fried liver attack. If you are playing with white pieces and black allows you to play fried liver attack then you must sacrifice your knight on f7 and then win the game.

If you are defending the fried liver attack then you should not take the d5 pawn with the knight instead you will play knight a5 hitting the undefended bishop.

If you have any questions related to the fried liver attack, you can ask them on our questions page: https://thechessforum.com/questions/

The post How to Counter Fried Liver Attack appeared first on Chess Mars.

The purpose of playing the Stafford gambit for the black side is to disrupt the white’s smooth piece’s development and take control of the center and attack the white king as soon as possible.

Who invented the Stafford gambit?

The Stafford Gambit is named after the American chess player named Joseph Stafford who played this gambit first in 1950.

Is Stafford gambit good?

It’s a good gambit for club and intermediate players and does not sound above a 2000 rating, because it’s a sharp and tactical gambit, amateur and beginner players don’t understand what’s coming next, but at high-level chess, it’s not a good gambit because white know how to handle Stafford’s gambit.

Theory of Stafford Gambit

The theory of Stafford’s gambit is very straightforward, open the center, quickly develop your pieces and attack the king.

The idea behind this gambit is to disturb the smooth development of white pieces and force them to play precisely in the opening, otherwise white will lose the game in the opening phase, which will be very disgusting for white players.

Stafford Gambit Lines

Here is the starting position of Stafford Gambit, and I will continue from the beginning and move by move.

I will explain the logic behind every move in this gambit until we get a dream position in the Stafford gambit.

And from that position, we will watch some model games in order to understand better.

In the above position, the black player sacrificed his pawn and played Nc6 to trade the white’s active knight in the center in order to release some pressure.

The best move for white is to take the knight and double black’s pawn structure.

In the above position white captured black’s knight on c6 and now black has the choice to capture the knight either with b pawn or c pawn. The best move for black is to capture the knight with the d pawn.

Capturing with d pawn gives black development advantage and as a result, black will have

This is the position where white has several moves and we will look most played move in this position and we will see how black get advantages. There are many games played in this position, but we will watch 3 games here.

3 Most played Lines in Stafford Gambit

1. 5.d3

2. 5.Nc3

3. 5.e5

We will discuss 3 variations of the Stafford gambit which I mentioned above one by one. Let’s start with the first simple and logical move 5.d3

5.d3 line in Stafford Gambit

Let’s talk about the above position, white is a pawn up and he just protected his extra pawn and center. What’s in black’s hand? Black has activated his both bishops developed a knight and opened up his queen for actions.

I hope now you know that in this position black has a development advantage, which is one of the main advantages which every chess player must look to win.

Now the next question is how to convert this advantage into a win. Well, I am here to illustrate the whole plan from the black side so you can understand the position and win a lot of games.

In the above position, the best move for black is Bc5. Yes, we are aiming for the white’s king, that’s why the black sacrificed his pawn.

5.Bc5

Famous Trap in Stafford Gambit

There are many traps in Stafford’s gambit but this one which I am going to show is the most beautiful, In the above position if white tries to pin our active knight by playing Bg5.

Now it’s black’s turn, can you find the best move for black in the above position? think for the moment!

Let’s see if you found the best move, the best move in this position is Nxe4!!.

Yes, it’s a thriller, black knight is unpinned and it’s threatening to capture the bishop, while the white is threatening to capture our queen. If white captures our queen then he will be checkmated, and that’s what most beginners and amateurs players will do in this position.

Let’s find out how black will checkmate white when white captures black’s queen.

White has taken the black’s queen, and now it’s black’s turn and will checkmate white. Can you guess the move for black?

Yes, that’s right, black should the f2 pawn with bishop because it’s forcing move and it delivers a check, now white’s king only has one move which is ke2.

I hope you guessed the move for black in order to deliver checkmate. Yes, it’s Bg4 Checkmate!

That’s right, you delivered a checkmate.

There is more deviation in this trap, on move 6th Nxe4 if white does not capture your queen and instead, he captures your knight then you can win white’s queen. Let’s discuss with pictures.

In the above position, when white captures your knight with dxe4. Then you can win white’s queen.

Have you found the best for black and how will black win white’s queen? Congrats in advance if you found the best move for black. Here is a solution.

Black’s queen is also hanging but it’s the white king who is in check right now if white takes the bishop we will win white’s queen and if not then white has only one king’s move which is ke2.

Can you find black’s best move in the above position?

Now white has only one move, which is to take Bf2 with the king which is a forcing move, after white’s move black will capture white’s queen with Qxd1.

