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| Moves | 1.a4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | A00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Preston Ware | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | Meadow Hay Opening | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Ware Opening, also known as Meadow Hay Opening, is an uncommon chess opening for White beginning with the move:
It is named after Preston Ware, a U.S. chess player who often played uncommon openings. The Ware is considered an irregular opening; it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings .
The Ware Opening attacks the b5-square and prepares to bring the a1-rook into the game. The b5-square is non-essential and if Black plays 1...e5, the f8-bishop prevents the development of the white rook for the moment. The reply 1...e5 also gains space for Black in the center, a typical objective of most openings but one completely ignored by the Ware Opening. Noting all this, the Ware Opening is normally seen played only by players completely new to chess.
An experienced player using the Ware Opening will usually meet a response of 1...d5 or 1...e5 with 2.d4 or 2.e4, respectively, since a reversed Scandinavian or Englund Gambit would be unsound here. After 1...d5 2.Nf3, 2...Nf6 is recommended, since a reversed Fajarowicz can arise after 2...c5 3.e4!? dxe4 4.Ne5 where a4 has some utility. [1]
In the 2012 World Blitz Championship, 1.a4 was employed as a little joke by Magnus Carlsen against Teimour Radjabov, who during the blitz championship two years earlier had told him "Everyone is getting tired. You might as well start with 1.a4 and you can still beat them." The game soon turned into a sort of Four Knights Game where Carlsen finally prevailed. [2]
Carlsen also played this in the blitz portion of the 2022 Norway chess tournament, ultimately losing to Wesley So.[ citation needed ]
There are several named variations of the Ware Opening. The best known of these are:
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 Sokolsky Opening, also known as the Orangutan and the Polish Opening, is an uncommon chess opening that begins with the move:
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the aim of achieving a subsequent positional advantage.
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The Giuoco Piano is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
The Queen's Gambit is the chess opening that starts with the moves:
The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move:
Alekhine's Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Caro–Kann Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The Saragossa Opening is a chess opening defined by the opening move:
The Dunst Opening is a chess opening in which White opens with the move:
Anderssen's Opening is a chess opening defined by the opening move:
The King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move:
The Halloween Gambit is an aggressive chess opening gambit in which White sacrifices a knight early on for a single pawn. The opening is an offshoot of the normally staid Four Knights Game and is defined by the moves:
The St. George Defence is an unorthodox chess opening for Black. The opening begins with the moves:
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.
In chess, the Cambridge Springs Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined that begins with the moves:
The Van 't Kruijs Opening is a chess opening defined by the move:
The Devin gambit is an offbeat chess opening that begins with the moves:
Bibliography
