CHESS O PENINGS
FO R BEGINNERS
BY THE
REV. E. E. CUNNINGTON, M.A.,
AUTHOR our
THE wom an cr-mss 93 m m ,
” “HALF-HOURS wx'r u monpm r, ar e.
Iwill lead for th m y soldier s to the plain .
—Skak sfear e K . Rich. iii ; Act v, so. 3.
LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE SONS, LIMITED,BIOADWAY, LUDGATI HILL,
LONDONPRINTED 8? WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
PREFACE.
THE object of this unpretentious little work is to
give the beginner a shor t sketch of the variousways, m ore or less tr ied and approved, of star tinga gam e of chess. Except in a few casesticular in terest, the Open ing has not been car r iedbeyond the first six or seven m oves on each side.
Som e of the Open ings her e given are very littlepractised at the present tim e ; but they m ay, at
any later tim e, be brought into favour again , therebeing a fashion in these as in other m atters. A
pleasant though unsystematic way of learningsom ething of the Open ings m ay be found in
working outgam es by em inent players. Or , if a
m ore com plete cour se of instruction be desir ed,the reader m ay . be r ecom m ended to consultMr :-Jam es Mason ’
s .
“ ChessOpenings?of ” ChessOpenings, Ancient and Modern ,
” by Messrs. Freeborough and Ranken , the latter being the m ostcom plete English work on the subject
iv PREFACE.
If in the following pages som e of the notesseem tri te and tr ivial , the wr iter ’s apology m ustbe that he wished to sm ooth the path of thebeginner , to whom at first all m oves seem , and
naturally, alike good or indifferen t. And if he hasat all succeeded in lighten ing the difficulties of
such a one, and in giving him a helping hand intohigher region s, this little work will have m et withall the success that he ever hoped.
ABBREVIATIONS, &c.
The notation here em ployed is the shortest and m ost
com m only used. (See“How to Play Chess,
”
pr ice 6d. ,
Br itish Chess Handbook Ser ies. ) All squares nam ed in
descr ibing a m ove ar e nam ed from the move/ s side of the
board O— O Castles on K side ;“ O— O— O
Castles on Q side ; to ; x takes ; i. p.
in passing ;“ch. chec “
sq. square ; “Kt(K5)the Kt on King ’s sth sq. ; Q x B(Q4)
”Q takes the B
at her player’s Q
’s 4th sq. and so on.
Where no rem ark is m ade, the var iations are left at a
pointwhere neither player has any appreciable advantage.
CHESS OPENINGS FOR
BEGINNERS.
THE OPENINGS.
Tbe Best Ways to Star t a Game.
You have set up the m en in order , and you are
to play with White (which always has fir st m ove) .How are you to com m ence operationsP Onlya Kt or a P can m ove ; exper ience shows that tostar t by m oving the QKt is notgood ; I. Kt— KE3is som etim es played, and will be m en tioned lateron . r . Kt— KR3 is sim ply bad— r easons are ( 1)it only com m ands two squar es towards front (KB4,KKt5 ), instead of four (KR4, KKts, Q4, and K5 ) ,as at its B3 ; (2) it m ight be taken there by BlackQB, giving you two RPs (the weakest on theboard) . So m ove a Pawn ; butwhich of the eight?It is best to m ove the K’
s or the Q’
s P (reason ,sets fr ee m axim um of force
, Q and a B) , m ove ittwo squar es (par tly to free the Bs, one of whichwould be otherwise blocked— ag . P -K3 , blockingthe QB
’
s outlet— and partly to com m and squar esin the enemy’s ground) . KP or QP m oved twosquares is the best star t, and you need never seeka third no
'
that others are bad— ex cept as being
6 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
less good ; the best of the others working intothese two.
Now for a general idea Ofwhat you m ust aim at
in the beginn ing of a gam e. At the star t, yourpieces (except the Kn ights) are locked up and, for
the tim e being, useless. You have to r eleasethem
,to get them out to the front, and so to
ar range them that they m ay best work together foroffence and for defence ; to place them wher e theym ay stand safely (not liable to be intercepted or
surpr ised) with lines of r etr eat, and also may havem ost attacking power (m ost oppor tunity of doingefi
'
ectual work) against the enem y.George Walker ’s advice is excellen t, and tersely
sum s up what you should aim at (i.e. have as a
working principle, though you may not always beable to car ry it out r igidly) in open ing your gam eDo not pr em aturely attack before your force istolerably developed in the field. Play up thecentre Ps, get out your Kts and Bs, have your Kcastled and your Rs in co-operation (thisim plies acar eful advance of Q) . Such is the outline of thebest directions to abeginner as to Open ing hisgam e.
”
Reason and exper ience have settled upon cer tainbest ways of comm encing a gam e ; and it is betterto accept these results (trying to understand thepr inciples under lying them ) than to try and strikeout fresh paths for yourself. Have a reason— goodor bad,asmaybe
— still som e sor t ofa reason for yourm ove, otherwise how can you expect to im prove PBut n ow, star ting with 1 P— K4, let us suppose
that Black answers with the sam e, r . P— K4 ;
you m ight like to play a. Q— R5 , attacking theundefended KP. Black cannot afford to lose it,
t. P— K4, P—K4 ; OPENING.
so must defend it in som e way. He could playa. B— Q3 ; but this is bad on pr inciple (itobstructs his QP and consequently his QBhinders his m en from com ing into the field) . O r
he m ight play 2 Kt— QB3, to which r eplym ight be 3. B— Kt5 (Mr
-eaten: 4. B x Kt, and
then 5 . Q x KP eh. , winn ing a Pawn) , followed by3. P— Q3, &c. The m ove 2. Q— Kz
has only this against it, that the block of Black’sKB n lzt possibly lose a little tim e. Black m ayplay a. P— Q3, then 3. B— B4 (threatens4. Q x BP m ate l) , and 3 P— KKt3 stopsm ate and drives ofi
'
Q - say Q— B3 (threaten ingsam e mate) , and Black can stop it by B— K3,
Kt— KB3 . White Q has now spent twom oves on an attack leading to nothing, and is at asquar e where she has no par ticular future before herHowever , to go a m ove far ther , after 4
Kt— KB3, suppose 5 . Q- QKt3 (thr eatens B x BPcheck) , Black develops his Q to K2 (defendingBP) while his KB has a good square ready for himat KKtz. White’s Q m oves are waste of tim e — a
waste which m ay be fatal ; his second m ove is notgood— is a prem ature sally of Q, which m ust losevaluable tim e in retreating, having a little helpedto develop the Opponen t’s forces. Pr inciple and
exper ience are against the m ove. Do not ignor ethese two factor s. As to
Ot/ia ' Second Mou r of Wli fe,
2. P— KB3 1s bad, as having no other par ticularefl
'
ect than to block up outlet for Q which yourfirst m ove had made, and to take from your KKt
8 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
his best squar e. P— QB3 is playable a fair lygood m ove) as giving another outlet to Q ; otherm oves of Pawns (except 2 . P— Q4, or P— KB4,which ar e approved m oves) are weak, as not
helping to develop your forces— tie. as spendingtim e aim lessly (or near ly so) .Ther e is not much harm in z . P— KKt3 (or
P— QKt3), to place the K (or Q) B at its Kt’
s
second square— but not m uch good. There are
better ways of spending the tim e so occupied.
z . Q— B3 is bad (for about the sam e r easons as is
2 . Q— R z. Q— Kt4 is even worse ; Blackanswers by a P— Q4, unmasking his QB,and so dr iving 03 the Q ; either she m ust stay outsom ewher e, running chances of being trapped byBlack’s m inor pieces, or m ust go back to Q sq.
(better than to K2, which obstructs KB) , losingvaluable tim e. a. B— B4 is good, and will betr eated later on ; so is a. Kt— QB3 . But m ostim por tan t is 2 . Kt— KB3, giving r ise to theKing
'
s Kn ight’s Open ing,
” which (according tothe sequel) branches off into several good and
r ecogn ised Open ings.
”
K ING’
S KNIGHT’
S O PENING .
[1 . P— K4, P— K4 z . Kt— KB3 .]
Befor e going fur ther , we will dispose of severalbad answers of Black. Either he m ust defend hisKP or attack White’s (getting Pawn for Pawn) . A
m ove like s B— B4, leaving the KP undefended, sim ply throws away a valuable P for a veryslight gain in developm ent.
KING’S KNIGHT’S OPENING.
z P— KB3 is a weak m ove here. It laysBlack K
’
s flank dangerously open . White maysafely play 3 . Kt x P
,br inging about the Dam iano
Gam bit Suppose Black to seize the Kt we get
3 P X Kt ; 4. Q— R5 eh. , P— KKt3 ;.5 . Q
x KP ch. , followed by 6. Q x R, spelling ruin forBlack. But, after 4. Q— R5 ch., try 4 K
K z, s. Q x KP eh., K— Bz (forced) , 6. B— B4
ch. , P— Q4 (best) , 7 . B x P ch., K— Kt3. It 18
not hard to see that Black is in a bad way— the
thr ee P3 the Kt ; then look at the exposed,helpless, position of Black K. The sequel m ightbe, 8. P— KR4 (thr eatens P— R5 m ate) , P— R4
(best) ; 9. B x KtP, B x B (to save R) ; 10. Q— B5ch. , K -R3 r 1 . P -Q4 dis. ch., P— Kt4 (forced) ,n . B x P ch., forking K and Q. Of course Blackneed not take the Kt ; his best is 3. Q— K z
then 4. Kt— KB3, Q x KP ch., with a tolerablegam e in fact, White
’
s best course (unless hetrusts to Black’s ignorance) 13 to let the KP aloneand play 3 . B -B4 (stopping castling K side) , anddevelop his pieces as quickly as he can .
Other weak defences of Black’s KP are 2.o
.
Q— Kz, z B— Q3 (obstructing the developm en t of other pieces by blocking the QP) a
Q— B3 places the Q badly ; this m ight follow for abeginner ; 3 . B— B4, Q— KKt3 (attacking KP and
KKtP) . But White m ay safely leave either exposed (Diag. suppose (A) 4. Castles, and thatBlack grabs the KP ; 5 . B x P ch. , K— Kz (forby . . K x B 6. Kt— Kts ch. , Black Q 18 lost ;while, after K o— Q sq. ,
follows 6. Kt x P, andBlack dar es not take Kt on accoun t of 7 . R— K sq. ,
Q m oves out of way ; 8. R— K8 m ate) ; 6. R— K
to CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
sq., Q— B5 (no better ) ; 7 . R X P eh. , K X B ;8. P— Q4, Q— B3 ; 9. Kt— Kts ch., K
— Kt3 ;IO . Q— Q3 eh., and wher e can K go? If to R3 (orR4) , the Q is lost by the Kt going to K4, dis
Black.
Draoam 1.
White to Move.
cover ing check fr om B (or R) . Now (B) try4. P— Q3o and let Black play Q X KtP
White again con tinues 5 . B X P ch. then ifK X B ; 6. R— Kt sq.
, Q— R6 7 Kt— Kts eh. ,
forks K and Q ; while if 5 K— K z (or Q6. R— Kt sq.
, Q— R6 ; 7 . R— Kt3, and whatis the Q to do?It would be obviously im possible to tr eat m any
m oves with this degr ee of ex haustiveness The
beginner m ust r em em ber that the m oves recom
m ended in Chess-books have been tested andprovedtim e after tim e ; and if, at a very ear ly stage of the
GIUOCO PIANO. 11
gam e, he thinks he sees for him self som ething thateveryone else has over looked, the chances are thathe is under a delusion which an exper ienced playerwould quickly dispel.Black’
s best r eplies to z . Kt— KB3 are
Kt— QB3 , P— Q3 (defending his P), andKt— KB3 (leaving the KP undefended
, but
attacking White P) .We will now take a r egular Open ing called the
GIUOCO PIANO QUIET GAME) .
[ITALIAN Gam a]
Quietly developing the B5 are well placed(bear ing on the weak spot, the KBP, which onlythe K defends) and each side is free to cas tle.Here com es in a tr ap ; 3 Kt— Qs (leavingKP exposed) , White should play 4. Kt X Kt(doubling Black P5 ) , or castle ; but suppose hem istakenly plays 4. Kt X KP ; then 4 QKt4 and this (cug ) m ight happen , 5 . Kt X BP,
Q X KtP ; 6. R— B sq. , Q X KP ch. 7 . B— K z,
Kt— B6, m ate ; but anyhow White would losesom ething ; ag . 4. B X P ch. (best) , K— Q sq. ;
5 . Castles (best), Q X Kt ; or try, 5 . Kt— KB3 ,
Q X KtP ; 6. R— B sq., Q X Kt, &c.
4. P— Q3
Beginners often play here P— KR3 (to prevent
12 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
hostile B from com ing to his KKt5 , pinn ing Kt, orattacking Q) ; but it is seldom good play ; it losestim e and weakens the Pawn position . Thesefour th m oves suppor t the KPs and free the QBs.
White. Black.
5 . B— K3 B— Kt3
The object of White’s m ove is to have, in caseof Black exchanging Bs, the KB file Open for his
KR (after castling) doubling the KP wouldstr engthen his Ps. Black retr eats, as he does notwish his QP drawn f r om the centre (pr incipleother things being equal, to br ing Ps towards, notfr om , cen tr e of board) . IfWhite, at m ove 6, exchanged Bs, it would give Black (as he would takewith RP, increasing the value of that P) an Openline for his QR. Going back5 . Kt— Kt5 (threatening Kt or B X KBP) is m et
by . Kt— R3 ; and if 6. Kt— KB3 (threatensB X Kt doubling Ps on R file) , Black can play6 Kt— KKt5 ; and if, again , 7 . Kt— Kt5 ,Black can castle and the exchange of White’s Band Kt for the R and KBP would benefit Black(by getting r id of two of White’s pieces in goodplay) . No Objection to 5 . Castles, or Kt— QB3 ;but 5 . B -KKt5 is a useless attack on Q, beingm et by Kt— B3 (developing another piece
,
and exchange Of B for Kt cannot help White)this, P— B3 (to dr ive of?B) is bad, as m akingcastling very difficult. 5 . P— B3 (to keep Black Ktfrom his Q5 or QKt5) is a good m ove (afterwardsbr inging out the QKt at
’
! Q2 ) .Black (in stead of the tex t-m ove) m ight play
5 B X B ; 6. P X B, Kt— R4 ; 7 . B— Kt3 ,
GIUOCO PIANO. 13
Kt X R ; 8. RP X Kt, to leave White with twoR ts against Kt and B ; butWhite
’
s Ps would bevery strong, and the open files for his Rs wouldfavour him . Retum ing to colum n
White. Black.
