/csg/ Chess General

Chess General. Famous/ Favorite games edition. Discuss openings, theories, pro discussion, etc

Anyone have experience as white with Queens Gambit declined?

Players under 1600 should limit themselves to e4 e5 openings, they're generally simpler and the pawn structures easier to understand unlike the Sicilian or somesuch.

>Mfw beating a Queens Matter deck with hatepawns

Everyone has experience with the QGD

Bah. d4 and NF3 are better. And less known to scrubs.

d4 openings get an unjustified reputation as boring because you generally can't launch an immediate attack, and it's usually not possible until midgame. They generally don't lend themselves to miniatures (games under 25 moves) and opening with 1. d4 does give you a higher chance of getting an endgame.

1. Nf3 is the Reti Opening. I don't think anyone seriously uses that, most of the time if White opens with Nf3 he's just going to transpose to some other opening.

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I'm actually trying to get into chess beyond casual level and I've no idea of the fundamentals of chess - I know about threatening multiple pieces and how you have to keep your pieces defended, but that's about it. I've picked up Mihail Marin's Secrets of Chess Defence from my local library, if anyone is familiar with that.

Pawn structures are important to understanding chess defense. A closed game generally refers to when the center pawns are locked and immovable, an open game means the center is free of pawns.

A pawn chain is kind of like barbed wire, it forms an obstacle that's hard to navigate around. Knights dominate closed positions with locked pawns, ranged pieces will be hemmed in. The weak point of pawn chains is obviously the pawn at the end of the chain, since a piece is needed to protect it.

When you have a locked center, you generally have to launch a flank attack, and the general rule is to attack in whichever direction the pawn chain is facing.

e4 e5 openings are commonly known as the Open Game, e4 followed by any Black move other than e5 the Semi-Open Game, d4 d5 the Closed Game, and d4 followed by any Black move other than d5 the Semi-Closed Game. These are colloquial terms referring to the usual positions that arise from these openings, and they're often not at all true. For example, the Ruy Lopez, despite being an e4 e5 opening, usually leads to a closed game with a locked center.

Should i play slav, semi-slav or QGD?
I don't like the QGD (too symetric) but i'm unsure about how to answer QG

QGD is not as complex or difficult to understand as the Slav Defense variants.

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Selfless op bump

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What can anyone tell me about the Bishop's Opening?

They inevitably turn into the Berlin defense and are usually draws.

Revived from the grave in the 90s, this opening is mostly used by IMs/GMs positionally or as a way of transposing to the Giuoco Piano without the risk of getting a Petrov's Defense. In games played by amateurs and ancient masters like Morphy, it's used tactically.

Yeah there was a fad in the 90s of resurrecting long forgotten (at the pro level) e4 openings like Scotch Game, Four Knights, and Bishop's Opening. Kasparov is credited with the first one.

Kasparov famously licked Anand in 24 moves with a Scotch Game in 1996. Most likely Anand was expecting a Ruy Lopez and the look on his face when Kasparov did 3. d4 must have been priceless.

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What's the best linux chess program?

I have friends who have used PyChess, no personal use though

Black's move.

I'll give it a shot. Thanks, friendo!

Looks like a draw to me, regardless of what's played.

From Anand-LeCosta, 1988.

The White king and queen could make absolutely no progress here and the game ended in a draw on move 99.

How do I beat floplop?

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