If you want to prepare for Stratford gambit, then you should watch more games in this line, therefore I have selected some of the best games in Stratford gambit.

Best Games for 5.d3 line in Stafford Gambit

Here you will watch the 3 best chess games of my selection in the 5.d3 line. Let’s watch these three games and don’t forget to switch the board to the black side for a better view.

5.d3 Line in Stafford

5.d3 line Game 1 in Stafford gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

5.d3 line Game 2 in Stafford gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

5.d3 line Game 3 in Stafford gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

Conclusion of 5.d3 line in Stafford gambit

Those three games that I mentioned above were played on chess.com in a blitz tournament and you may find some inaccuracies as well.

The whole point of mentioning these games is that you should know what to do in the middlegame and after the development of black pieces, the black players should launch an attack on the white king.

5.Nc3 line in Stafford Gambit

This is a more solid line than d3 in Stafford’s gambit. The purpose of playing Nc3 is to protect e4 and at the same time develop a minor piece.

Again with the black side, we will develop as fast as we can, that’s why the best move for black is Bc5, developing a piece and aiming at white king.

Black developed a bishop which is aimed at the white king and black is ready to castle. In the above position, we will watch 3 chess games, in order to understand gameplay in Stafford gambit.

5.Nc3 line Game 1 in Stafford Gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

5.Nc3 line Game 2 in Stafford Gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

5.Nc3 line Game 3 in Stafford Gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

Conclusion of 5.Nc3 line Stafford Gambit

In conclusion, in 5.Nc3 line we do have the same plan, development of pieces, and quick attack on the king.

Please note that some players in Nc3 may castle the long side, and if they castle the long side then we should switch the attack to the long side by opening up the center.

And if they castle a short side then we have to attack the king. The conclusion is to develop all pieces and launch an attack on the king.

5. E5 in Stafford Gambit

What if white is not protecting his central extra pawn, instead white pushes to disturb our smooth development and white plays e5.

So far we have learned that in Stafford gambit we have to develop pieces real quick and then launch an attack on the white king. So we are not afraid of white’s last move and we will develop quickly.

Our knight is not going back and our knight is attacking in white’s camp. In the above position, we will watch two games so we can understand the position.

5.e5 line Game 1 in Stafford Gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

You may notice that in this game black castled the long side because white was behind in the development and black took the opportunity to castle long and then opened up a center and launched a direct attack on white’s king.

5.e5 line Game 2 in Stafford Gambit

[Note: Please flip the chess board to the black side for a better view]

Conclusion of Stafford Gambit

The one general scheme we should remember is that when you are playing Stafford Gambit you should not worry about pawns instead you should think of various ways to disturb white’s development and attack the white king.

This gambit is not sound on the highest level and it can only be useful in a blitz game. So it’s my suggestion that you should not play Stafford gambit if you are playing against 2000 or above rated players.

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to ask in the comments or in questions.

The post Stafford Gambit (Guide And Repertoire) appeared first on Chess Mars.

Is Evans Gambit good for white?

Yes, Evans gambit is good and sound for white. In the Evans gambit, the white gets enough compensation for the sacrificed pawn. Many top grandmasters like Nigel Short, Garry Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen have played evans gambit successfully.

What is the Evans gambit?

Evans gambit starts when black reply white’s 1.e4 with e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 is called an Italian game and if black copies whites move and play Bc5 that is where you can play the Evans gambit.

Here is the starting picture of evans gambit.

What is the point of the Evans Gambit Accepted?

The Evans gambit starts with b4 and the point of the Evans gambit is to seize the center and develop the pieces quickly for the attack.

In the above picture white is attacking the bishop and black is forced to take action. Now black has two options, one is to take with knight and the other is to take the pawn with Bishop. Both options for black will have the same result. The best move for black is to take the gambit pawn with the bishop.

Now we will discuss the best options for white in the Evans gambit. And we will try to take the advantage of sacrificed pawn.

What is the meaning of the gambit in chess?

Before going to Evans Gambit, I want to clarify that you must understand the general rule of any kind of gambit and the meaning of the gambit in chess.

The gambit means white or black will sacrifice a pawn or two pawns, and in return, he should have some kind of advantage for the sacrificed pawn.

There are many kinds of advantages, for example, space advantage, development advantage, and positional advantage.

It’s your job to find the advantages and convert them into a win, that’s what grandmasters do in their game, they collect minor advantages and convert them into a win.

Evans gambit Accepted theory

The theory of the Evans gambit is very easy to understand. The whole point of the sacrificed pawn is to get fast development with the center. Yes, the center is very important and white builds the strong center and fast development of minor pieces for the cost of one pawn.