6. Kt— B3 Kt— B3
7 . Kt— K z, on the way to KKt3 ; there is no
r eal Obstruction here, as Q is not likely to go out
in that di r ection for som e tim e to com e.
Here we m ust leave it ; the position s are equallygood ; neither player has comm itted him self, andthey are r eady for the fray.
B.
r . P— K4
B— KZ, gives the Hungar ian De
fen ce con tinued, 4. P— Q4, P— Q3 seldomplayed, as Black Is liable to geta cr owded, crarnped,position .
4. P— B3 . 4. Kt— B3 is also a good m ove.Here we m ay m ention
,with a caution , as being
quite unsound, the Jer om e Gam bit ; 4. B X
P eh .,K x B ; 5 . Kt x P ch. ,
Kt X Kt ; 6. QR5 eh. ,
and Black plays 6. K— K3 (or B sq.) witha safe gam e.
4 Kt— KB3
Consider ed better than P— Q3, though theQ— Kz may be played
CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
with continuation ; 5 . Castles, P— Q3 ; 6. P— Q4,B— Kt3 (not P X P ; else 7. P X P, improves White’s Pawn position, giving his QKtm or escope) .
White.
5 . P— Q4. O r P— Q3 , leading to a safe gam e.P x P
Plainly it is this, or r etreat of B ; but if B— Kt3 , we get 6. P X P, and if Black answers
KKt X P, we m ight get 7. Q— Q5 (thr eatensmate), B X P ch. (to get what he can for the piecehe m ust lose) ; 8. K— B sq. , and Black, to avoidm ate
,m ust give up the KKt. If 6 Kt
KR4, it is lost after 7 . P— KKt4 if 6 Kt— Kt sq.,
White has a Pawn ahead and a welldeveloped gam e.
6. P— K 5 , or , for var iety, play 6. P X P, BKt5 ch. ; 7 . B— Qz, B X B ch. ; 8. QKt X B (todevelop the Kt and m aintain the KP) , P— Q4,&c.,
and though White will have an isolated QP, it isof slight or no consequence.
6 P— Q47 . B— K z . To take QP, in passing, would
m erely develop Black Q nor is 7 . P X Kt, P X B ;8. P x KtP, R
— KKt sq. , quite good for White,Black getting m uch fr eedom of m ovem ent. Afterthe text-m ove, White r ecover s his Pawn , whenBlack has secured his KKt (at his K5)White m ay, in the Giuoco
.
Piano, play 4. Castles,but there i s no advantag e in doing so, un less hem eans it as a step towards playing the Max LangeAttack.
MAX LANGE ATTACK. 15
MAX LANGE ATTACK.
A var iation of the Giuoco Piano (it may occuralso in the Two Knights
’
or the King’s Bishop’s
Gam e) . White sacrifices his QP, to gain a m oveand an attack, which Black can , however , withcar e, repel.
I. P— K42 . Kt— KB3
3 . B— B4
4. Castles5 . P —Q4 . Black cannot do ' better than
accept the Pawn ; if 5 B— Kt3 6. P X P(better gam e) . The only question is, wit/z w/iatto take it. If 5 QKt X P ?; then 6. Kt XP (threatens Kt x BP, winning the exchange) ,Kt— K3 ;
*7 . B t BP x B (if . QP X B ;
then 8. Q c h. ,K x Q ; 9 . Kt P ch.,
winn ing R) ; 8. Kt— Q3, with better gam e. 5 .
B X P is safe, and less com plicated than them ove given below ; it is followed by 6. Kt X B,Kt X Kt ; 7 . P— B4, P— Q3 ; 8. P X P, P X P ;
9 . B— KKt5 , Q— Kz ; and Black will keep his Pahead with no hur t But, resum ing, try
P X PP— Q4 !
Kt— KKts; 7 . P— KR3, KKt xI
7. P X Kt. He could play 7. P X P i. p
Or 6 Castles ; 7. Kt— QB3, P— Q3 ; s. Kt— Q3.
I6 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
but it is better to pr ess on with the attack at allhazards.
Black.
7 P x B8. R— K sq. ch. B— K3
9. Kt— Kt5 (thr eatens Kt X B,
DIAGRAM 2.
After White’soth Move.
White.
Q— Q4 !
Here Q X P would be bad ; for 10 . Kt X B,P X Kt ; r r . Q— R5 ch., and 1 2. Q X B wouldgain a piece.
10 . Kt— QE3 ! It is easy to see why the Pdares not take it— a clear gain Of tim e on White’s
Still avoiding capture of BP.
18 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
A m ove r ecomm ended by Lasker , and played inthe match St. Petersburg-Vienna, 1897
-8, toconver t Black’s extra material in to positionaladvantage.
”
Black.
8. P >< P P x P (Diag.)Black.
DIAGRAM 3 .
After Black's
8th Move.
9 .. Q X Q Here White may try 9. B X P
ch. , K X B ; 10 . Kt X P ch. ; how i s Black toproceed? Not 10 Kt X Kt ; else 1 1 . Q X
Q. If 10 . K -B3 ; then 1 1 . B— Kt5 chK X B ; 1 2 . Kt— B7 eh. , wins Q. If 10 .
K— K3 ; then 1 1 . Q— Kt4 eh. , K X Kt ; 1 2 .
Q— B4 ch. ,K— K3 ; 13. Q— B5 ch. ,K
— K2 ; 14B— R3 ch. , K
— K sq. 1 5 . Q— B8 ch K— Qz.
White could now draw by r epeating checks withQ at B5 and B8; but try 16. R— Q sq. ch. , Kt
Q5 ; 17 . Q X P ch., Kt— K2 (or A, or B) ; 18
EVANS GAMEIT. 19
B X Kt, Q— Kt sq. 19. Q— B6, K— K sq. 20.
P X Kt, and wins.(A) 1 7 K— Bs ; 18. P x Kt
Snot Q x R ;
else Kt— B7 eh., wins for Black B X P (to
stop 19. P— Q5 19. Q X B, Q X Q ; so .
R X Q, &c.
(B) 17 . K -K3 ; 18. P X Kt, B X P ;19 . R X B, Q— B3 ; 20. Q— Kt4 eh. , K
— Ba ; 2 1 .
Q_Q sq” &C
If 10 . K— B sq. (or K— Kz) , then( not 1 1 KKt
Kz else 1 2. Q —B3“
ch., andWhite wins at once) ,leading into next var iation , but with the White Bal r eady raking Black
’
s K’s quar ter s. Black should
play 10 . K— K sq. ; then 1 1 . Q— R5 eh.,
P— KKt3 1 2 . Kt X P, Kt— KB3 ; 13 . Q— R6,R— KKt sq. ; 14. Kt— B4, and White has two
passed Ps for his piece, and fai r attacking prospects. The r est is speculation. Retum mg to
our text, we get
and Black has a winning Pawn-position, if he canr educe com plications and br ing m atters to a sim pleending.
Retur ning to White’s n in th m ove, we m ight get,
9. Q— Kt3 (thr eatens B X P Q— B3 ; Io.
B — Q5 , KKt— K 2 (to pr even t his Ps from beingbr oken up by 1 1 . B X Kt 1 I. B— Kt5 , QKt3 ; 1 2. QB X Kt, K X B (not Kt X B,because of 1 3 . Kt X P, attacking Q and concen
trating on KBP) ; 13. B X Kt, Q X B ; 14. Kt X
C 2
to CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
P, Q— K3. It is Black’s policy to ex change he
mas m uch the better position.
Other var iations of the Evans Gam bit areA.
r . P— K42. Kt— KB3
3 . B— B4
4. P— QKt4
Suppose Black to Kt X P ; Whitem ust not be tem pted to snatch the KP ; else 5 .
Kt X P, Q— B3 and how save the m ate, the Kt,and the QR If 6. P— Q4, B X P and Q dar esnot take B, on accoun t of 7 Kt X BP ch.6. Kt— KB3 is best, but Black plays Q X R ;and after 7 . Kt— B3 (hem m ing in the Q) , Blackcan extr icate Q by . . . Kt X RP ; 8. Kt X Kt(or B x Kt, B
— K15 ,
°
9. B— Kt3, B x Kt,Q— B3 , and will win .
5 . P— B3 B— B46. Castles P— Q 37 . P— Q4 P X P8. P X P B— Kt3
We her e get the Normal PositionContinuing fr om position in diagram we m ight
have
9. P— Qs’ Kt— R4
Io. B— Ktz, threatening 1 1 . B X KtP, and 1 2.
B X R
9. B— R3, Kt—R4 ! 10. B 3 Kt— K2 ; 11. P—K5,
ala s , &c.
Q
EVANS GAMBIT. 21
DIAGRAM 4.
Evans Gam bit
Norm al .”
White to Move(9th Move).
Black.
1 1 . B— Q3. But why not still B X KtP
Because Black, after R— KKt sq., would geta strong attack on castled K.
1 1 Castles1 2. Kt— B3 Kt— Kt3
This is to provide against 13. P— K5 (clear ingway for Bs) .
13. Kt— K2 P— QB4He m ay wan t the KB on the other side.
14» Q— Q2
For once in a way, a good m ove. It forestallssom ething of this kind, that m ight take place,if Black was not on his guard against it ;15 . Kt
— Kt3, B— Q2 (eg ) ; 16. B X P, K X B?;
22 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
1 7. Kt— R5 ch., K— R sq (best) , 18. Q— R6,
R— KKt sq. 19. Kt— Kts, and Blackstop the mate by sacr ificing his Q. A notablevar iation ; as matters stand, Black has a goodgam e.
A (b) .(Go back to Diagram . )
White. Black.
9. Kt— B3
r o B— KKts. Known as Giir ing's Attack.
Not Kt— KB3 as the advance ofWhite’sPs m ight endanger the Kt.
1 1 B— B4 Kt X BQ— R4 0h Q—~Q2
Black m ightalso play . K— B2 13 . Q X Kteh., B— K3, &c.
13. Q X Kt14. KR
— K sq.
16. Q— R4 ch.
and Black has a well-developed gam e. If heB— Q2 ; and, soon after ,
Castles (Q) ; he would expose him self to a sharpattack on Q side, which, however , he should repel ;but the text-m ove is safer .
B (a) .Starting again, we give two continuations, in
EVANS GAMBIT. 23
White.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . Kt— KB3 Kt— QB33. B— B4 B— B4
4. P— QKt4 B X KtP5 P
— Bs B— R46. P— Q4 P X P
O r 6 P
Kt X Q (to avoid loss of KBP) ; 9 . Kt X P,P— KB3 l o. Kt— Q3 , Kt— K 2 and Black is tobe prefer r ed. Of cour se, White may, in this, try8. Q— Kt3, &c.
7. Castles P X P
This m ove m akes the Com prom ised Defence,in which Black, with a r etarded developm ent
,has
to m eet a sever e attack.
8. Q— Kt3 Q— B39. P— K5 Q— Kt3
Not . Kt X P ; bem use of IO. R— K sq.,
P— Q3 ; 1 1 . Kt X Kt, P X Kt ; 1 2 . Q— Kt5 eh.,
winn ing the KB.
10 . Kt X P1 1 . B— R3
It is Black’s policy to reduce forces, if he cando so with safety. This m ove is r ecomm endedby Lasker .
Q X B P— QKt313 B
— Qs Q— R3
If now 14. B X Kt, Black plays . K X B (notKt X B, else 1 5 . Q X BP) ; if 14. B— B sq.,
Q— R4 ; 1 5 . P— K6, BP X P, and
24 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
White gets no good nom 16. Q X KtP, because ofR— KKt sq. ; 1 7 . Q X RP (not Q— B6,
Kt— Q4 18. Q— R4, Q X Kt, Q— Kt5 ;18. Kt— R4 (or K B— Kt2 and Black m aycastle with a fine attack ; if 14. KR— Q sq. , then
B— Ktz, &c. Black should not lose.
B (b) .Star ting again , atWhite
’
s sixth m ove in B (a), we
Black.
6 Castles P— Q37 P
— Q4 Ii — Qz
Sanders’ Defence ; or try B— KKt5 8. Q— R4,P X P ; 9. P X P, P— QR3 (to m eet 10 . P— Q5by P— QKt4) IO . B— Q5 , B— Kt31 1 . B X Kt ch., P X B ; 1 2 . Q X P eh. , B— Qz .
8. Q— Kt3 Q— K2
9 . B— R3 Kt— R3
As an additional defence to KBP, in the sequel.10 . P X P Kt X P1 1 Kt x Kt Q x KtQ X KtP Kt— Kt5
If White now wer e to play 13. Q X R ch. afterK— Kz, he would be mated or would lose
his Q for the R.
1 3 . P— KB4 B—Kt3 Ch.
14. K— R sq. But why not take the checkingB, and gain a piece, as both Qs would then beexposed? Because of the r eply 14. Q— KR4,thr eatening mate and saving Q, while White’s Qwould r emain liable to capture.
CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
DIAGRAM 5 .
9.
r o. K— Q sq.
1 1 . B X P. If
sq., the answer isQ X R ch.
Q— Kz
Q x Q ch. Kt x Q13 . B X R P— Q4
If he played B X P, White, by 14. R— B sq. ,
would gain B, on pain of m ate.14. P -KB3, and the issue is uncer tain .
Finally, Black m ay try 4. P— Q4, with a
continuation like 5 . P X P, Kt X P ; 6. Kt X P,Kt X QP (not Q— B3 because of 7. Castles,and Black Q dar es not take the Kt) ; 7. B— Kt5eh., K— B sq., &c.
Black.
Q X KP ch.Kt X B
White incautiously plays R— KKt X B ch ; 1 2 . K— B sq.,
SCOTCH GAME. 27
SCOTCH GAME.
