NationStates Jolt Archive

Favorite chess openings. Could be the ones you know best, the ones you have the best luck with, or the ones you think make for the most interesting games.

There are other ways to get into these positions, but the standard ones are:

Scotch Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
French Defense: 1. e4 e6
Italian Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
Ruy Lopez: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4
Queen's Gambit Declined: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
4 Knights' Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6
Caro-Kann Defense: 1. ef c6
Bishop's Opening: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

My favorite opening to play is the Queen's Gambit Declined, as white ... my first choice as black would be the Italian Game, specifically the Giuoco Piano variant that continues 3 ... Bc5 ...

Scandinavian for the win!! Woot Woot

Pawn second in from the left.

(for "Scandinavian") Maybe if you're the white player.

Maybe if you're the white player.
Queen's Gambit Accepted sounds cool.

Queen's Gambit Accepted sounds cool.

I like to follow that up with 3 Nc3

I like Fischer's infamous 3-pawn gambit, also known as the "Dreaded Triple Post"

I like making the horsey jump over the little ball-headed guys...


Yeah, don't know chess strategies...just wish I did. Actually, and I've said this before, I want some crotchety old chess guy who plays at a coffee shop somewhere to take me under his wing as his chess prodigy, chiding my lack of focus and blaming it on 'chasing girls' and having all his life advice be related to chess no matter how hard the stretch.

I like to follow that up with 3 Nc3
I prefer the Hedgehog defence in depth.

I like the one where you slap the other guy like a bitch and ram a rook up his nose then go off to play a decent game ... like cribbage.

Chess should only be played long distance, by written correspondence, and the game should last no less than 2 years.

Pfft. Chess strategies are for loosers.

I like to open my game with a mass rush of pawns on the opponants front lines.
Like WW1, or the Soviet Union.

Pawns are useless.

Italian or the Ruy Lopez. Yes, I know I'm really, really boring. I need to work on openings more.

Italian or the Ruy Lopez. Yes, I know I'm really, really boring. I need to work on openings more.

Ruy Lopez is the strongest for white imo ... I stopped opening with e4 just because I wasn't prepared against the various French or Caro-Kann Defenses.

In the game of chess the key is to never let your opponent see your pieces

It all depends on who I play and their knowledge of chess. Against beginners, I ususlly play a 4 Knights. Against better players, I like an English or an Indian. (Yes, I like my bishops fianchettoed. So sue me. I win often enough to keep me happy.)

Pawn second in from the left.

That's about the worst possible opening move!!

:sniper:

That's about the worst possible opening move!!

:sniper:
He's got a point - that is a pretty lame move. It means all your main pieces (rooks, knights and queen) are still stuck behind the pawns (although thast doesn't really matter for the knights).

Personally I go with the classic king pawn out two, then get the knights out to support it, then queen and bishop out - with lots of powerful pieces in the centre of the board you can really dominate a game if you do it right.

I also play black for preference... not sure why. But it does mean my opening move is influenced quite heavily by my opponent's.

Scotch Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
French Defense: 1. e4 e6
Italian Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
Ruy Lopez: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4
Queen's Gambit Declined: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
4 Knights' Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6
Caro-Kann Defense: 1. ef c6
Bishop's Opening: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

Perhaps if you could translate these into something amature players would understand? Don't have the time right now to go looking up what all the numbers and letters mean again :D

First I dress up like the Desert Fox to intimidate them.

Then I insist that they go first.

Then when they make a move, I shoot them in the face.

I can't find anyone to play chess with. What little skill I had I'm losing. :(

Still i usually move king's pawn forward two spaces and after that, who knows?

It all depends on who I play and their knowledge of chess. Against beginners, I ususlly play a 4 Knights. Against better players, I like an English or an Indian. (Yes, I like my bishops fianchettoed. So sue me. I win often enough to keep me happy.)

English is cool, I'll push my QBP a lot of the time if I open with d4 and black plays e6 hoping to set up a French Defense. Used to play the King's Indian a lot and I still like it because it gives you a lot of options no matter what black does. 4 Knights or Bishop's Opening (which will often transpose into an Italian Game variant) is good against beginners.

Albin Counter-Gambit vs the Queen's. Gotta love it.

When I played (oh-so-long ago), mainly played the Evans and the Max Lange. Was learning the Latvian when I gave up (lack of opponents, really).

I've always been partial to the Richter-Veresov Attack.

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 eh? Cute.