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| Moves | 1.e4 e5 2.Ne2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | C20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Semyon Alapin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Open Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alapin's Opening is an unusual chess opening that starts with the moves:
It is named after the Russo-Lithuanian player and openings analyst Semyon Alapin (1856–1923). Although this opening is rarely used, Ljubojević (as Black) played against it at Groningen in 1970.
Alapin's Opening is offbeat, but perfectly playable for White. It is mainly used to avoid highly theoretical lines such as the Ruy Lopez, or to surprise the opponent. White intends to play f2–f4 soon. There is similarity to the Smyslov Position (Smyslov–Botvinnik, 1958) if White tries to play something in the lines of g3, Nbc3, d3, Bg2.
However, Alapin's Opening also incurs several problems for White. First, the development of White's light-square bishop, and also of his queen, is blocked, and will require another move of the knight or another pawn move, both of which go against the opening principle to develop the minor pieces quickly. Second, the knight on e2, although flexible, has no control over Black's half of the centre, and will need to be moved again to become more useful.
It is relatively easy for Black to equalise in this opening; for example, 2...Nf6, 2...Nc6, and 2...d5 all equalize, although Black should be careful to avoid being caught by surprise by an eventual f2–f4.
The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory. The other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences, known as openings, have standard names such as "Sicilian Defense". The Oxford Companion to Chess lists 1,327 named openings and variants, and there are many others with varying degrees of common usage.
The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
Deep Blue–Kasparov, 1996, Game 1 is a famous chess game in which a computer played against a human being. It was the first game played in the 1996 Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov match, and the first time that a chess-playing computer defeated a reigning world champion under normal chess tournament conditions.
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves:
The Pirc Defence is a chess opening characterised by the response of Black to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish a centre with pawns on d4 and e4. It is named after the Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc.
The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move:
The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence is one of the most popular, reputable, and deeply studied of all chess openings. Modern Chess Openings calls it the "Cadillac" or "Rolls-Royce" of chess openings. The opening is named after the Polish-Argentine grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, although he was not the first strong player to play the variation. Many players have relied on the Najdorf.
Alekhine's Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Modern Benoni is a chess opening that begins with the moves 1.d4Nf6 2.c4c5 3.d5e6. It is classified under the ECO codes A60–A79. After the initial moves, Black proceeds to capture on d5, creating a majority of black pawns on the queenside. To support their advance, the king's bishop is usually fianchettoed on g7. These two features differentiate Black's setup from the other Benoni defences and the King's Indian Defence, although transpositions between these openings are common.
The Slav Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
In the game of chess, Indian Defence or Indian Game is a broad term for a group of openings characterised by the moves:
In chess, the Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defence is an opening that is a line of the Open Sicilian characterised by Black setting up a "small centre" with pawns on d6 and e6. There are numerous move orders that reach the Scheveningen; a common one is:
In chess, the Dragon Variation is one of the main lines of the Sicilian Defence and begins with the moves:
In a game of chess, the pawn structure is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. Because pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus plays a large role in determining the strategic character of the position.
An Open Game is a generic term for a family of chess openings beginning with the moves:
The Falkbeer Countergambit is a chess opening that begins:
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