So called from its use in the Edinburgh-LondonCor respondence Match, 1824—8
Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42. Kt— KB3 Kt— QB33 . P— Q4 .
~ Freeing White’
s Q and QB, andpreventing the form ation of any Pawn cen tr e byBlack. This Opening is now seldom played inim por tant contests, it being thought that White cando better in other ways.
P x P
Better than P— Q3, which leads to 4. P— Q5(cram ping to Black) or to 4. P X P, Kt X P ;5 . Kt X Kt, P t ; 6. Q c h, &c. (Whitegaining tim e) ; better , too, than . . Kt X P ;4. Kt X Kt, P X Kt ; 5. Q X P, Kt
— Ka (plainlyWhite has m ore comm and of the board than his
4. KtX P (see Diag.) (or 4. B— B4, the ScotchGam bit) ; Black has thr ee main lines of defence(A, B, C) ; 4. Kt X Kt is bad, as not developing anything. Let that Kt stay ; ifWhite takesKt
,Black r etakes with KtP, an d gets open lines for
QR and QB ; and the slight br eak-up Of his Ps is
not likely to harm him . And Black m ust not yetplay P— Q4 for then 5 . Kt X Kt, P X Kt ;6. ;P X P and if now . Q X P ; White will
leave him with doubled and isolated Ps ; while if6 P X P, White by 7. B— QKt5 ch. will gaina P (after B— Q2 ; 8. Q X P) , or will for ceBlack K to his second sq. (blocking his gam e) .
28 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
DIAGRAM 6.
After White's
A (seeBlack.
4 B— B4
5 . B— K3 . If 5 . Kt— B5 (threatens Kt XKtP ch.) Black m ay play P— KKt3 and if
6. Kt— Kt7 eh. ,it is lost after K— B sq. ;
while, by the r etr eat, tim e is lost. Text-m ovethreatens to Win a piece by 6. Kt X Kt, and
7 . B x B.
5 Q— B36. P— QB3. If 6. Kt X Kt, Black would do
. Q X BP
m ate) ; 7 . P x B, Q x P ; 8. Kt— Qz,.
KtP X Kt.6 KKt— K 2
7 . B— QB4 O -0
O r . 7 B—QKts. 0— 0 ; or 7 Q— Qz. P— QRs
SCOTCH GAME. 29
Black’s m ove her e is to pr event 8. Kt— QKt5 ,which White thr eatens to play, now that he isr eady to r eply Q x B (not P X B, breaking up hisPfl m B X B.
B (seeBlack.
4. Kt —B3
5 . Kt x Kt RtP X Kt6. B— Q3 . No use to attack the Kt by P— K5 .
6 P— Q47 . Q— K 2 B— Kz
8. B x P, ;Kt 9. Q x
Kt eh., Q K2, &c. leaves a bad Pawn posi tionfor any close ending though the fr eedom of
Black’s Bs is, m eanwhile, som e com pensation .
8. 0— 0 0— 0
C (see
4 Q— R5White cannot well defend KP by Kt— QB3, on
accoun t of 5 B— Kt5 (leading to dislocationof Q side Ps
,unless White suppor ts the pinned
Kt by) 6. Kt(Q4)— Kt5 , then we m ight get6 Q X KP eh. ; 7 . B— K 2 , B X Kt eh. ;
8. Kt X B, Q— Q5 9. B— Q3 , Kt- Kts 10 . Kt
Kt5 ,Kt X B oh., and Black keeps his P with safety.
Nor does defence of the P by 5 . Q— Q3 turn out
well. So White lets the P go, and usually plays
5 . Kt— Kt5 (threatens Kt X BP oh. , winning R)5 Q x KP ch.
6. B— K2 . Or 6. B— K3, K— Q sq. (not .
30 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Q— K4, on accoun t of 7 Kt— Q2, thr eatening8. Kt— B4
—or 8. Kt— KB3, if 7 P— Q4)7 . Kt— Qz, Q— Kt3, &c.
Black.
6 K— Q sq
If he played Q X KtP, he would lose after7 . B— B3, Q r etr eats ; 8. Kt X BP ch.
7 . Castles P— QR38, KKt— B3, andWhite, for . the m issing Pawn ,
has a safe position and fine attacking chances,Black K being awkwardly placed. In fact,
Q— R5 has seldom been found to answerfor Black.
The Scotch Gam bit is form ed by4. B— B4, to which Black m ay r eply B
B4, or B— Kts eh., the latter generally leading to a lively in ter esting gam e ; or he m ay get a
less com plicated state of things by P— Q3 , orKt— B3 . But the Gam bit is seldom played
nowadays.
However , as specim ens, we may give(A) 4. 3 — 134. 3 — 134 ; 5 P— Bs. P x P
6. B X P ch K X B ; 7 . Q— Q5 ch K— B sq.
(the advanced BP is not worth any trouble)8. Q X B eh. , P— Q3 ; 9. Q X BP, Q— B3 .
Black, by 5 Kt— B3 , or P— Q3, maytranspose into the Giuoco Piano.
(B) 4. B— B4, B— Kt5 eh. ; 5 . P— B3, P X P
6. Castles, P— B7 (or P— Q3 not
P X P ; because of 7 . B X KtP with str ong
Black Q dares not take the Kt at her Kt4, because ofKt— Q6 eh. , followed by B X Q.
TWO KNIGHTS’ DEFENCE. 3:
attack) 7. Q X BP (the Q is here less dangerousto Black), P— Q3 andWhite’s better developm entcom pensates for the m issing P.
Two Kn IGHTs’
DEFENCE.
Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . Kt— KB3 Kt— QB33 . B— B4 Kt— B 3 (Diag.)
Black.
DIAGRAM 7.
After Black’s
3rd Move.
White.
Her e White can get a safe gam e by 4. P— Q3 ;but suppose he accepts Black’s invitation , andplays
4. Kt— Kt5 P— Q4
The best m ove ; if 4 Kt X P ; White plays
32 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
(not 5 . Kt X BP, Q— R5 6. P— KKt3,"l Kt X
KtP ; 7. BP X Kt, Q— K4 eh., &c. , winn ing ; but)5 . B X P eh. , K
— K 2 ; 6. P— Q4, P— KR3 (notP X P ; else 7 . Q— K 2, pinn ing Kt ; nor
Kt X Kt ; 7 . B X Kt eh. , winn ing Q) ; and Whitegets the better gam e by 7. Kt X Kt, K X B ; 8.
P— Q5 , Kt— K z 9. Q— R5 eh. , P— KKt3 (if. Kt— Kt3
°
Io . Q— B5 eh., wins the Kt) ; 10 .
Q X KP, B— Kt2 ; Q— B4 eh., &c. If, after 4.
K. t X P,White wer e to play 5 . Kt X Kt, Blackwould r ecover his piece by P— Q4.
White. Black .
5 . P X P Kt— QR4If 5 Kt— K 2, White would play 6 P
Q6, Kt(K 2) —Q4 ; 7 . P X P, &c. if 5 KtX P, the gam e m ight go on 6. Kt X BP, K X Kt ; i
’
7 . Q— B3 eh. , K— K3 (only way to keep the pieceahead) 8. Kt— QB3, and, whatever theory maysay, Black generally loses ; try 8 Kt— Kt5
(it is this, or Kt— K z) 9. Q— K4, P— QKt4(to gain tim e ; if 10. B X P, then B— R3 ,
getting r id of the troublesom e White B, or at leastunpinn ing the Kt ; if 10 . Kt X P, then . P.
B3 ; 1 1 . Kt— Q4 eh.,K— Q3 , 10 . B— Kt3,
P— B4 (thr eatens P— B5 , winn ing B)°
1 1 .
Her e, as e1
6
tam ple of the strength of two KnIghts workingtogether , t Q ,
— K2 K t— Qs l ; 7. Q— B q(best) , Kt
x KBP l ; Q t Kt BP ch ; 9 . K sq., Q x
B ch. ; winn ing easily.
White, at the point noted, would do better by 6. Castles,B— B4
°
7. P— Q4, &c.° but what is given m ight easily
pen to a beginner .ha
g'
l'
hrsThrs variation is known as the Fegatello fr iedliver ) l
34 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
(A) 4. P— Q4, P X P (if 4. KKt X P ;
5 . P X P, and the advanced Kt, in View of 6. QQ5 , thr eatening m ate, m ust go to QB4, losingtim e ; if 4 QKt X P, we get 5 . B X P eh.,
K X B ; 6. Kt X P eh. , and 7 . Q X Kt,5 . P— K5 (if Kt— Kt5 , Kt
— K4 6. B— Kt3 , P
KR3 White loses tim e) , P— Q4 ; 6. B— QKt5 , Kt-K5 ; 7. Kt X P, B— Q2 and if White doubles
a Pawn by Kt (or B) x Kt, it will not hur t Black.
(B) Morphy played 4. P— Q4, P X P ; 5 . Castles,Kt X P ; 6. R— q .
,P —Q4 ; 7 . B X P !, Q X B ;
8. Kt— B3 (a pretty ser ies of m oves) , Q— KR4 ;
9. Kt X Kt (thr eatensKt— B6 dou. eh. ,winning Q) ,B— K 2 10. Kt X P, r ecover ing m ater ial
,with an
equal gam e.(C) 4. Castles, Kt X P 5 . B— Q5 , this recovers
the Pawn , for , after Kt— KB3 , White plays6. B X QKt, QP X B ; 7 . Kt X P. Suppose 5 .
P.—
;B4? 6. B X QKt, QP X B ; 7 . Kt X P,
and that Black played such a m ove as 7 B
Q3, we m ight have 8. Q— R5 eh. , P— KKt3
(forced) ; 9. Kt X KtP, awkward for Black ; for ifhe plays 9 R— KKt sq. ; r o .
-Kt— K5 dis.
eh. , forces R— Kt3 , &c. and if he thinks toescape by 9 Kt— B3 ; IO . Q— K 2 eh., Wins
the R
PETROFF DEFENCE (RUSSIAN GAME) .
A.
White. Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . Kt— KB3. Here we may m ention 2 . Kt
K I, Alapin
’l Attack ; it m ay be played for
PETROFF DEFENCE. 35
var iety sake, though the KKt m ay have to losesom e tim e, tag . 2 Kt— QB3 3 . Kt— QB3 ,Kt— KB3 4. P— B4, P
— Q4 5 . KP X P, Kt X P6. P X P, Kt X P ; 7 . P— Q4, Kt(K4) m oves(7 Q— R5 ch. 8. P— KKt3 , helps White) .The idea of it is to force the KB file Open withoutr isking (as in the King
’s Gam bits) a Pawn .
Black.
2 Kt— KB 3
3 . Kt X P P— Q3This is m uch better than to play Kt X P
at once ; the Pawn cannot escape .
4. Kt— KB3 . If Kt— QB4, Black would ina few m oves dr ive it off (gaining tim e) besides, itblocks his KB.
4 Kt X P.
5 . P— Q4. Better than P— Q3 (when the Ktwould r eturn to KB3) Q— K2 ism et by QK2.
5 P— Q4To suppor t the Kt
,to clear the way for KB, and
stop White’s QP.
6. B— Q37 . Castles
1 P— K4
Not to Kt5 , else 5 . P— KR3, for cing it to R3
(wher e the B would'
take it, doubling the RP) nor
D 2
36 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
to Q4, whence (after 5 . Q X P) its must m oveagain , unless Black plays P— QB3 (blockm gQKt
’s outlet) ; nor to Kt sq. (plainly losm g tune) .
Black.
5 Q x P P— Q4Not Kt— B4 (whence it would have no goodm ove) .
6. P X P i. p.
.
To dislodge the Kt, and topreven t a m ove hke 6 B— QB4 (followedby B X P
6 Kt X QP7. Kt— B3 Kt— B3
Cochrane used to play 3 . Kt X P, P— Q3 ; 4.
Kt X P,K X Kt ; ifnow 5 . B— B4 eh., Black playsP— Q4 (better than B— K3) ; 6 B— Kt3 (ifP X P, Black blocks the P by B— Q3), BKKt5 7. P— KB3 (blocking the Q), B— K3 ;and Black should Win . White would do best, afterthe sacr ifice, to rapidly develop his forces, castle(Q) , and push forward on the K side, withPawn s
, &c.
The Baden -Ki sser itzky Gam bit is as fol
lows : 1 . P— K4, P— K4 ; 2 . Kt— KB3, Kt
— KB3
3 . B— B4, Kt X P ; 4. Kt— B3 , Kt X Kt ; 5 .
QPX Kt (by taking with QP, he preventsQ4) , P— KB3 (to stop Kt— Kts) ; 6. Castles (ifKt X P, Black answer s— not P X Kt, allowing Q— R5 eh. ,&c.
— but Q— K 2,winn ing the
Kt) , and Black should keep the Pawn , or secure anadvan tage in position , though for the tim e being heis som ewhat cram ped ; suppose 6 Q— K z ;
7 . R— K sq. , P— Q3 ; followed soon by
B— K3 .
RUY LOPEZ. 37
Ruv LOPEZ (SPANISH GAME) .
So nam ed from a Spanish pr iest (tim e of PhilipIL) . One of the m ost practised Open ings.
Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . Kt— KB3 Kt— QB33 . B— Kt5 . This m ove constrains Black’s
gam e by the thr eat of 4. B X Kt, indir ectly attacking KP. Black has several r eplies, of which them ost approved are P— QR3 and Kt
KB3 .
3 P— QR3
TO avoid 4. B X Kt, 3 Kt— Q5 has been
played butWhite, by 4. Kt X Kt, doubles Black’
s
QP,’
and this doubled P is, in tendency, a disadvantage, however slight, to Black.
4. B— R4. White cannot here gain the KP ;for if B X Kt, then QP X B ; 5 . Kt X P,
Q— Q5 ; and 6 Q X KP ch.
4 Kt— B3 (Diag.)KKt— K 2 is obstructive to B and Q (though
it prevents any doubling of Ps after B X Kt) ; Blackcan get r id of the B by 4 P— QKt4 ; 5 . B
Kt3 , Kt— R4 6. Castles, Kt X B ; 7 . RP X Kt
,
but it rather helps White ; 4 P— Q3 m aycause a slight loss of tim e.
