Zukertort Opening

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Zukertort Opening
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Moves1.Nf3
ECO A04–A09
Named after Johannes Zukertort

The Zukertort Opening is a chess opening named after Johannes Zukertort that begins with the move:

Contents

1. Nf3

Sometimes the name "Réti Opening" is used for the opening move 1.Nf3, [1] although most sources define the Réti more narrowly as the sequence 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4. [2]

A flank opening, it is the third most popular of the twenty legal opening moves White has, behind only 1.e4 and 1.d4. [3] [4] [5]

The move has been described by Edmar Mednis as a "perfect and flexible opening" [6] and by others such as Aron Nimzowitsch as "certainly the most solid move, whereas moves such as 1.e4 and 1.d4 are both 'committal' and 'compromising'." [7] The game can transpose into many other openings that usually start with 1.e4, 1.d4, or 1.c4. If Black is not careful, there is the risk of running unprepared into a highly theoretical opening, e.g. after 1.Nf3 c5 White can play 2.e4 leading to the mainline Sicilian Defense. Other common transpositions are to various lines of the Queen's Gambit Declined (after e.g. 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4) or the Catalan Opening (after e.g. 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.c4). [6]

The main independent lines which usually start with 1.Nf3 are the Réti Opening (1.Nf3 d5 2.c4) and the King's Indian Attack (where White plays 1.Nf3, 2.g3, 3.Bg2, 4.e4, and 5.d3, though not always in that order). By playing 1.Nf3 White has prevented Black from playing 1...e5, and many players who want to play the English Opening but avoid the reversed Sicilian lines beginning with 1.c4 e5 opt to start the game with 1.Nf3 instead. [6]

In the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings , Zukertort Openings are classified in the coding series A04–A09. 1...d5 is under A06–A09, 1...Nf6 is under A05, and any other Black move is under A04.

Continuations

The Black responses which are given one or more chapters in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings are given below, ranked in order of popularity. [8]

1...Nf6

Like White's move, Black's move is non-committal as to opening. 2.d4 is identical to 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 (see Queen's Pawn Game). 2.c4 is a common start for the English Opening or it may be brought back to the Queen's Gambit Declined 2.g3 is a common start for the King's Indian Attack.

1...d5

Black stakes a claim to the center. White has many transpositional options. 2.d4 is again the same as 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 (see Queen's Pawn Game). 2.g3 is the King's Indian Attack. 2.c4 is the Reti Opening or English Opening.

1...c5

Black invites White to play 2.e4, transitioning into the Sicilian Defense, or 2.c4, the Symmetrical Defense of the English Opening.

1...g6

White can play 2.c4 for the English Opening, 2.e4 for the Sicilian Defense, 2.g3 for the King's Indian Attack, or 2.d4 for the King's Indian Defense.

1...e6

Like White's move, Black's move is non-committal as to opening. White can play 2.c4 for the English Opening or 2.e4 for the French Defense (if Black plays 2...d5) or the Sicilian Defense (if Black plays 2...c5). Another non-committal move for White is 2.d4, which can lead to the Sicilian Defense, the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Dutch Defense, the Indian Defenses, the King's Indian Attack, or the London System, depending on Black's reply.

1...f5

After 1...f5, 2.d4 is the Dutch Defense. 2.e4 borrows ideas from the Staunton Gambit.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings</i> Reference work on chess openings

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a reference work describing the state of opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Serbian company Šahovski Informator. It is currently undergoing its fifth edition. ECO may also refer to the opening classification system used by the encyclopedia.

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 Modern Defense is a hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the center with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" center without attempting to occupy it. The opening has been most notably used by British grandmasters Nigel Davies and Colin McNab.

The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move:

Bird's Opening is a chess opening characterised by the move:

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Queen's Pawn Game broadly refers to any chess opening starting with the move 1.d4, which is the second most popular opening move after 1.e4.

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The Colle System, also known as the Colle-Koltanowski System, is a chess opening system for White, popularized in the 1920s by the Belgian master Edgard Colle and further developed by George Koltanowski.

The Polish Defense is the name commonly given to one of several sequences of chess opening moves characterized by an early ...b5 by Black. The name "Polish Defense" is given by analogy to the Polish Opening, 1.b4. The original line was

In the game of chess, Indian Defence or Indian Game is a broad term for a group of openings characterised by 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.

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In chess, the Maróczy Bind is a term alternately used to refer to an opening or its associated pawn structure, named for the Hungarian grandmaster Géza Maróczy. When the Bind is discussed as an opening, it is defined as 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4. The Maróczy Bind opening is a continuation of the Sicilian Defence, Accelerated Dragon, where 5. c4 is the characteristic move.

The London System is an opening system in chess that can be used against virtually any black defense and thus comprises a smaller body of opening theory than many other openings. Also known as the Mason Variation, it is a line in the Queen's Pawn Game where White opens with 1.d4, but does not play the Queen's Gambit, instead opting to rapidly develop the dark-squared bishop. This will often result in a Closed Game. Because of its solid reputation, the London System has faced criticism for its lack of dynamic play.

A flank opening is a chess opening played by White and typified by play on one or both flanks. White often plays in hypermodern style, attacking the center from the flanks with pieces rather than occupying it with pawns. These openings are played often, although more often by advanced players than beginners, and 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 trail only 1.e4 and 1.d4 in popularity as opening moves.

The Tennison Gambit is a chess opening in which White gambits a pawn. The opening moves begin with either the Zukertort Opening:

References

  1. "Reti Opening (A04)". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  2. Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992). The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-280049-3.
  3. "Opening Explorer". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  4. "Online Chess Database". ChessBase. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  5. "Chess Opening Explorer". 365chess.com. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  6. 1 2 3 Mednis, Edmar (June 1990). "Move orders in the opening: The Modern Master's Tool". Chess Life . United States Chess Federation: 14–16.
  7. Keene, Raymond (1999). Aron Nimzowitsch – Master of Planning . Batsford. pp.  170. ISBN   0-7134-8438-1.
  8. "Opening explorer for 1.Nf3".

Further reading