Let’s get back to our Evans gambit.

In the above position, black has 5 moves to choose from, we will talk about the main moves in the position. The first move we will discuss is Ba5 which looks natural.

5.Ba5 in Evans Gambit

Can you guess our next move in this position? Yes, it’s a d4, as I have said earlier that the whole point of the evans gambit is to get the center and fast development. So white’s best move in this position is d4.

In this position, white is taking the center and opening his dark bishop as I said, fast development. In this position black can play many moves, but two moves are sound and solid, one is to take the d4 pawn and the second is to play d6.

Both moves have been played by top grandmasters from the black side. We will look at both moves by watching games played in this position. First, we will look at the more natural reply from white side when black takes exd4.

6.e5xd4 in Evans Gambit

Can you guess the move according to evans gambit theory and plans? Yes, I recommended the castling move in this position which is according to our plan and theory of Evan’s gambit.

White moved his king to safety while black has its king in the center and black will take at least two moves for castling. The main point here is that white has a development advantage, his king has castled and his bishops are open, and the most important thing is that the white has a central pawn.

Black takes another pawn on c3

Black is getting greedy, and neglecting the opening principles. Let’s see how white punishes him for his mistakes. In this position, we will watch some of the games for understanding the Evans gambit.

Game 1 in Evans Gambit

Game 2 in Evans Gambit

Game 3 in Evans Gambit

In this position, we will watch 3 games so you can understand how to get an advantage when you have the center and development.

We will watch the game from MVL and So, both are super grandmasters and this game was played on chess.com. It’s a blitz game and you may find some inaccuracies but you will get the ideas and plans in the Evans gambit followed by top grandmasters.

Game 4 in Evans Gambit

Game 5 in Evans Gambit

Game 6 in Evans Gambit

8.0-0 Black castles in Evans Gambit

This would be a dream position in evans gambit because white has full control over the center and more developed pieces than black.

In this position, we will watch some games in order to understand the benefits of having a strong center.

When you have a center, you can choose your battleground. For example, in the above position, there is no quick win but white has the center, and white can play on the queenside and on the king’s side or just continue its attack on the center.

We will watch three games and you will observe how white create weakness in black’s camp and manages to win from those weakness.

Game 7 in Evans Gambit

Game 8 in Evans Gambit

Game 9 in Evans Gambit

Conclusion of 5.Ba5 in Evans Gambit Accepted

The 5.Ba5 move is more natural from the black side and you will face it often in your games. From the white’s point of view, white should consider two points in the whole Evans gambit.

One is to get the strong central pawn or pawns, and the second is to get the castle and make quick development of your minor pieces even at the cost of the pawn.

After getting the center and fast development you will think about how to attack, whether you are attacking on the king, queenside, or in the center. You have central pawns which means full control of the center that’s why you have the choice to choose which side you want to attack.

The post Evans Gambit Accepted [Attack and Win] appeared first on Chess Mars.

Is the Englund Gambit good?

Englund gambit is good for you if you are playing under 1600 rating or if your opponent is below 1600 rating and he plays d4 opening.

The reason I am limiting the Englund gambit to 1600 rating, because it’s not so good or sound gambit on higher-level chess.

So if you are above 1600 rating then I will not suggest the Englund gambit.

What is the point of the Englund Gambit?

The point of the Englund gambit is to avoid theoretical battles in the opening phase against d4 players.

The d4 players are usually positional chess players and they like to play position chess where they squeeze little by little until your pieces have no better moves.

So the point of Englund gambit is very straightforward, play the e5 move and kick out your opponent from their comfort zone.

Black will get its sacrificed pawn and if white tries to save the extra pawn he will be in the trouble.

How do you play Englund Gambit?

Englund gambit starts when your opponent plays d4 and you reply with e5 and that’s called Englund gambit. Black plays Englund’s gambit to avoid theoretical chess openings.

Here is the starting picture of the Englund gambit.

This is the starting position of the Englund gambit for the black side. Now the best move for white is to capture the extra pawn and accept the Englund gambit.

White accepts the gambit, and now black has two move orders to regain the pawn. My recommendation is to play the first Nc6.

Black played Nc6 and threatens to win back the sacrificed pawn. Now in this position white has many moves. One move is to play the simple and development move nf6.

The second option is to protect this pawn with bishop f4 and a lot of chess players who play London opening will play Bf4 in this position.

The third option is just to ignore the black’s threat and play Nc3. The other remaining moves are not much interesting and you will not see any in your chess games.