A (a) (see
Kt X PP— QKt4
38 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
P, m ight leadto danger thr ough 7 R— K sq.
Black.
DIAGRAM 8.
After Black’s
4th Move.
A (b) (see
5 . Kt— B3 B— K2
6. Castles. White cannot gain the KP here ;ag . 6. B X Kt, QP X B ; 7 . Kt X P, Kt X P ; 8.
Kt X Kt (if Kt X KBP, then Kt X Kt ;9. Q— R5 , Q Q4 l ; IO . Kt— Q6 dou. eh., K— B
sq.,and Black will gain a piece) , Q— Q5 , r ecover
ing the piece ; but,after 6 Castles,White thr eatensto win a Pawn ; e.g
'
. 6. Castles ; 7. B X Kt,QP X B ; 8. Kt X P, Kt X P - Q5 ;
RUY LOPEZ . 39
then 9. Kt— B3 , and r e . P— Q3) ; . Kt X Kt,Q— Q5 ; Io . Kt X QBP, gaining a P
9
(as Black Qdoes not now take the Kt, at her K5 ,
White. Black.
8. Kt— B sq.
9 B— K3
Prom ising a hard-fought gam e.
White,at m ove 5 , m ay also play, P— Q4 (and
easily recover s the Pawn which Black takes) or
Q— K 2 but we cannot give these.
B.
Mr . Lasker considers that Black’s best thirdm ove is Kt— B3 3 P— QR3 , leadingto som e weakness of the Pawns on Queen side,which m ight pr ove harm ful in the long _run .
I P— K4 P— K42 . Kt— KB3 Kt— QB33. B— Kt5
4. Castles5 P Q4
It would not do to play ” . P X P ; because of6. R— K sq. (pinning the Kt) . He m ight play
CastlesKt Q2P— B4
40 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Kt— Q3 . Returning to White’
s fifth m ove,we m ight get 5 . R— K sq., Kt
— Q3 ; 6. Kt x P,Kt t Q, by 7. Kt t
ch.) 7 . R x Kt oh., B— K z , &c.
Black.
6. Q— K z Kt— Q37 . B x Kt KtP x B
So that the Kt m ay go to Ktz, after 8. P x P ;7 QP x B would be bad on account of
8. P x P, Kt— KB4 (if Kt— Kt4 ; try
9 . P— QR4) ; 9. R— Q sq. , B— Qz ; IO . P— K6,
P X P ; r r . Kt— Ks, Kt— Q3 ; 1 2 . R x Kt,B x R ; 13 . Q— R5 ch., P— KKt3 ; 14. Kt XKtP &c.
4. P— Q3 P— Q3Black m ay set a trap her e by Kt— K z ;
5 . Kt X P P— B3 ; 6. Kt— B4 (setting a trap inhis tum — for if 6 P x B ; 7 . Kt— Q6 m ate) ,Kt— Kt3 ; 7 . B— R4, P
— QKt4 if 6. B m oves,then . . Q— R4 eh. , and 7 Q x Kt.
5 P.
-B3 B— Qz6. QKt— Q2 P— KKt3
7. B— R4, so as to br ing it to QBz, or toQKt3 .
7 B — Kta
8. Kt— B sq., to br ing it to K3 .
8 Castles
42 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Q or P x Kt ; 13. R t wins a piece, as Black
cannot retake without losing Q.
r . P— K4, P— K4 2. Kt— KB3, Kt
QBss 3 B— Kts. P— QRs ; 4» B— R4. Kt— Bss5 . Castles, P— Q3 ; 6. P— Q4, P— QKt4 7 . BKt3, P x P ; 8. Kt x P? (Kt— Kts is r ight) ,Kt x Kt ; 9. Q x Kt, P— B4 10 . Q m oves,
P - B5 catching the B.
r . P— K4, P— K4°
2 . Kt— KB3, Kt-QB3 ;
3 ° B— KtS’ P- “ QR3 5 4° B'_R4’ Kt__B3 3 5 ° Q
K 2, B— B4° 6. P— B3, P
— QKt4 ; 7 . B— Bz,P— Q4?(P— Q3 l) ; 8. P x P, Q x P ; 9. P— Q4(dr iving B) , B— Q3 r o . B— Kt3 l, Q — K5
°
II. Q X Q, Kt x Q ; 1 2. B— Q5 wins a Kt.
(5 ) 1 ° P_K4: P— K4 ; 2 ° Kt_KB3aKt'— 'QB3 ;3 . B— Kt5 , Kt
— B3°
4. Castles, Kt x P ; 5 . P
64, P_QR3 2 6° B_Q39 P—" Q4 7 ° P“ B4: KP
x P? [B— KKtso
l] ; 8. P x P, Q x P ; 9. B x
Kt, gaining a piece, as Q cannot take B, on
account of R— K sq.
FOUR KNIGH'
rs’
OPENING.
A quiet, safe, Opening, leading generally to a
well-contested gam e.
1 P— K42 . Kt— KB3
3 . Kt— B3
If Black played, e.g . 3 P— Q3° it would be
the THREE KNIGHTS’ OPENING ‘ con tinued, 4. P— Q4, P X P ; 5 . Q X P, B
— Kz ; 6. B— K3 ,Castles.
PHILIDOR’S DEFENCE . 43
Black.
4. B— Kt5 B— Kt5
5 . Castles Castles6. Kt— Q5 . Or 6. P— Q3, P— Q3 ; defer r ing
the real contest.6 Kt x Kt7 . P x Kt P— K58. P x Kt P x Kt9 . Q x P QP x P
But the m oves given here may be greatly var ied.
Pa m on’
s DEFENCE.
An Opening not m uch in favour , the obstructionof Black’s KB giving White much com m and of
board.
1 . P— K4 P— K42. Kt— KB3 P— Q3
2 . P— Q4 gives the QP Counter
Gam bit, with a con tinuation such as 3 . P x P,Q x P ; 4. Kt— QB3 , Q— K3 and Black is
playing the Centr e Gam e with a m ove behind thefir st player has a slight advantage. In this, if3. Kt x P, then . . P x P ; 4. P— Q4, B —K3 ;
5 . B— QB4, B x B ; 6. Kt x B, P— KB4, &c.
3. P— Q4 P x PIf 3 P— KB4 we m ight get this interestingplay, 4. Kt— B3, Kt
— KB3 ; 5 . P x KP, Kt x P ;6 Kt x Kt, P x Kt ; 7 . Kt— Kt5 , P
— Q4 (notP X P ; 8. Q X Q oh. ,
K x Q ; 9. Kt
B7 8. P— K6, B
—B4 ; 9. Kt x KP (notKt— B7, because of . . Q— B3), B— Kz (for if
44 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
9 P X Kt ; then Q 10 . QR5 oh. ,
P— KKt3 ; II. Q— K 5 , R— B sq. This
third m ove takes too m uch r isk for Black.
White. Black .
4. Q X P. Or Kt X P, Kt— KB3 ; 5 . Kt
QB3, B— Kz (B— Kt5° 6. B— K2 developsWhite’s
gam e) ° 6. B— Kz , Castles ; 7 . Castles, B— Qz ;
Black’s position is one of defence.
4 B— Q2
5 . B— K3 Kt— QB36. Q— Q2 Kt— B3
7 . Kt— B3 B— K z
8. Castles (Q) CastlesWhite m ay also play 3 . B— B4, B
— K z ; 4. P
Q4, P X P ; 5 . Kt X P, Kt— KB3° 6 Kt— QB3
(to stop . P— Q4) , Castles (if 6. Kt X Pthen 7 . B X P cb. , K X B ; 8. Q— R5 ch K— B
sq. 9. Kt X Kt, &c. ,with better developed gam e) .It is plain that Black’s KB has not m uch scope.
PONZIANI (STAUNTON’S) OPENING.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . Kt— KB3 Kt— QB3
The G r eco Coun ter Gam b it, form ed by2 P— KB4 ; 3 . B— B4 (better than P X P) ,P— Q3 ; 4. P— Q4, Kt— QB3 (or P X QP) is a
r isky Open ing for Black. IfWhite plays 3 . Kt X P,Black, by Q— B3 , leads into difficult and
com plicated play, favourable to a bold ingen iousplayer .
3 . P— B 3 . Open ing a line for the Q, but
blocking the natural outlet for QKt.
PONZIANI (STAUNTON’S) OPENING. 45
Black.
3 Kt— B3
4. P— Q4 Kt X KPIf P X P White by 5 . P— K5 harasses the
Kt ; and if P— Q3 ; then P— Q5 blocks inthe KB.
5 . P— Q5 Kt— Kt sq.
O r Kt— Kz ; 6. Kt X P, Kt— Kt3 ; 7. Kt XKt, RP X Kt, &c.
6. B— Q3 Kt— KB3
7 . Kt X P B— B4
Black m ay also, at m ove‘
3, play P— Q44. Q— R4 (thr eatens 5 . Kt X P) , P— B3 5 . B
Kt5 , KKt— K2 ; 6. P x P, Q x P ; 7. Castles.
B— Q2, &c.
NOTE I .
Pi nn in g K t (at KBS) w ith B .— This is seldom good,
just as a m ove to go on w ith, unless you are prepared to
m ake the ex change of B for Kt (for som e good reason ). If
hostile K has not castled, his KRP m ay dr ive ,ofi
'
the B,or
for ce an ex change, br inging hostile Q into action , or (byrecaptur e with KtP) giving open file for the KR (perhapsagainst your Castled K ) . But in diag ram we give a position
where White has castled and Black (as a result of pinn ing a
Kt) can break up the K’s protecting Ps and ex pose him
to losses. 1 Kt— Qs ; 2 . Q— K3, Kt X Kt ch
3 P X Kt, or w ill lose piece for nothin B— R6 ; 4.
R— K Kt— B5 5 . K— R sq. , Q —Kt4 R— KKt sq. ,
B— Kt7 ch. 7. R X B, Q X R m ate ; but vary the position
4. K— R sq. (giving up the ex change) is best ; thoughthis loss should be decisive. But the tex t-m ove is a naturalone for a beginner .
46 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS .
DIAGRAM 9.
Whi te.
by lacingWhite K at star ting at R sq. (in Diag . ) Black
could do im self no good by this cour se of action , fo r thenwe should get 4. R— KKt sq. (seizing the open fi le), and
White would have tim e to secure him self. Breaking open a
file (on your own or the enem y’s side) is no light m atter
see first whose forces ar e likely to m ake advantage out of it.
In diagram , White, with m ove, could play I. Q— K3 (to freethe KKt, if Black B does not take ; or to r etake with Q,
if he does) ; if r Kt— Qs; 2 . Kt X Kt, &c.
NOTE II.
The Move P— Ba— Young players often lose valuable
tim e at beginn ing of gam e by pushm g on each RP one squareto pr event any pinn ing of a Kt(B3) by hostile B at its Kts.If the player had two ex tra m oves for this pu perhaps
no harm m ight ar isebut, as things are , while e is m aking
these defensive moves, his opponent w ill be doing som ethingm ore im portant, sic. making two developing m oves. Do
THE KING’S GAMBITS. 47
not make this m ovedmfly to prevent the pinning . Let B
gin
.
Kt, and then (if necessary, or advisable) dr ive himesides, 1f
ion m ean to castle (or have done so ), the less the
P8 about e castled K ar e m oved, the better . There ism uch danger (after castling K side), your KR being at
KB sq. and KBP unm oved, in the hostile QB (sup orted,
gz by Q ), sacr ificing him self by 1 . B X RP, Kt X B ;Q X RP, w ith your K in a very unsafe state, with per
ling?ra hostile Kt r eady to join in fo r a m ate.
or Black, the m ove . . P— QR3 i s occasional ly adv is
able to pr event aWhite Kt from g ctting to QKt5 and attacking the QBP, perhaps in com bination w ith a second iece.
Of course . P.-QB3 would keep out the Kt, ut it
m ight not be advisable (or possible) to m ove this P. The
QBP (when its Q is away) is a weak spot in the position .
THE KING’
S GAMBITS.
This is the nam e given to a ser ies of Openingsform ed by White at his second m ove offer ing a
Pawn , to break open the KB file, hoping ther ebyto br ing a mass of force, quickly developed , to bearupon the Black King.
White.
1 . P— K42 . P — KB4
3 . Kt— KB3
Black need not main tain the P ; he m ight play3. Kt— KB3 ; 4. Kt— B3 (or 4. P— K5 ,Kt— R4 ; 5 . B— K z
, P— KKt4 ; 6. Kt X P, Q X
Kt ; 7. B t , Q t P ; 8. Q— B3, Q x Q ;9. B X Q. P— Q4, &c. ; or 3 . P— Q4 ;a R Q x E &e
4. B— B4 B— Kta
4s CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
This is Black’s sim plest defence — nam ed afier
Philidor .
5 . Castles6. P— Q4
And White does not easily r ecover his P, or obtainan attack to com pensate for its loss.Varying at Black
’
s four th m ove, we m ight get the
Mvzro GAMBIT,
in which White sacr ifices a piece for a quickerattack.
1 . P— K4 P— K42. P— KB4 P X P3 . Kt— KB3 P— KKt4
4. B— B4 P— Kt5
5 . Castles. White m ight also play P— Q4, orKt— B3 ; it is a struggle of position again st m a
ter ial ; and m ater ial should win , though a weakm ove or a slight loss of tim e would give Whitethe victory. White m ight tr y 5 . Kt— Kt sq. ,
keeping his piece, though losing tim e. Suppose5 . P— Q4, P X Kt ; 6. Castles, Black should play
P— Q4 (giving up Pawn for safety) ; 7 .
B X QP,B— KKt5 (thr eaten ing to win Q by
P— B7 8. P X P, B— R6, &c. ; not
P X P ; because of 7. B X P ch. , with a
winn ing attack through exposure of Black K.
Again , ther e is 5 . B X P oh. ,K X B ; 6. Kt— K 5
ch. ,K— K sq. 7 . Q X P, Kt— KB3 8. Q X BP,
P— Q3 Black should win .
so CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Black.
