Openings

Chess Position Trainer

Submitted by DrDave on

I've been introduced to this very helpful piece of free software by Jonathan Morgan. It allows you to enter a chess opening repertoire, have it displayed to you and then it will test you on it.nbsp; If you don't want to enter your own, then you can download plenty from the CPT site.nbsp;

I'm working up some repertoires of my own before I send them for download to the good folks at CPT, but if you would like to test it/comment on them, then that would be most welcome.nbsp; First, download the software from:

The Italian Game for beginners

UPDATE 15th May 2011: ChessBase version [zipped] generously provided by Robert Jannink. Thanks a million!

  The Giuoco Piano and Evans' Gambit

An Exeter Junior Chess Club booklet

  Edition 3.18, April, 96

  Bibliography:

 

  Kasparov/Keene, Batsford Chess Openings

  Levy/Keene, An Opening Repertoire for the Attacking Club Player

  Walker, Chess Openings for Juniors

Various magazines and other books

 

Ignacio

Ignacio sent me a generous note recently, to which I replied: 
> However, I think we are two poles of what chess is:
> you are teaching people the orthodoxy and I am trying to make them aware
> that real chess is quite more complicated than what the books (and indeed
> your pages!) say.

I think that's absolutely right.  I was reading things on your pages
which said more or less the opposite of what I was saying and yet were
completely correct!  e.g. on romantic openings.  Hence my salty
comments.  But of course, I am a 1900 player writing for juniors, and

Attacking the Two Knights' Defence

Submitted by DrDave on

There are three main ways you can try to attack against the Two Knights' Defence.

(A) 4.Ng5 is the most obvious, but I don't recommend it.  White can win a pawn, but if Black knows the book moves, you will have to defend against very active Black pieces.

e.g. 4.Ng5 d5! 5.exd5 b5!? 6.Bxb5 Qxd5

4.d4 is the move I recommend.

(B) There is a fun line which Black can equalise against but it's White who is attacking: Max Lange Knight Variation

Defending against 1.d4

Submitted by DrDave on

I've tackled this a few years ago (12!?) in a http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/contentlaying-black-against-queens-pawn-op... big document for class C/D players. If that no longer satisfies, perhaps have a browse below:

Choosing a main defence to combat 1.d4/2.c4 depends partly on style, partly on how it fits in with the rest of your repertoire, and partly on how much appetite you and your opponents have for study.nbsp; I've given a list here with how the defence works... on a good day! Remember

The Sicilian Jungle

Submitted by DrDave on

I prepared a sort of road map on the Sicilian and ended up talking around some positional themes...

Anyhow, here's the road map and I'll see about making it web-friendly and incorporating some of the chat.

I did talk about how to win with the Maroczy Bind: here are a couple of games:

Ish's Opening Stats

Submitted by DrDave on

Introduction

This season, I have decided to take Webb's advice from Chess for Tigers and do a statistical analysis of my openings. I have arranged them by opening, written the opening outcome (advantage to white, black or equal), and outcome of the game. I have included some tips for preparing to play me. Unfortunately, I'll be in china next year, so you won't have the chance to use this stuff to thrash me just yet!

White Pieces

The Slav and Semi-Slav

Submitted by DrDave on

I've just been looking again at the Slav/Semi-Slav as a way to defend 1.d4 -- much against my better judgment, as I prefer to avoid fashionable openings, but presumably they're fashionable for a good reason. If you'd like a bird's eye view of the complex with some example games, read on here.

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