Just to let you know that whatever white plays, black should get back this pawn as soon as possible. So our next strategy in the game will be to attack the e5 pawn and win back.

White played one of the options and which is the best move I think, and if white plays to protect the pawn then it’s not the best move.

It’s clear now that black is forcing white to give back the pawn. Here is the position where if white protects the pawn then he will face serious problems. And there is only one move that protects the pawn and that move is the bishop to f4.

This is the position you have to remember and understand if you are willing to play the Englund gambit.

In this position, the black’s best move is to give the check on b4 with the queen. There is a famous trap in this position if white defends incorrectly.

Trap in Englund Gambit

This famous trap is very common in beginner’s level chess. Here is the trap which you will see often if white defends the check incorrectly. Below you will find the game annotated by me.

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view because we are learning the Englund gambit.

Let’s back to our dream position in the Englund gambit.

This is the position where we will watch some chess games in order to understand this position.

Chess Games in Englund Gambit

These chess games are helpful if you are willing to play the Englund gambit or if you are following my recommendation.

Englund Gambit Game 1:

Englund Gambit Game 2:

So far, we have analyzed logical and good moves in Englund gambit. Now let’s analyze the last move in which white can save the pawn. The move which I am talking about is a queen to d5.

Here is the picture of the position which I am talking about.

This is the position where you may get confused because you can not put an extra force on that pawn that you have sacrificed earlier.

In this position the best move that stockfish recommends is f6.

Yes, another pawn move that will help black to get develop his knight and win a tempo on the queen.

But I am not suggesting this move as we are not playing theoretical chess, we just want to bypass the opening phase and play equally with black pieces.

The move which I recommend against Qd5 is g5. Yes, you get it, we are sacrificing another pawn which white has to take other wise we will push it to kick out the knight.

In this position white has two best moves, one is to take the pawn with the knight and the second is to take the pawn with bishop c1.

Let’s first look at when white takes the pawn with the knight.

Yes now you get the point, when white takes the pawn with the knight you will take the e5 pawn with your knight, not with the queen because white is threatening to take f7 with the queen which will be the painful checkmate.

Let’s look at what will happen when white takes the pawn with the bishop which is logical because the bishop attacks the queen at the same time.

That’s where we will have the same motif or trap as we have seen earlier. Black will give the check on b4 with the queen and black will take the b pawn.

Here is the game which illustrates the whole idea when white takes the pawn on g5 with the bishop. Let’s watch this game.

Conclusion on the Englund gambit

Let’s conclude this post, I hope that I explained everything which is necessary to play the Englund gambit. The Englund gambit is not a sound gambit at a high level because it’s very simple and easy to play. So if you want to make a change or surprise your opponent then you may prepare the Englund gambit.

In the end, please take my advice that you will only play this gambit against d4 if your opponent is a less than 1600 rating. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

The post Master the Englund Gambit – Full Repertoire for Black Explained appeared first on Chess Mars.

The Benko gambit starts when white accepts the gambit on move 5 with axb6, white gets an extra pawn and black gets extra space on queenside. It’s a battle of the center and queenside fight.

Here is the starting position of the Benko gambit accepted.

In this above position, black is giving the extra pawn to white and in return, black is getting the queenside space.

Now black is offering again another pawn to white in order to open the battlefield on the queen’s side. White has no better choice, and white should accept the benko gambit for the advantage, there for white takes the pawn and accepts the gambit.

Benko Gambit Accepted Theory

The theory of the Benko gambit accepted is very easy, you just have to understand what’s the reason behind sacrificing the pawn in the opening and what will black get for the sacrificed pawn.

• White will be unable to hold the pressure on the queen’s side and he will give back the pawn or will create permanent weakness in his camp.
• Black’s plan is very clear and straightforward put as much pressure on the queenside as you can.

These two points are enough and that’s the theory you need for playing against the benko gambit accepted.

Here is the picture of the Benko gambit accepted below.

In this position black’s best move which I recommend is g6. The point of g6 is that black is waiting for white’s move b3. Against Benko white plays a fianchetto system where white fianchettos are both bishops.

And if white plays b3 here then white will capture a pawn with his knight and not with the bishop, because the knight will jump b4 attacking the d4 pawn a1 pawn.

Here is the picture of the position which I am talking about.

I have highlighted all black knight squares that the black knight will control. Now let’s back to our main repertoire of the Benko gambit accepted.

Benko Gambit Accepted Games

There are many top chess grandmasters who played the Benko gambit and some of the strong players are still playing.