4. B— B4 P— Kt55 . Kt— K5 Q— R5 ch.
5 Kt— KR3 (defending KBP) wouldWhite get a good game by 6. Castles.
Black.
DraGu u 10.
After White's6th Move.
6 Kt— KR37 P— Q4 P— B6
8. B— B4. Better than P— KKt3, Q— R6 eh. ;K— Bz
, Q— Kt7 ch. Io . K— K3, P— KB4,&c.
8 P— Q39 . Kt— Q3 P X P ch.
IO . K X P Kt— QB3II. B— KKt3 Q—K Q
and Black has the best
SALVIO GAMBIT. 5 1
Varying at Black’
s sixth m ove, we m ay get
B (seeBlack.
P— B6
This is Cochrane’s coun ter -attack suppose7. Kt x P(B7) , Kt— KB3 ; 8. Kt x R, Kt x P ;9. Q— K sq. (forced, for if 9. P— KKt3, then
Q— R6 ch. ; 10 . K— K sq. , Q— Kt7 ; II.
R— B sq. , P— B7 ch. and m ate next m ove) , P X P
oh. ; IO . K X P, Q— R6 ch. ; II. K— Kt sq. , B
B4 ch. and what is White to do7 . P— Q4. If P X P, then Kt— KB3,
with f m any var iations. If 7 . B X P eh. , then— K 2 ; 8. P X P, P
— Q3 ; 9. B X Kt,R X B ; Io . Kt X P, B X Kt ; II. P X B, R X P ;I2 . P— Q3 , Q— R6 ch. I3. K— K sq. , R
— Kt7and will win .
7 P X P ch.
8. K X P Q— R6 ch.
9. K— Kt sq. Kt— KR3
Io . B— B4 If B X Kt, then B X B(thr eatens B— K6 m ate) .
P— Q3II. Kt— Q3 , and Black is still his P ahead,
without disadvantage.We m ay add (C) , see Diag. ,
6 Kt— QB37. B X P cb.,
K— Kz ; 8. Kt X Kt ch., QP X Kt ;9 . B— Kt3 , Kt
— KB3 ; Io. P— Q3, Kt— R4 ;II. Q— K sq. , P— Kt6 ; and Black is to bepr efer r ed (better developm ent) .This Gam bit is quite out of fashion ; though
I 2
51 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Stein itz, in his m atch ( 1866) v. Ander ssen , played it(as White) several tim es and with success.
KIESERITZKY GAMBIT.
Form ed by White, at m ove 4, pushing forwardhis KRP, bar r ing Black
’
s Q fr om her KR5 .
White. Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . P— KB4 P X P3 . Kt— KB3 P— KKt4
4. P— KR4 P— Kt5
5 . K's— KB B— Ktz
Paulsen ’
s defence, or rather coun ter -attack.
White should suppor t Kt by P— Q4. By way ofcaution , try 6. Kt X KtP, P— Q4 ; 7. P X P P, QK 2 ch. ; if White now stops the check by interposing Q or B be will lose his KKt if he m ovesK to B2, 8 B— Q5 ch. will expose him to ater r ible attack.
6. P— Q4 Kt— KB3
7. Kt— QB3 P— QSO r , 7 . B— B4, P
— Q4 8. P X P, Castles ; 9. Kt
QB3 , Kt— R4 Io . Kt— K z , P— QB4. White
‘l OW had better play II. P— B3 , P
— Kt4 1 2 . B XKtP, P X P.
8. Kt— Q3 Kt— R4
9. Kt x P Kt— Kt6
Io . R— R2 CastlesII. B— B4 Kt X P1 2 . Kt X Kt R— K sq.
I3 . K— Bz. No use to play B— Q3 , because
KIESERITZKY GAMBII‘. 53
of P— Q4 better to make way for the QRm m K Me
White. Black.
I3 R X KtI4. P— B3 Kt— Q z
and Black has the best of it White dares not play1 5 . Q X P, because of Kt— K4, winn ing theKB.
Another line Of defence is : 5 Kt— KB3 ;6. B— B4, P
— Q4 ; 7 . P X P, B— Ktz 8. B
Kt5 ch. (P— Q6 is m et by P X P ; and,after 9. Kt X BP, Black saves both his pieces by
Q— K 2 ch. , P— B3 9. P X P, Castles ;1 0 . P X P, B X P ; II. P— Q4 (to an ticipateQ— Q4) , B X P ; 1 2 . R— Kt sq. ,
P— B6 ; and
Black’s gam e is preferable. Black has othercour ses at his fifth m ove ; but those given are con
sidered the best. What is given is on ly by way ofspecim en .
In the var iation just given ,a beginner m ight
pr oceed, 6. Kt X KtP, Kt X P ; 7. P— Q3 , KtKt6 ; he m ight now wish to save his R but, if hedoes so
,it [a s been found in pr actice that he loses
the attack and gets a bad gam e ; so that it is heldbest for White to con tinue
,8. B X P, Kt X R ; be
now has two inter esting con tinuation s ; but theyboth fail ; (a) 9. B— Kt5 , B
— K 2 ; Io. Q— K2
(notice the thr eat, II. Kt— B6 ch. , I2 . B— R6
m ate ; so) P —KR4 II. Kt— B6 ch. , K
B sq. ; I2. Q— K 5 , Kt— B3 ; I3 . Kt X QP ch. ,
K— Kt sq. ; and the attack is spent ; (b) 9. Q
E .g'
. 8. R— Rz, B— Kz 9 . B X P, B X P Io . K— Qz,P— Q4 ; followed by Q— B3.
54 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
K2 ch Q— K2 (otherwise m ate, as shown above) ;10 . Kt— B6 ch. , K
— q . ; II. B X P ch. , K X B ;12 . Kt— Qs ch K— q . ; 13 . Kt X Q. B X Kt ;I4. Q— Kt4, P
— Q3 ; I5 . Q— KB4, R— Kt sq.
(now the Kt can be extr icated) ; and Black has
the best of it. White has gained the Q but it is
a case of buying gold too dear .
ALLGAIER GAMBIT.
This var ies from the pr eceding Gam bit atWhite’
s
fifth m ove. In the Allgaier , he sacr ifices his Kt todiSplace the hostile K and to secure an attack which,whether sound or not, it is in practice hard to repel .
White.
1 . P— K42. P— KB4
3 . Kt— KB3
4. P— KR4
6. Kt X BP
White has here thr ee continuations(4 ) 7. B— B4 ch P— Q4 ! ; 8. B X P ch., K
Kt2 °
9 . P— Q4, Kt— KB3 (or B— Q3)°
and
Black ought to win .
(13) 7 . Q X P, Kt— KB3 ; 8. Q X BP, B— Q3(to give room to K, and to release the KR) °
9. B— B4 ch. (if P— K5 , the B sim ply takes it ;and Q dar es not r etake, on account of
R— K K— Kta and Black has the best of it.(C) Thorold
’
s— the best— 7 P— Q4, P— Q48. B X P, Kt
— KB3 l (or 8 P X P ; 9 . B
B4 eh., K— Kta Io . B— K 5 ch., Kt
— KB3,
CUNNINGHAM GAMBIT. 55
9. B— K2 ! (or 9. Kt— B3, B— K z) , Kt— B3 ; Io.
Kt— B3, K— Ktz ; and the gam e is far from
decided. White’s chan ces r est on keeping the
attack m oving. He m ust pr ess on at all hazardsear ly castling, especially Q side, helps him m uch.
We give a specim en of the kind of gam e thatm ay occur in this fine Opening. The winner wasMr . E. Freeborough.
I. P— K4, P— K4 2 . P— KB4, P X P ; 3 . Kt
KB3, P— KKt4
°
4. P— KR4, P— Kts; 5 . Kt
Kt5 , P— KR3 ; 6. Kt X P, K X Kt ; 7 . P— Q4,
P— Q4 ; 8. B X P, P X P ° B— B4 ch. ,K— Ktz ;
Io . Kt— B3, Kt— KB3 II. Q— K z
,Kt— B3
1 2. Castles (Q), Kt X P ; 13 . Q— Bz , P— B4 ;
I4. B— K5 , B— K2 1 5 . Kt X P, Q— Kt3 ; I6.
Kt— Kt3, R— B sq. ; I7 . P— B3 , Kt
— K3 ; I8.
Kt— R5 ch. , K— Kt3 ; I9. B— Q3 ch., Kt— K5 ;2O . B X Kt eh. , K X Kt ; 2 1 . R— Q5 !, R X Q ;22 . B— B4 ch.,
Kt— Kt4 23 . P X Kt m ate.
CUNNINGHAM GAMBIT.
White. Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . P— KB4 P X P3 . Kt— KB3 B— K2
4. B— B4 B— R5 Ch.
5 . K— B sq. Better to let the B stay whereit is, and lose tim e in going elsewher e.
5 P— Q46 B X P Kt— KB3
7. Kt— B3 Castlesand White generally gets the best of it ;
B— Q3 l (to force an ex change) .
56 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
go on , 8. P -Q4, P— B3 ; 9. B— Kt3, B— Kt5
Io . QB X P, Kt— R4 and White, with II. QQ2, has the better gam e.
THREE PAWNs GAMBIT.
This branches 05 fr om the Cunn ingham Gam bit ;though it is not r eally sound, Black can easily go
I. P— K42 . P— KB4
3 . Kt— KB3
4. B— B4
5 . P— KKt3
6. Castles7. K— R sq.
enough for the tim e.
DIAGRAM I1.
After White’s7th Move.
Black .
P— K4P X PB— K2
B— R5 ch.
P x PP X P ch .
The K is
58'
CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Black.
1 . P— K4 P— K42 . P— KB4 P X P3 . B— B4 P— Q4
Consider ed best ; giving back the P, for quickerdevelopm ent.
4. B X P Q— R5 ch.
Or Kt- KB3 5 . Kt— QB3 , B— QKt56. Kt— B3, Castles ; 7. Castles, B X Kt ; 8. QPX B,P— B3 ; equal gam e ; but it m ust be allowed thatther e is not m uch Gam bit about it.
5 . K— B sq. P— KKt4
6. Kt— QB3 . Or play 6. Q— Bs. P— Bs ;
7. Q— B3, P— B3 8. P— Q4, Kt— Kz
the QB) .
7 P— Q48. Kt— KB3
I. P— K4 P— K4P- KB4 P X PB— B4 P— KB4
Q— K 2 Q— R5 chK— Q sq. P X PQ X P ch. B— K 2
P— Q4 Kt— KB3
In this var iation , Black would not do so wellby 7 . P— KKt4
° 8. Q— K5 , Kt— KB3°
9 . Kt— KB3 , Q— R4°
10 . Q X KtP, with a ratherbetter posi tion for the ending.
KING’S BISHOP’S GAMBIT. 59
White. Black.
8. Q X BP Practically forcing exchange of
Q3 ; for , if Q R4 eh.
°
9 . B— K z, Q
R4 (to sustain QEF) White, by 10 . B— Q2, gains
C .
In this, Black checks at fir st Oppor tun ity, aim ingto r etain the Gam bit Pawn .
I. P— K4 P— K42 . P— KB4 P X P3 . B— B4 Q— R5 ca
4. K— B sq. P— KKt4
4. B— B4 (thr eatens m ate) is wor se thanuseless, as White develops his gam e and gains tim eby 5 . P— Q4. Black m ust avoid 5 . Kt— KB3 ,
Q— Kt5 [Q 6. B X P ch. , K— Q sq. (if
K X B ; 7 . Kt— Ks ch. wins the Q) ;7. P— KR3 , Q— Kt6 ; 8. Kt— QB3, and 9 . Kt— K z
(catching Black Q) .
5 .5 Kt— QB3
6. P— Q4Not to obstruct KBP or KB, and to close the Kfile.
7 . P— KKt3 . O r Kt— B3 , Q— R4 ; 8. PKR4, P
— KR3 9 . K— Kt sq. , Q— Kt3, &c.
7 P X P8. K— Kt2 thr eatens P X P, winning Q.
8 P— Kt5
9 P X P Q— B3Io Q X P P— Q4
60 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
with well-developed gam e ; II P— Q4, beingm et by I2. Kt X P ; and II. byQ x B.
White. Black.
II. P— K5 B X Q1 2 . P X Q B X P13 . Kt x P Kt x KtI4. B X Kt P— B3I5 . B— B3 , saving the QP ; for if 1 5 .
B X B ; then I6. Kt X B.
KING’
S GAMBIT DECLINED.
Although it may be, in theory, better to acceptthe . Gam bit Pawn , yet, in practice, the defence isoften so difficult in the com plications that mayar ise, that m any player s prefer to decline it ; andthis may be done in several ways.
I. P— K4 P— K42 . P— KB4 B— B4
3 . Kt— KB3 P— Q34. P— B3 Kt— KB3
Or 4. B— B4, Kt— QB3 ; 5 . P— Q3 , B— KKt5 ;
6. P— QB3 (to keep out the Kt from his Q5 ) ,Kt— B3 7 . P— KR3, B X Kt 8. Q X B, &c.
KING’S GAMBIT DECLINED. 61
White.
1 . P— K42 . P— KB4
3 . Kt— KB3
5 . Kt
B3 , and Black loses tim e.
4. Kt X P B— K3
It would not do to play P— KB3 for then5 . Q— R5 ch., P— KKt3 ; 6. Kt X KtP, &c.
The text-m ove defends the KBP, and pr eventsB— B4
P X P i. p.
If he did not take it, his passed Pawn would bevery insecur e
B— B4
I. P— K4 P— K42 . P— KB4 P— Q4
P— Q3 is not equally good ; while2 P— KB4 ; 3 . Q— Rs eh. , P
— KKt3 ; 4.
Q— K2, is bad for Black ; nor does he get any
good from 2 Q— R5 oh. ; 3 . P— KKt3, QB3 ; 4. P X P, Q X P ; 5 . E— Kt2, &c.
Q— B3, is m et by 3. P— Q3
3 . P X QP
This is the Falkbeer Counter Gam bit ; Blackm ay play a m or e cautious gam e by Q X P ;4. Kt— QB3, Q— K3 5 . Kt— B3, P x P ch.
62 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
6. K— Bz (thr eatens B— Kt5 ch. , and R— K
B— K z, &c.
