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.
In chess, an irregular opening is an opening considered unusual or unorthodox. In the early 19th century the term was used for any opening not beginning with 1.e4 e5 or 1.d4 d5. As opening theory has developed and openings formerly considered "irregular" have become standard, the term has been used less frequently.
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
Frank James Marshall was the U.S. Chess Champion from 1909 to 1936, and one of the world's strongest chess players in the early part of the 20th century.
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.
Donald Byrne was an American university professor and chess player. He held the title International Master, and competed for his country in the Chess Olympiad on several occasions.
The Caro–Kann Defence is a chess opening characterised by 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 Dunst Opening is a chess opening in which White opens with the move:
Sergei Rublevsky is a Russian chess grandmaster (1994). He has won four team gold medals and one individual bronze medal at Chess Olympiads. He won the prestigious Aeroflot Open in 2004, and became the 58th Russian chess champion after winning the Russian Superfinal in Moscow, one point clear from Dmitry Jakovenko and Alexander Morozevich.
The Colle System, also known as the Colle–Koltanowski System, is a chess opening system for White, popularised in the 1920s by the Belgian master Edgard Colle and further developed by George Koltanowski.
Owen's Defence is an uncommon chess opening defined by the moves:
Rune Djurhuus is a Norwegian chess player, and the fourth Norwegian International Grandmaster. Djurhuus plays for the "Akademisk" chess club, which is tied to the University of Oslo. Djurhuus is also the chess columnist for Aftenposten and Adresseavisen.
Einar Johan Gausel is a Norwegian chess player and Norway's third International Grandmaster since 1995.
Leif Erlend Johannessen is a Norwegian chess player, and Norway's fifth grandmaster. He received his title in 2002, and was at the time Norway's second youngest grandmaster of all times. He picked up his first norm in Oslo, the second at Bermuda and finally the third in the Sigeman tournament in Malmö. Johannessen has yet to win the Norwegian championship, the closest he has come is second place in 1999 after losing the play-off 0-2 to Berge Østenstad. Johannessen has won the Norwegian blitz and rapid championship several times though.
Svein Johannessen was a Norwegian chess player. He became Norway's second International Master, after Olaf Barda, in 1961. He won four Norwegian Chess Championships, in 1959, 1962, 1970 and 1973.
An Open Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
Olaf Barda, born Olaf M. Olsen, was a Norwegian chess player. He was the first Norwegian awarded the chess title of International Master, which he received in 1952.
The English Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
Alexander Kevitz was an American chess master. Kevitz also played correspondence chess, and was a creative chess analyst and theoretician. He was a pharmacist by profession.