Benko gambit accepted game 1 by Magnus Carlsen

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Benko gambit accepted game 2 by Magnus Carlsen

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Benko gambit accepted game 3 by Magnus Carlsen

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Benko Gambit Accepted Game 1 by Zaven Andriasian

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Benko Gambit Accepted Game 2 by Zaven Andriasian

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Benko gambit fianchetto variation

You may see some of your opponents will play the Benko gambit fianchetto variation. The idea of the fianchetto variation is to protect queenside pawns by playing b3 and fianchettoing both bishops at g2 and b3.

For further study let’s watch some games in fianchetto variation so you can understand how black will respond.

Benko gambit fianchetto variation game :1

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Benko gambit fianchetto variation game :2

Note: Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

After watching these games you will have enough knowledge and theory on how to play Benko gambit accepted variation. Let’s summarize Benko’s gambit accepted.

Summary of Benko Accepted

To conclude the Benko gambit is accepted, now you have understood the base ideas and themes by watching these chess games played by the best chess players. The main point of Benko’s gambit accepted is to put enough pressure on the queenside and create weakness there or get back pawns and it’s a very easy plan, which you need to follow.

The post Benko Gambit Accepted [Win with Black] appeared first on Chess Mars.

In this guide, you will also learn general rules about chess openings and which chess opening you should play first, and why you should play my recommended chess opening.

The quick answer is that you should learn two chess openings first, one is London System and the second is the Benko gambit. You will play the London system with white pieces and Benko Gambit with black pieces.

Here is my personal guide on Benko Gambit, which will help you to choose variations that are easy to play and you will also learn the ideas behind Benko Gambit. Check out: https://thechessforum.com/benko-gambit/.

Now let’s talk about the chess openings via question and answer.

What is the easiest opening in chess?

With white pieces, you should learn and prepare one of the systems with d4. You may prepare London System, Colle Opening or Stonewall system.

These three systems have less theory and these systems rely on ideas, for example attacking the king is the main theme in the Colle system.

With black pieces, you should play the Scandinavian Defense against e4 because it’s easy and ideas are very clear and you don’t need tons of theory to play the Scandinavian.

Against d4 I suggest the Benko Gambit for the same reason because it has less theory and if you know the idea behind the Benko gambit then you can play without memorization of the moves.

You may choose the London system, Colle System, or the Stonewall system. From the black side, you should play Scandinavian defense against e4, and against d4 you should play the Benko gambit.

Let’s learn some basic understanding of the chess openings first.

What’s the purpose of the opening?

The purpose of the chess opening means how you are going to play the opening and how you should develop your chess pieces in a way that controls the center.

The central squares of the board are very important in chess. And you should set your pawns and pieces towards the center according to your opening idea.

Why center is important in chess?

If you control the center (e4-e5,d4-d5,c4-c5,f4-f5) then your pieces will be more active, and at the same time, your opponent does not have the center and his pieces will be less effective.

Therefore you will have the dominance and you have the choice to choose the direction of the attack, and you may attack the kingside or may attack the queenside.

What to do after controlling the center?

If you control the center then your attack will be successful, whether you are attacking the king or queenside or attacking the center because you have centralized pieces which control more squares or territory in your opponent’s camp.

Conclusion

I hope I answered the question which chess openings should I learn first? if you follow my recomendation and guide you will bypass the opening stage easily.

You can find helpful articles on these openings by searching our site or by searching on google.

If you have any questions regarding studying chess openings or you want to ask which opening will suit you then you can ask in the comment section or on our questions page: https://thechessforum.com/questions/

The post Which chess openings should I learn first? appeared first on Chess Mars.

In this article, I will cover all the needed information about the fried liver attack chess opening and I will try to answer all related questions with theory and with exemplary chess games.

Who invented the fried liver attack?

There is no exact name of the founder of the fried liver attack because it was played many many years ago. We found the earliest game which was played by Giulio Cesare Polerio in the chess database and that’s why we called him the founder.

But as I said, the fried liver attack was also played before Giulio with unknown names.

How do you do a Fried Liver Attack?

If you want to do a fried liver attack you can do that, it’s after the third move nf6 from your opponent, which is called Two Knight defence, you may have the option to play the fried liver attack.

Let me assure you that you can not force black to fried liver attack. The fried liver attack is only possible when your opponent plays the two-knight defence.

The fried liver attack starts when black takes the d5 pawn with the knight on move 5. Please remember that you can only play fried liver attack if black allows you by playing knight takes d5 pawn.

Is the Fried Liver Attack Good for Beginners?