White.
4. P— Q35 . Kt— QB36. B— Q 2
7. B X B
Not Kt— KB3scatter ing the Pawns.
NOTE III.
Pinn ing I t (at KBS) w ith B (continuation ).The following im aginary l ittle gam e shows how Pawns maysom etim es be picked 11 through your opponent heedlessly
pinn ing a Kt : I. P 4, P— K4 ; 2. Kt— KB3, P
— Q3 ;3. B— B4, Kt— QB3 ; 4. P— Q3, QKt— K2 ?; 5 . Kt— QB3,B—Kts ; now White has two courses : (A) 6. Kt X P(threatens 7 . B X P m ate ; necessitating som ething like
B— K3, or . P— Q4 ; for . Kt— KR3 is m et
by 7 . B X Kt, (B ) 6. B X P ch. , K X B ;
7 . Kt— Kt5 eh. , K— K sq. 8. Q X B, gaining a Pawn , and
pr even ting Black’s castling . The latter way of gaining the
Pawn is the m ore usual, the position of Black’s QKt beingunusual . Com pare, for sam e reason , the following gam elost, in his ear ly days, by the gr eat Philidor (Legal le gi vinghim Odds of QR ) I. P— K4, P
— K4 ; 2. B— B4, P— Q3 ;
3 . Kt— KB3, P— KKt3 ; 4. Kt— QB3, B— KKt5?; 5 . KtX P,
B X Q (best is . P X Kt, losing a Pawn only) ; 6. B X Pch. , K— Kz ; 7 . Kt— Qsm ate. O r , at a later stage of the
gam e, try the follow ing , which occur red in the fifth gam e ofthe Tar rasch-Tchigor in m atch, 1893 (Dr . Tar rasch, White)1 . P— K4, P
— K4 ; 2 . Kt— KB3, Kt— QB3 ; 3. B— Kts,
P— QR3 4. B— R4, Kt— B3 5. Kt— B3, B— Kts
6. Kt— QS. B— R4 ; 7 . Castles, P— QKt4 ; 8. B— Kt3,P —Q3 ; 9 . P— Q3 , B— KKt5 ; Io . P— B3, Kt
— K2
White now played 1 1. Kt X KP, and Black had nothing
Black.
Q x PB— QKt5B X KtP— KB3
because of 8. B X
CASTLING. 3
Black.
DIAGRAM 12.
White .
better than P X Kt ; 12. Kt X Kt ch.,P X Kt ;
13 . Q X B, losing a Pawn ; for if It. . B X Q ; therewould follow 12 . Kt X Kt eh . , K
— B sq. (or A)° I3. Kt(Ks)
— Q7 ob., Q X Kt ; I4. Kt X Q ch.
s
q K_ .q 15 . R X
B, K t ; 16. B X P, &c. ; (A ) I .2 . P X Kt ; 13.
B X P ch. , K— B sq . ; I4. B— R6 m ate ; Ii . either
Kt X Kt, being of course m et by 12 . Kt X B.
NOTE IV.
ensuin g .— As a rule, the beginner had better castle
ear ly in the gam e, and prefer ably on K side. But if the
Queens have been ear ly ex changed, itwill scar cely be worth
while to spend tim e in castling ; the K would then generallybe safe enough, and have m ore chances of usefulness towards
the m iddle of the board. It Is very dangerous to castle on a
side where your Opponent has (or can get) an Open file for
his R or Rs ; or where he can br ing to bear at once upon
your K’s quar ters the com bined action of several of his
pieces ; or where he has Pawns considerably advanced.
64 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS
You may set too m uch sto re on preventing your opponen t
eastlin cg . I. P— K4, P— K4 ; 2. Kt— KB3, Kt
— QB33. B 4, Kt
— B3 ; 4 . Kt— B3, Kt X P (it is now best to
continue 5 . Kt X Kt, P— Q4 ; 6. B X P ; Q X B, &c. but,suppose), 5 . B X P ch., K X B ; 6. Kt X Kt, P— Q4 ;Black has sufl
'
ered no harm ; in fact, has the better gam e
Open lines for his Bishops, the KB file open for his KR, and
hIS K (if necessary) can get shelter (after KR has com e out)at KKt sq. White cannot follow up his attack— or rather ,the attack has died out, and Black is ahead in developm en t.
Of course, if you and your opponent castle on different sides,there m ay be a race who may get in first upon castled Kwith Pawhs-hur r ied on and helped by pieces.
VAR IO US O P EN INGS.
KING’S BISHOP’S OPENING.
This often tur ns, by slight transposition of
m oves, into a Giuoco Piano, or sim ilar , gam e but
it may keep a distinctive character .
I.White. Black.
I. P— K4 P— K42 . B— B4 B— B4
The Classical Defence. Black m ay also play2 . Kt— QB3 3 . Kt— QB3, Kt— B3 4.
P— Q3 , B— Kt5 , &c. If he plays 2 .
P— KB4 (known as the Calabr ese Coun ter
Gam bit) , White had better develop quietly by3 . P— Q3. For the “Ber lin Defence, see
No. III.
3 . Q— R5 . A favour ite m ove with beginners ;if Black thinks to defend the BP by Kt
66 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
B— B7 ch. 7 . K— Q sq. , B— QB4 8. R— B sq.
(to prevent Kt— B7 &c. The Black Bloses tim e.
6. Kt— KB3
7. P X P
fWhite wishes to castle (K), then 8. B— K3, Sec.
III.
known as the Ber lin Defence.3 . P— Q3 . O r 3. Q— K z, Kt— QB3 4. P
QB3 , B— B4 ; 5 . Kt —B3 , Castles, &c. O r 3 .
Kt— QB3, Kt X P ; 4. Kt X Kt, P— Q4 ; 5 . E x P,
Q X B ; 6. Kt— QB3 , Q— R4 ; 7 . P— Q3, &c. Or
3 . P— Q4, P X P ; 4. Q X P, leading into theCentr e Gam e.
3. B— B4
4. Kt— KB3. Allowing of castling, if Blackreplies Kt— Kt5 . 4. P— KB4 is dangerous,as it exposes the White K to sharp attack from Ktat Kt5 and Q at R5 .
4 P— Q3
And we have reached a Giuoco Piano gam e.
VIENNA OPENING.
VIENNA OPENING. 67
Black’s best reply ; after which it will not do
White any good to ofi'
er a Gambit ; but supposeBk
3. P— KB4
This is better than P X P (to which Whitewould answer 4. P— K though this wouldbe a good r eply if Black
’
s second m ove had beenKt— QB3 .
4. BP X P. Or KP X P, P X P ; 5 . Kt
KB3, Kt X P ; 6. Kt X Kt, Q X Kt.
4. Kt X P
5 . Q— B3. IfKt X Kt, P X Kt, theWhite Pswill be rather broken up (unless QP is kept for atim e unm oved) . Black was thr eatening QR5 ch. 6. P— KKt3, Kt X KtP ; 7 . Kt— B3 ,
Q— R4. White m ight also play 5 . Kt— B3, B
K 2 ; 6. P— Q4. P— QB4 ; 7 B— Qs. Kt— QBs ;8. Kt X Kt, P X Kt ; 9. B X P, Kt X QP.
6. P— Q3 Kt X Kt7. P X Kt P— Q5
To hinder White’s developm ent, as 8. P X P,Q X P would gain the White KP. White’spassed P is not dangerous, as it cannot be easilysuppor ted.
I. P— K42. Kt— QB3
68 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Black.
5 . KKt— K2. Not Kt X Kt, bringing BlackQ into good play.
This, beginning atWhite’s m ove 3, is Paulsen’
s
var iation ; it m ay, like other things, be m uchvar ied, ag . 3 B —B4 ; 4. B— Ktz , Castles ;5 . KKt— K 2, P
— Q3 ; 6. Castles, Kt— B3 , &c.
Other var iations may be sum m ed up thus(C) I. P— K4, P
— K4 ; 2 . Kt— QB3, Kt— KB3 ;3 . B— B4, Kt X P ; 4. Q— R5 (if Kt X Kt, then
P— Q4 r ecover s the piece) , Kt— Q3 (forced) ;5 . Q X KP ch. , Q— K z ; 6. Q X Q, B X Q ; playing without Queens.
(D) I. P— K4, P— K4 2. Kt— QB3 , B— B4 ;
3 . P— KB4, P— Q3 1; 4. Kt— B3, B
— KKt5 5 .
Kt— QR4, B— Kt3 ; 6. Kt x B, RP x Kt, &c.
(E) I. P— K4, P— K4 ; 2 . Kt— QB3, Kt
Q3 3 ; 3 . B— B4. Kt— Bs ; 4. P— Qs. B— Kts ;
5 . KKt— K2,P— Q4 ; 6. P X P, Kt X P, &c.
In this, if 3 . B— B4 ; White plays 4. QKt4 ; and Black has to defend his KKtP, not verycom for tably ; 4. Q— B3 being m et by 5 . Kt— Q 5 ; and 4. B— B sq. (or P— KKt3) ,by 5 . Q— Kt3 (avoiding loss from P— Q4).
(F) The Gambit form s of the Opening(a) I. P— K4, P
— K4 ; 2. Kt— QB3, Kt— QB33 . P— B4, P X P ; 4. Kt— KB3, P
— KKt4 ; 5 .
P— Q4 (making the Pier ce Gam bit) , P— Kt56. B— B4, P X Kt ; 7. Castles, P— Q4 ; 8. P X QP,
CENTRE COUNTER GAME. 69
B— Kt5 (thr eatens to win Q by advance of P,checking) °
9. R— K sq. ch. , KKt— K2 (to clearKKt file for R)
°
IO . Kt— K4 (thr eatens Kt— B6
m ate) , B— Kt2 °
II. P X P, Kt— R4 ; 1 2. B— B
sq. B— R4°
and Black should win .
(b) I. P— K4, P— K4 2 . Kt— QB3 ,Kt— QB3
3 . P— B4, P X P ° Kt— KB3 , P— KKt4
°
5 . P
KR4 (the Ham pe-Allgaier Gam bit), P— Kts6. Kt— Kt5 (or try Kt— KKt sq. &c m uch as
in the ordinary Allgaier , though the prelim inarym ove of White’s QKt is a little in his favour .
Black, of cour se, by playing 2 Kt— KB3,can avoid the per ils of this Gam bit— and they ar enot few.
(c) The Stein itz Gam bit : I. P— K4, P
K4°
2 . Kt— QB3 , Kt— QB3°
3 . P— B4, P X P ;4 P— Q4. Q— Rs eh 5 K— K Z. P
— Q4 ; 6P X P, Q— K 2 ch. K— Bz , Q— R5 eh. ; 8. P
KKt3, P X P eh.
°
9. K— Ktz,B— Q3 (thr eatens
. P X P, winn ing) ; 1 0 .— K sq. eh. , Kt
(B3) K2 ; II. P X P, Q
O
X QP ; 1 2 . Kt— B3 ,
Q— Kt3° with very uncer tain r esult.
CENTRE COUNTER GAME.
Black.
P— Q4
To anyunusual fir st m ove ofWhite’s, Black maysafely m ake this r eply. AS it stands, this Open ingis not consider ed favourable for Black, and is
seldom played.
2 . P X P Better than P— K5 , to which Blackanswers . P— QB4 (for estalling P— Q4). If
2. Kt—QB3, then . P— Qs.
70 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Black.
2 Q X PO r Kt— KB3 ; 3 . P— Q4 (better than to
defend the P by P— QB4) , Q X P, &c.
Q— Q sq.
O r Q— QR4 ; 4» P— Q4. P— QBs ; SKt— B3 , B
— B4.
4. P— Q4 P— QBsOpen ing another line for Q and guarding his
QKt4»
5 . Kt— B3 B— B46. B— Q3 B— Kt3
At Black’s four th m ove we m ight get 4.
Kt— KB3 ; 5 . B— K3 (if B— Q3, avoid 5 .
Q X P ; 6. B— QKts ch., winn ing Q) , B - B4
(Soon advancing Pawn to K3) . The loss of tim eby Black Q at beginning is the objection to thisOpening.
SICILIAN GAME.
This, again , is an Opening not mucn In favour ,though it has been occasionally used by suchem inent player s as Messr s. Lasker an d Janowski.Its popular ity m ay r evive.
I. P— K4 4
2 . Kt— KB3 3
3 . Kt— QB3. Or P— Q4, P X P ; 4. Kt X P,Kt— KB3 .
CENTRE GAME. 7:
White. Black.
6. B— K2 . Though P X P isolates Black’sQP, yet the harm so done to him is little or
nothing, and his KB is quickly brought into play.6. Kt QB3
Black m ay shape the Open ing on differ ent lines,thus : I. P— K4, P — QB4 2 . Kt— QB3, P
KKt3 3 . Kt— B3, B— Ktz 4. P— Q4, P X P ;
5 . Kt X P, Kt— QB3 ; 6. B— K3, Kt— B3
°
B— K 2, Castles ; 8. Q— Qz , P— Q3 . One Of
Black’s objects In this Opening IS to utilise the QBfile for his QR .
CENTRE GAME.
A lively Opening, leading to interesting play atan ear ly stage of gam e.
I. P— K42 . P— Q4
This is Black’s best Kt— QB3 is m et by3 . P— Q5, and Black loses tim e with Kt ;B— Q3 Is even wor se, m et in sam e way. If
P— Q4 ; we m ight get 3 . P X KP, P X P ; 4
Q X Q ch.,K X Q ; 5 . B— B4, K
— q . (notKt— KR3 ; else 6. B X Kt, P X B ; 7 . B X P
and would win) ; 6. Kt— QB3 , and White has
got ahead in his developm en t. Much thesam e, if 2 . P— Q3 ; 3 . P X P, &c. If 2 .
P.-KB3 ; 3 . P X P, P X P ?; 4. Q— R5
ch. , K— K z ; 5 . Q X KP eh.
,K— Bz
o
; 6. B
B4 oh. ,K— Kt3
°
7. Q— B5 , Fiii is l (or in this 4.
— KKt3 ; 5 . Q . ,X KP ch Q— Kz ; 6. Q X
R, Q X P ch. 7.
5K— Q sq., &c.) but Black need
72 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
not play 3 P X P Q -K2 is better(thr eaten ing, if 4. P X P, to reply Q X KPch then 4. Kt— KB3, P X P ; now con
trast the two arm ies ; White, with a Kt in field,Open lines for his Bs and Q ; while both Black Bsare blocked, his Q is badly placed Q— Kt5ch. would only develop White’s gam e by KtQB3 defending the KP) , and he cannot castleunder thr ee m oves ; White stands m uch better .
Black.
3 . Q X P If B— B4 (theGam bit) we m ay getplay like 3 B— B4 ; 4. B X P ch K X B ;
5 . Q— R5 ch P— KKt3 6. Q X B, &c. or 3 .
— Kt5 ch. ; 4. P— B3, P X P ; 5 . P X P,
Q— B3 (stopping 6. P X B) ; 6. Q— Kt3 , B— B4
7. Kt— B3 (stopping the thr eatened mate andpr epar ing to castle) ; and White
’
s better developm ent m ay com pensate for the m issing P. But a
beginner is on safer gr ound with the text-m ove
3 . Kt— QB3At once dr iving off the Q, and so far gain ing tim e.
4. Q— K3 . This prevents P— Q4 (forthen , 5 . P X P dis. or B— B4. 4. QQ sq. loses tim e
4. B— Kz
Or 4 Kt— B3 ; 5 . B- Q2 (forestallingKt— QKt5 , and prepar ing to castle (Q) , and gethis R on the open file), &c. 4 Kt— QKts isa pr em atur e attack ; 5 . B — Q3, Kt X B ; 6. Q XKt, &c. Black m ay also try 4. P— KKt3 ;5 . Kt— QB3 , B— Kt2 (well posted, ifWhite shouldcastle Q) ; 6. Kt— Q5, P
—Q3, &c.
74 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
generally turns out in White’s favour ; Black m ayplay 4. P— B7 ; 5 . Q X P, B— Kt5 eh., &c .
White. Black.
5 . Kt x P B— Kt56. KKt— K 2 . White m ight here pr even t
Black fr om castling by 6. B X P ch, K X B ;7. Q— Kt3 ch., P
— Q4 8. Q X B, Kt x P ; butBlack’s K would be quite safe, and his KR wouldcom e into good play at K sq. White could notrecover the P by 9. Kt X Kt, on account of
9. R— q .
°
Io. P— B3 , P X Kt ; II. P XP, Q— R5 eh.
, and 1 2. . Q X KP ; or som ething very sim ilar .
6. Castlesand Black keeps his Pawn to the good with a safeposition .
QUEEN’
S PAWN GAME.
The m ove I. P— Q4 is, theoretically, the safestand soundest first m ove ; the Pawn does not at
once r equir e defence, and the developm en t of theforces proceeds on cautious, m arked-out, lines.
But this Open ing is som ewhat m onotonous and
requires very gr eat car e. It is, in its var iousbranches, one of the m ost comm only played inim portant contests.
I. P— Q42 . P— K3
QUEEN’S PAWN GAME. 75
Each Side meaning to br ing out QKt aid Q2 ;and White intending to advance on K side
, ifBlack K should castle in that direction White’sQB being kept for defence atQ2. The subsequentplay needs m uch caution .
Black.
1 . P— Q4 P Q4
I. P— QB4, is best m etby 2. P— Q5 ; I.
P— Q3, by 2 . P— K4.
2 . P— K3
White m ight continue also in a way like this : 2.
Kt— KB3 , P— K3 ; 3 . P— KKt3, P— QB4 ; 4.
B— Kt2, P x P ; 5 . Q x P, Kt— QB3 ; 6. QQ sq. (not Q— B3, B— Kt5 I) , &c.
P— K3P— QB4Kt— QB3Kt— B3B— Q3CastlesBP X PP— QR3
A m ove like 9 Kt— QKt5 (attacking the B)would only lose tim e ; White would withdraw it toK 2 . An isolated P, in m iddle of board, goes forvery little in this sor t of Open ing ; it can begenerally exchanged, or sufficiently guarded, and
m eanwhile the Open lines are useful for the
Rooks.
76 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
Black.
I. P— Q4 P— KB4
Known as the Hollan di sh (or Stein’s) Gam e ;
a favour ite defence with Morphy ; but not con
sidered as good as P— Q4.2 . Kt— KB3. Staunton used to play 2 . P
K4, P X P ; 3 . Kt— QB3 , Kt— KB3 4. B— KKts,P— B3 ; 5 . B X Kt, KP X B 6 Kt X P, recovering Pawn . In this, if 4 P— Q4 (to holdPawn ), White plays 5 . B X Kt, KP X B ; 6. QR5 ch.,
P— KKt3 7 . Q X QP, with advantage.2 P— K3
3. P— K3 Kt— KB3
4. P— B4 B— K2
(Checking at Kt5 is useless.)5 . Kt— B3 P— QKt36. B— K2 B— Ktz
White will develop his QB at QKtz. Black’s Q issom ewhat obstructed— a cor ollary . of keeping theQP unm oved ; he should soon play P— QB4.
Gam es on such lines as those just given (whichm ay be infin itely and safely var ied in detail) arefar less com m on than those Opening with theQueen ’
s Gambit.
QUEEN’
S GAMBIT ACCEPTED.
1 . P— Q4 P— Q42 . P— QB4 P X P
It is safe to take the Pawn ; dangeroushold ii
QUEEN’S GAMBIT ACCEPTED. 77
Black.
3. P— K3 Suppose White her e plays 3. KtKB3 , P
— QB4 ; 4. P— K3, P X P ; 5 . B X P,Black m ust now answer by . .
°P —K3 for ii'
5 P X P ; 6. B X P ch. ,
o
wins the Queen .
If White were to play 3 . P— K4, he would getno par ticular advan tage from such a continuationas, 3 P— K4 ! 4. P X P (P— Q5 is m et by
. . P— KE4) , Q x Q ch. ; 5 . K x Q, Kt— Qz ;
6. P— B4, Kt— B4 ; 7. Kt— QB3 , P— QB3 ; 8.
B X P, P— QKt4 9. B— Kt3, P— Kt5 Io.
QKt— K 2, Kt X P, &c.
3. P— K4‘
This last m ove could have been prevented by3 . Kt— KB3 . Suppose 3. P— QKt4 (to holdthe Pawn) ; White proceeds 4. P— QR4, B— Qz
(best, if 4. P— QB3 ; then 5 . P X P, and
Black dares not retake, because of 6. Q— B3 ,winn ing a piece ; if 4. P— QR3 ; then5 . P X P win s a Pawn for White) ; 5 . P X P,B X P ; 6. P— QKt3, and will r eunite all his
Pawns, leaving Black with two isolated Pawns4. E X P. If P X P,
eh. , gets a tr ifling advantage.4 P X P5 . P X P Kt— KB36. Kt— KB3 B— Q37. Castles Castles
The B lackm ar Gam bit is not good for
White ; 1 . P— Q4, P—Q4 ; 2 . P— K4, P X P ;3. P— KB3, P X P 4. Kt X P, P— K3 5 . B— Q3 ,Kt— KB3 , &c. ; he does not get enough for them issing Pawn .
78 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
QUEEN’S GAMBIT DECLINED.
White. Black.
1 P— Q4 P— Q42 . P— QB4. If 2 . B —B4, Black may eIther
play P— QB4, and letWhite take QKt if hechooses ; or continue, 2. P— K3 ; 3. Kt
KB3, Kt— KB3 4. P
— K3, B— Q3 5 . B— Kt3 ,
Castles, &c.
2 . P— K3
If 2. Kt— KB3 ; White by 3. P X P, Q X P ;4.
.
Kt— QB3 (or 3 . Kt X P ; 4. P— K4) ;gains tim e.
3. Kt— QB3 Kt— KB3
4. P— K3 B— Kz
5 . Kt— KB3 Castles6. B— K 2 P— QKt37 . Castles B— Ktz
8. P— QKt3 QKt— Q2
In these QP Open ings, the KB is m ore defensiveat K 2
, m or e attacking at Q3 . White may br inghis QR soon to QB sq. (for the open file) and
som etim es then br ing his KB to QKt sq. , bear ingon the opponent’s K side (as a rule both partiescastle K side in this Open ing) .
1 . P— Q4 P— Q42 . P— QB4. 2. Kt— QB3 is not good ; in
this Open ing, the QBP should be advanced beforethe QKt is thus developed (for both sides) .
QUEEN’S GAMBIT DECLINED. 79
White. Black.
2. P— K3
3 . Kt— QB3 Kt— KB3
4. B— Kt5 B— K2
Suppose Black to play QKt— Q2 5 . P X P,P X P ; 6. Kt X P ? (P— K3 is the r ight m ove),Black by 6. Kt X Kt gains a piece— C on
tinned, 7 . B X Q, B— Kt5 ch. 8. Q— Qz (forced) ,B X Q Ch. ; 9. K X B, K X B.
5 . Kt— B3 Castles6. P— K3 P X P7 . B X P QKt— Q2
Or , going back to White’s four th m ove, try 4,
B— B4,’ P— QB4 5 . P— K3, P X QP ; 6. KP X
P, P X P ; 7. B X P, Kt— B3 . O r , in this, Blackm ay play 4. P— QR3 , or B— K 2
,or
B— Q3 ; or we m ight have X P ;5 . P— K4, &c.
The Open ings, beginning I. P— Q4, dem andgreat patience and judgm ent. They are r eallybest studied in r ecords of actual gam es by leadingplayers. The play, as a rule, is dir ected for a longtim e to secur e the better position of forces ratherthan gain of m ater ial ; the screen of Pawns preventing any im m ediate conflict .Som ewhat akin is the En gl ish Open ing, by
I. P— QB4 ; Black m ay answer I P— K4,
getting the Sicilian gam e a m ove behind ; or I.
P— KB4 (leading into the Hollandish Gam e);but usually he plays I. P— QB4, or I.
P— K3, leading, by slight transposition , into theQueen ’
s Gam bit ag .
Object, to forestall B— Q3 (bear ing on KRP,after White has castled) .
80 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS
Black.
1 . P— QB4 P— K32. Kt— QB3 Kt— KB3
3. Kt— B3 P— Q44. P— K3 P— QKt35 P
— Q4 B— Qs
What is known as Zuker tor t’
s Open ing, 1 .
Kt— KB3, runs in to the Queen’
s Gam bit Declined ;eg . I. P— Q4 ; 2 . P— Q4, P— K3 ; 3 . P
QB4, Kt— KB3 4. Kt— B3, P— B4 ; 5 . P
K3, B— Q3,.&c. ; or into som e other form of the
QP gam e.
BIRD’
s. OPENING.
This has much the sam e features (unless Blackoffers a Gam bit, as shown below) as the Queen
’
s
Pawn Gam e ; but is considered slightly infer ior tothe latter , owing to som e little difficulty in developing White
’
s Q side pieces.
I. P— KB4
2. P— K3
3 . Kt— KB34. P— QKts5 B
— Kt2
Or , as another specim en , 2 . Kt— KB3, P— KKt3
3 . P— K3, B— Ktz ; 4. P— Q4, P— QB4 ; 5 . P
B3, Kt— KB3 6. B— Q3 (if P X P, Black, byKt— K5 , r ecovers the P), QKt— Q 2 (to
defend the QBP) .But
. Black, by I P— K4, can begin a
counter -attack, F rom ’8 Gam bit, which, if White
accepts the challenge, generally tur ns out in Black’s
favour , through the exposure of White K ; egg . 2 .
82 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
3 P— Q4) ; 3 Kt— QBs.
,
P— K4 ; 4. P— Q3.,
Kt
B3, &c. The text-m ove Is the m ost developm g.
White. Black.
2 P— Q4NO harm in trying 2. P— Q3 only you willhave to trust to your own r esources.
3 . Kt— QB3 Kt— KB3
Dr 3 . 4. Kt X P,B— Q2 ; 5 . Kt
KB3 , B— B3 6. B— Q3, Kt— B3 , &c.
4. B— KKt5 B— K2
To forestall 5 . P— K 5 . Suppose Black played,
P— QB4 ; White would not gain the
Kt by 5 . P— K5 , for Black could play 5 PKR3 ; 6. B— R4, P
— KKt4 ; 7. B— Kt3 , KKt
m oves ; but this advan ce of Black’s K side PS
weakens his position .
5 . B X Kt6. P— K5
7 Q— Kt4
Safer than P— KKt3 .
8. B— Q3 P— KB4
9 . Q— R3 . FOI P X P i. p., R X P ; wouldfree Black’s pieces.
I. P— K42 . P— Q43 Kt— QBs
3 . B— K ts ; and afterwards B X Kt,would on ly helpWhite, by strengthen ing his cen treof PS and open ing avenues for his Q side pieces.
FRENCH GAME. 83
4. P— Ks
5 . P— B4
To br eak up the centr e of Pawns.6. P X P Kt— QB3
No hur ry to take the P, as it cannot be defended
7. Kt— B3 B X P
C .
An old and good way of continuing, isI. P— K4 P— K32 P— Q4 P— Q43 . P X P P X P
Better than Q X P, it fr ees the QB.
4. Kt— KB3 Kt— KB3
5 . B— Q3 B— K36. Castles B— Q37 . Kt— B3 Castles
The following shor t gam e should be car efullynoted : I. P— K4, P
— K3 2 . P— Q4, P— Q4 3 .
Kt— QB3, Kt— KB3 4. B— KKt5 , B— Kz ; 5 .
B X Kt,B X B ; 6. Kt— B3 , Castles ; 7. B— Q3 ,
Kt— B3 8. P— K5 , B— K 2 9. P— KR4, P
— B3IO . Kt— KKt5 , Black should now play P
B4, to shut out the KB, but suppose he gives wayto tem ptation , and plays P X Kt ; II. B X Poh .,K X B (if K— B2 ; 1 2 . Q —R5 oh. , and
m ate next m ove ; if . K— R sq. 1 2. Q— R5 ,and afterwards open check) 1 2 . P X P oh.,K— Kt
sq. ; I3. R— R8 K X R ; 14. Q— R5 eh.,
84 CHESS OPENINGS FOR BEGINNERS.
K— Kt sq. ; I5 . P— Kt6, R— K sq. ; I6. Q— R7eh., and I7. Q— R8mate.