The fried liver attack chess opening is a good opening for beginners for three reasons. One is that it has less theory and all moves from white are forcing. If black is not responding accurately then black will be crushed in the opening.

The second reason is that it’s a straightforward opening and white start the attack before developing all his remaining chess pieces. The third reason is that it attacks the weakest point in the opening phase, which is called the f7 pawn.

So in conclusion it’s a good opening choice for beginners.

Is the Fried Liver Attack sound?

Yes, it’s a sound attack if your rating is under 1800, that does not mean that grandmasters are not playing this opening. There are many games available in the database played by above 2500 rating players.

But nowadays with engine assistants, they don’t get enough advantage and black equalizes easily that’s why the fried liver attack is not sound at high-level chess. But if you are under the 1800 rating then you can have many quick victories with the fried liver attack.

Do GMS play the Fried Liver Attack?

Yes GMS plays the fried liver attack but in blitz time format because in the long run black equalizes easily and the fried liver attack dose not provide sufficient problems to the GMS. As I have mentioned above that if you are under 1800, then you can play fried liver attack with success.

Why is it called the fried liver attack?

Actually, the fried liver is the translation of the Italian word ” Fegatello ” which means liver. Italian people cock the liver on the net over the fire and you may be thinking how does this fried liver apply to chess,  you are right and you will be surprised when your opponent will fall into the fried liver attack and you will cock his king on the fire.

How to play fried liver attack?

You can not play fried liver attack with white pieces until black allows you to play. In the Spanish game on 3rd move if black plays Nf6 then you have the option to jump your knight to g5 if you want to play fried liver attack.

This is the position where black plays nf6 and that’s where you can play fried liver attack. Please note that if in this position black plays bishop to c5 then you can not play the fried liver attack.

Now black plays the Nf6 move and white will respond with the Ng5 move because we want to play the fried liver attack. Here is the picture of the next move Ng5.

In this position, white is attacking the weakest square on f7. Now black has the only way to defend the position by playing the d5 move, otherwise black will lose a queen or a rook.

And yes this is the only move to defend black. Black plays d5 in order to break the combination of the bishop and knight which were attacking the f7 square.

White capture the pawn and attack the knight. In this position, the best move for black is to play knight a5 in order to attack the bishop but most beginners and those who don’t study theory will play the more natural move knight take d5.

This is the dream position of the fried liver attack. Black plays naturally and thinks that he took back the pawn and at the same time he is attacking white’s knight on g5. But as I said earlier in this position you can fry black’s king by playing knight takes f7.

Now the fried liver attack has been launched successfully and black can not win from this position. Black is forced to take the knight otherwise he will lose either his queen or a rook.

If you are playing with white pieces and you reached this position I can give you a guarantee that you will win.

Now black has no choice but to take the knight.

Queen to f3, this is the move that you need to play if the black king takes your knight. These are three things that queen f3 does.

1. Queen gives a check to the king
2. Queen is also attacking the d5 knight
3. Queen and bishop both are attacking the pinned knight at d5. The rule of the pin is to pin and win.

I hope these three points will be remembered and you will not forget the best move which is the queen to f3.

As I highlighted all black king moves that black king can make, but there is only one move which is saving the d5 knight which is king to e6.

All other moves will lose a knight and if your opponent plays the king to g8 then it’s a checkmate in one move, have you found the checkmate?

So here, in this position, we will analyze the most logical move which is king to e6.

In this position, we will watch some chess games so we can understand how to win in this position.

Let’s analyze this position in an easy way.

• If we look at both kings we can clearly see that the black king is going to be fried. And the White king is safe.
• White has won the pawn.
• White is down the piece and white must win back his piece which is a knight on d5 otherwise white will lose the game.

Now let’s see in the games below that how white took the advantage of black’s weak and fried king.

Fried Liver Attack Chess Opening Games

Here are 10 chess games which explains the winning chances in fried liver attack. Let’s watch these games in order learn and understand fried liver attack chess opening.

Fried Liver Attack Game 1:

Fried Liver Attack Game 2:

Fried Liver Attack Game 3:

Fried Liver Attack Game 4:

Fried Liver Attack Game 5:

Fried Liver Attack Game 6:

Fried Liver Attack Game 7:

Fried Liver Attack Game 8:

Fried Liver Attack Game 9:

Fried Liver Attack Game 10:

Conclusion

In the fried liver attack chess opening, you may notice that black has suffered from king dance and that’s why it’s called fried liver attack. Black always has to defend his king in all his games and white has the chance to attack the black king on every move.

The post Fried Liver Attack Chess Opening [Explained] appeared first on Chess Mars.

In this post, you will find the best guidelines in Sicilian kan with exemplary chess games and some suggestions from my personal experience as well.

Sicilian kan theory

The Sicilian kan variation is a very easy defense for black. If you are thinking to defend against e4 then you should consider the Sicilian kan variation. Because it’s an easy-to-learn and solid Sicilian variation, and you don’t need to remember a ton of theoretical lines, you just have to understand a few lines and ideas behind them. Here are some points that you should know when you are playing the kan variation.

• It has no weakness in the opening phase and that’s why it is very solid.
• The pawn structure of the opening is very good and flexible, you can convert this pawn structure into other openings like Najdrof, Scheveningen, and other variations.
• One of the problems in the kan variation is less space, in most of the cases you will feel that you are tied down to the last three ranks but when the situation clears you will get the compensation.
• One of the other problems in the kan variation is that white can play Maroczy Bind setup, which is very hard to break until black plays accurately.

is the Sicilian kan good?

The Sicilian kan variation is a very good defense against e4 because the kan variation will give you a solid position in the opening and you will have a clear middle game plan. The pawn structure of the Sicilian kan variation is also very solid. It’s a very good variation for you if you are under 2200 elo.

Sicilian kan vs Taimanov

The difference between Sicilian kan and Taimanov is move order. On move 4 when white captures the d pawn with the knight, If black plays Nc6 then it’s a Taimanov variation, and if black plays a6 then it’s a kan variation.

Taimanove move order can transpose into kan variation so if you want to trick your opponent then you can play Taimanove move order and convert into Sicilian kan variation. But chess is a precise game and if your opponent understands the difference then you will have a hard time converting into the Sicilian kan variation.

Pro-tip is that if you are a kan player it’s better to play with 4th move a6 move.

Here is the difference in these pictures below.

Sicilian kan or Taimanov

As I said above both have similar positions and you should know the difference between Sicilian kan or Taimanove. One of the differences is move order. On move four black has a choice to play Taimanove by playing Nc6 or play a6 going for the kan variation.

If a white is a maroczy [pawn structure] player then it’s good to play Taimanov and if a white is not playing Maroczy pawn structure then Kan variation is the better choice.

If you are an attacking player then Taimanove will suit you more than the Kan because in the kan you have to play a6 move with pawn rather than developing a piece with Nc6.

Sicilian kan vs najdorf

There is no comparison between Sicilian kan vs Najdrof because both have different natures. Sicilian kan is solid but passive defense and the Najdorf is sharp and attacking.

One more benefit of playing kan is that sometimes black’s position can transpose into Najdorf pawn’s structure and the piece placement will be the same as well.

Here is the picture below that illustrates the position of Nadjrof transposed from Sicilian Kan.

Sicilian kan variation transposes into nadjrof variation

Another picture of the position started with kan move order into Najdrof.

This looks like Najdrof’s game but the starting move order was the Sicilian kan variation.

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

Sicilian kan wing attack

The Sicilian kan wing attack begins with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 b5. Here is the picture below.

There are many games in this position. And you can play this move order but you must know that you’re breaking the opening principles and with engines nowadays you will be exploited in the opening. I tried the Sicilian kan wing attack in some games and learned that any engine can get the advantage in the opening phase and your game becomes passive because you are avoiding the center. You must hold the center in all the openings.

Anyhow that’s my personal experience which I described. Here are some games which show how to play Sicilian kan wing attack.

Sicilian kan wing attack Game 1

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Sicilian kan wing attack Game 2

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Sicilian kan wing attack Game 3

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Sicilian kan hedgehog

If you are playing the Sicilian then you know what is hedgehog. But let me describe for those who don’t know the hedgehog system in the Sicilian.

The hedgehog means black will be restricted into the last three ranks and black’s pawn will be at e6, d6, b6, and a6. Here is the picture below which explains the pawn structure hedgehog.

As you can see black’s pawn position in Sicilian kan variation. The hedgehog system occurs when white plays Maroczy pawn structure [pawn on e4 and c4] with 5.c4 move. White takes advantage of delaying the Nf6 move. This is the difficult variation against kan and it gives hard time for black players to equalize.

If you are playing the Sicilian kan variation then you should know how to handle the Maroczy system. Look for the b5 or d5 break, if you can break you should otherwise you will lose, here is the game below with the hedgehog system, and black managed to break with b5.

Sicilian kan hedgehog game

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Another game of hedghog in siciilan kan variation with d5 break.

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

Sicilian kan maroczy bind

What is the Maroczy bind? maroczy bind is a pawn structure with a pawn on e4 and c4. Maroczy bind structure often occurs in Sicilian when black does not play nf6 on move 4. In the Sicilian kan, maroczy bind occurs when black plays 4.a6 and white replies with the move 5.c4.

The Maroczy bind pawn structure is very solid and hard to break with black unless you know what to do and how to do it. If you want to win against maroczy bind then you should break with b5 or either d5 move. Here is the picture of Sicilian kan maroczy bind.

Sicilian kan maroczy bind game

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

How to play Sicilian kan

The Sicilian kan variation starts with 4.a6 move. The a6 move gives black many options and a solid position but black must know accurate move order in order to bypass the opening phase. If black does not play accurate move order then black will lose the game in the opening. Here is the picture of starting position.

2.e6 is the correct and accurate move order although you can play d6 first and later e6 in that case you may not get kan variation. The correct move order is 2.e6 move as shown in the above picture.

The reason behind a6 move in Sicilian

Let’s talk about the a6 move. It has two functions. One is called waiting move and the 2nd is to play b5 in order to expand in queenside.

After moving the pawn to a6, black will wait for white’s reply and you should play according to white’s move.

When you have played a6 move, then white has 3 main moves. One is Nc3, 2nd is Bd3 and the third is C4.

Here are pictures of these three moves.

1.Nc3

Sicilian kan Nc3 variation

2.Bd3

3.C4

Now please note that these 3 moves must be prepared carefully if you want to get any advantage otherwise you will have a passive position.

Sicilian Kan Variation Nc3

Nc3 move in the Sicilian kan variation

After Nc3 black has many moves but what I prefer is Qc7, yes it’s one more waiting move, Qc7 gives black a clear plan on what white does next.

So black wait by playing Qc7 and if you think logically then you play Qc7 for two purposes, one is to stop the e5 move and the second is to develop the Nf6 move.

And the more bonus of playing Qc7 is that your queen will not be harassed by white’s knight because you have played a6 move.

White just played Bd3 and you know what to play with black, yes you will play Nf6, you can not neglect development in the opening for too long.

In this position white has a choice, white can play simple and logical move castling, or if white is more ambitious and plays for attack then white will play f4 move. Let’s talk about the f4 move because you will face the f4 move often.

Don’t be afraid, white can not kick away our knight on f6. Let’s watch some of the games in this position in order to understand better.

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

Another game when white plays Qf3.

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

One Last game in this position.

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

5.Bd3 variation in Sicilian kan

5.Bd3 in Sicilian kan variation

Now let’s talk about this move, as you can see white is not playing a more natural move Nc3 instead he played Bd3. Let’s find out the purpose of Bd3 move in Sicilian kan.

Bd3 has two options, one is to castle quickly and then decide what to do, and the other is to play c4 and build maroczy pawn structure.

Black will play Bc5 move attacking the knight which is an undefended piece and at the same time developing a piece for black. Now white has three moves to consider, one is to go back at Nb3 second is to protect with c3 and the third is to protect with Be3. Let’s watch three games to understand how to play.

With Nb3 game

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

With c3 game

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

With Be3 game

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

C4 [Maroczy Bind] move in Sicilian kan variation

In other Sicilian variations black plays the first nf6 move in order to avoid maroczy bind pawn structure, but in kan black allows white to play the maroczy pawn structure. After c4 move black plays Nf6 move to hit on e4, please note that he can not drive away black’s knight on f6 with e5 move.

As highlighted in arrows, you can see that white can not play e5 move, because after Qa5 white will lose the pawn. After the natural move Nc3 black will play queen c7. As you can see in the picture below.

In order to create the maroczy bind pawn structure white plays a3. A3 has two reasons one is to unpin the knight on c3 and other is to play b4 in the future. Look at the picture below.

And after a3 move black plays b6 move, going for the hedgehog system in order to destroy maroczy bind structure. Let’s watch two games in the hedgehog system. Please watch out for d5 pawn break b5 break with black pieces.

Game 1 with hedgehog system

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

Game 2 with hedgehog system

[Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.]

Conclusion:

In the Sicilian kan variation, you will get a solid pawn structure and an easy game with plans. If you are just starting to explore Sicilian variation it’s my suggestion that you should start with the Sicilian kan variation.

I have played Sicilian kan variation for over a year so if you have any questions regarding Sicilian kan variation, feel free to ask.

The post Sicilian Kan’s Winning Repertoire (Ideas, Variations, Games) appeared first on Chess Mars.