FIANCHETTO OPENINGS.
Either fir st or second player m ay play these ;star ting with developing a B at
'
Kt2 (Fianchettoflank) probably better for White to adopt than forBlack, as the form er has, so to say, a m ove he cangive away.
I. P— QKtS2 . B— Kta
This m ove, generally bad, is here good enoughowing to White
’
s defensive attitude
3 . P— K3
4. Kt— K 2
5 . Kt— Kt36. P— QB4
I. P— K4 P— KKt3
O r 1 . P— QKt3 ; z . P— Q4. P— Kss 3B— Q3 , B— Ktz ; 4. B— K3 , Kt
— KB3 .
INDIAN DEFENCE. 85
INDIAN DEFENCE.
White. Black.
I. P— K4 P— Q32. P— Q4 Kt— KB3
3. B— Q3 Kt— B3
4. P— QB3 P— K4
5 . P— Q5 Kt— K2
P— KR3 Kt— Kt3
White, if he likes, m ay begin his gam e by such am ove as I. P— K3 , or I. P— Q3, getting var iety,if nothing m or e. Anderssen som etim es playedI. P— QR3, which is not entirely lost tim e. Whitem ay also play an inver ted defence ag . the Philidorwith a m ove ahead
,thus : I. P— K4, P
— K4 ; 2 .
P— Qs.P Q4 ; 3 . P x P, Q x P ; 4 Kt— QBs.BQKt5 5 . B
— Q2, B X Kt ; 6. B X B, Kt— QB3,&c.
In chess, it is not the greatest num ber of pieces,but the strongest position , that wins the gam e , ifyou can rapidly concentrate the powers of severalpieces to bear upon the adverse K, you will frequently force Checkm ate at the expense of a piece,while the opposing arm y are from som e cause or
other bar s da combat. Napoleon , in Italy, was thebeau d eal of a Chess-player . (For rapid developm ent, study Morphy
’
s gam es.)A tim e i s lost In one of four different ways
( I) Playing a piece which can be (advantageously)dr iven away by a Pawn ; (2) Attacking a m an , anddr iving him to theverysquar e to whichyour opponen tin tended to play him ; (3) Giving a useless check ;(4) Making an injudicious exchange, by which youbring an adver se piece into good play. (WALKER. )
INDEX TO OPENINGS.
Ala In s Opening , 34.Allg
’aier Gam bit, 54.
Bird’s Opening, 80.
Blackmar Gam bit, 77.Bod
6en-Kieser itzky Gam bit,
3Cagabrese Counter Gam bit,
4.
Centre Counter Gam e, 69.
Centre Gam e, 7ICunningham Gambit, 55 .
Dam iano Gam bit, 9 .
Danish Gam bit, 73.English Gam e, 79 .
Evans Gam bit, I7 .
Fa
6
1kbeer Counter Gam bit,I
Fianchetto Openingsngs, 84.
Four Knights’ Gam e, 42French Gam e, 81 .
From ’s Gam bit, 80 .
Giuoco Piano, II.
Greco Counter Gam bit, 44,Hampe
-Allgaier Gam bit, 69 .
Hollandish Gam e, 76.
Hungar ian Gam e, I3Indian Defence, 85 .
Italian Gam e, II.
Jer om e Gam bit, I3.
Kieser itzky Gambit, 52 . Zukertor t’
s Opening, 80 .
King ’s Bishop’s Gam bit, 57.
LONDON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
King ’s Gam bits, 47.
King’s Gam bit Declined ,60
King ’
s Bishop’s Gam e, 64.
Lopez Gam bIt, 65 .
Max Lange Attack, I5 .Muzio Gam bit, 48.
Petrofl’s Defence, 34.
Pierce Gam bit, 68.
Ponziani Gam e, 44 .
Que6en
’s Gam bit Accepted ,
7Ques
en’s Gambit Declined ,
7
Q . P. Counter Gam bit, 43 .
Queen’s Pawn Gam e, 74.
Russian Gam e, 34.
R111 LOPez Opening. 37Salvio Gam bit, 49.
Scotch Gam e, 27.
Sicilian Gam e, 70 .
Spanish Gam e, 37 .
Staunton’s Open ing, 44.
Steinitz Gambit, 69.
Thr ee Knights’ Gam e, 42 .
Thr ee Pawns Gam bit, 56.
Two Knights’ Defence, 3 1
EXTRACT FROM
The Rev ised Pr ice List of Chess Mater ials ,
BRITISH COMPANY, BTROUO (OLOSJ.
1111111311 muss conm r s
SCORESHEETSFORRECORDINGGAMESneatly lithographed in French Grey on good
paper . The var ieties are intended to m eet the requir em en tsof wr iters for the press, for m atches, pri vate play, and co r
respondence gam es.
No. l .— Large size, pr inted one side of paper only, wi thDiagram . 100, 2/ nett.
1000, with nam e of club, 20/ nett.
1000, with nam e of club, 18/ nett.
No. 3 .—Printed both sides. Diagram .
100, nett.
1000, with nam e of club, 16/
No. 4.— Pr inted bozh sides.
100, 1/ nett.
1000, with nam e of club, 12/
No. 5 .-Pr inted one side. Suitable fo r Press Work.
100, nett.
SCORE SHEETS FOR
CORRESPONDENCE GAMES.
No. II.— For Cor r espondence Gam es.
Demy 4to . , good paper . Cols. for date of eachm ove White and Black. Diagrams at side for
position at every tenth m ove.
Packet of 24, pr ice
No. 12 .— For Cor r espondence Gam es.
Dem y 8vo . Two pages pr inted both sides. Good
paper . Cols. for date of each m ove—White andBlack. Packet of 24, pr ice l /
EXTRACT PROM
The Rev ised Pr ice List of Chess Mater ials ,BRITISH OH! 88 COMPANY, 8TIIOUD
Rubber HandStampsfor ChessClubs.
CHESS CLUB.
Pr ice 3 nett.
ADDRESS, three lines, in Germ an tex t, italics, or
fancy type, for stamping Post Cards, &c.
Pr ice 8 nett.
SMALL OVAL STAMP, 15 in. by 2 in . , name of
club in border , with black and white Kings, Queens, orKnights in centre, sim ilar to those in chess diagr am s.
For stamping Club Books, Score Sheets, &c.
Pr ice 5 nett.
OVAL STAMP, I} in . by I} in . , garter border , nam eand address of club, centr e chess Knight. For stam pingClub Books, Score Sheets, Post Cards, &c.
Pr ice 6/LARGE HANDSOME STAMP, 2} in . by r& in .,
oval gar ter border with nam e and address of club, surm ounted by crown , having in centr e Chess Knight.For stamping Club Books, Score Sheets, Post Cards,&c. , &c.
BOXES to hold Rubber Hand Stam ps ,
lnking Pad, and Ink, from each.
EXTRACT FROM
The Rev ised Pr ice List of Chess Mater ia ls ,
BRIT/8” CHI588 COAIPAIIY, STROUO
SLIDE LID BOX
CHESSBOARDSWITH PEGGED MEN,
FOR CORRESPONDENCE PLAY.
EacA Board stamped 7 7k B ri nk/1 Ch m Co.
We have designed this series especial ly to m eet ther equi r em ents of Cor r espondence Playe r s.
Each Board is a shallow , lished Mahogany Box (notfolding) , having a sl ide lid w
°
eh, when closed, retm en in any posit
ion even if the Board is reversed. Thesquares are Inlaid holly and rosewood, with holes, sur
r ounded by a broad satin-wood m argin, with holes for thecaptured m en. The m en are pegged.
As Cor respondence Players frequently engage in several
gam es sim ultaneously, the Boards will be stam ped w ith thenum bers I, 2, 3, 4, etc. , if r equir ed, without ex tra charge.
[We have recently published som e Score Sheets for Correspondence Play, w ith colum ns for dates of dispatch andreceipt ; m oves, diag ram s, etc. See our Pr ice List of
Modern Chess Works and Chess Stationery. ]
These Boards will be useful also to Problem ists andStudents.
MODERNCHESSPRIMER.
By the Rev. E. E. CUNNINGTON, HA .
1»Few Boards, u . 6d. Clot/l , (Pocket Hoyle Sm'
a ).
SECOND EDITlON.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
“The ehapter on‘Chess Tra and Stra
fifem s
’is quite a treasure of
sensationa’y—s
L iter m y or ld.
“Hither to too m uch has heen taken for ted. The tyro has been toldtlm t cer tain moves in cer tain posuions ar e tfe best, “ has been left to findout for himself, if he can , why cer tain other moves which look equally good
are not so in r eality. Above all, little or no attempt has been made to erectwar n ing posts over the traps and pitfitlis that lie a the m ore fr e.
greater!Iaths of the gam e. These are defects that e Moder n Chess
°
m er oes m uch to rem ove. The chapter on Traps and Stratagem salone would be sufficient justification for the appearance of the volume the
on ly cr iticism we have to m ake on this section being that it is all too shor t.Another innovation , much to be com mended. is a ser ies of easy checkmatesin two or three m oves. Altogether , we do not r em ember any chess ub
lication of recent issue that better deser ve success, or appears m or e like y to
A Pocket Encyclope dia of leam m g'
connected with this ancient intellectual game.
”—s$t. yaw s’s Gau n t .
Hr . Cunnington’s hints are pithy and adm irable.
”
The com piler has selected and ar r anged his mater ial in such a manneras to conduct the onward by gentle gradations till he is into grasp the general of the m ous opet
arngg and to dew lop
fiat insight into end-gam es andproblem s. nththis ground-work, all thatneeds is capacity and practice to make a rapid advance as a player .
Mor ning Post.
Mr . Cunnington is not con tent to teach the novice the mere rudimentsof the game, but gives him a num ber of careful
lyannotated ex amples of
skilful play, showing him the why and the where or e of the var ious m oves.
In addi tion to teaching him how to avoid m istakes,he gives him a host of
clever tips,’which, cardhlly studied will enable him to cope successfully
with players of far greater ex per ience. —St. Paul's.
“We are often asked theflota tion ,
‘Which is the best chess book for
beginner s l’ We shall able in future to unhesitatingly recomm end
the‘Moder n Chess Pr imer .
’ —L! eds Mm .
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE SONS, L'
r n . Bao qnwav, lm mon, E C.
C HESS.
By “OFFER, Chess Editor of “ The Field.”
THISStandardWork, first published in 1891, gi
compass a clear and lucid ex planation of the essentials of
the Gam e, and the Pr inciples on which sound play is
diy an elem entary work, it covers a very w ide
and any reader who has mastered its teachings
id 9. solid foundation for success as a Chess player .
5 17uopsis of Gon ten ts .
THE BOARD AND MEN.—Chess Notation—The Movem ents of the
and their power to take—Technical Term s—Value of the Pieces—The la ws of the Gam e.
THE OPENINGS—Giuoco Piano—Evans Gambit, a ted and declined— I-Iungar ian Defence—Two Knights DefencF Ruy pea
—Philidor ’sDefence Three Kn ights Game Four Knights Game ViennaOpen in teinitz Gambit— Scatch Game and Gambit—Danish andCentr e bits—Eng lish Knights
’Open ing—Petro fi
’s Defence.
OTHER GAMBITS. Kin’s Knight
’s Muzio Salvio Kiss er itzky
Allgaier—Cunningham ishop's Gam bit.
CLOSE GAMES— French Defence— Sicilian Defence—Queen ’s Gambit
English Opening— The Fianchettos.THE END GAME —King and Pawn against King — The Value of the
Opposition— King and Queen against King Two Rooks and King
against Kink- King and Rock against King
— King and Two Bishopsa st King
— King, Bisho and Kn'
ht against King—End Gam eth Two Knights— King , oo and awn against King and Rook
Queen against One Pawn— Useful Positions- Sm other ed Mate .
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS— BIBLIOGRAPHY or Cuass.
Opin ions of the Q r ess .
A useful and ex ceeding ly practical work, of great ser vice to u s.
because it confines itself to actual lines of play rather than te andeccentr ic var iations. The eriitin is quite a m odel of accuracy, and the
positions of the End Gam es ar e c osen with ex cellent yud t. The typeand pr inting are alike adm irable. and both a t thor and pu lishess are to be
complim ented on the production of such a good piece of workmanship.
”
One of the best elem entary books in the English language. If thestudent W i ll wor k through the General Pr inci es, the Open ings. and theE3“! Games, he w
illt
ilt?“ attained a thorou
figllii
s
owled‘g:
of thehma
l
ndwt r utre ver y t m ore than just a hm
'
g tou to e l »
chess-p yer .”—Ckm Mosul] .
UNIFORI WITH TEE IODERN CHESS PRIMER.
“
In Fang Boards, 1s. 6d. Clo“, as.
THE GAMES OFGREGGTranslated and Edited by Professor HOFFMANN,
Editor of the Book of Ca r d and Table Gam es,Hoy le
’s Gam es Modem ise etc.
GIOACHINO GRECO, of Calabr ia,has been well
descr ibed as the Morphy of the Seventeenth CenturyHis literary r em ains consist but of a single volum e,Tr ail! da tr ls noble f en do: E sellers ,
” but in thatsingle volum e are contained gam es which for or iginalityand br illiancy have never been surpassed.
Quotations fr om Greco’s Gam es ” abound in chess
tr eatises, but the work itself has for m or e than half a
century been inaccessible to Br itish r eader s, the latest
English version having been published in 1819, and not
r epr inted since 1833.
Professor Hofl'
m ann’s is an entir ely new translation .
The gam es ar e r ecorded in m oder n notation , ar rangedin the m ost conven ient form , with copious notes, and
illustr ated by num er ous diagr am s.
No lover of the Royal Gam e can fail to appreciatethis fascinating book.
Tire most en ter tain ing , if not the most instructive, qf all
cites: — The late W. LEWIS.
M at r acy mor sels Gr eco’s Games ar e The late
S S BODEN.
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE SONS, Lrur r an, Baoanwav, Lon E.C.
HOYLE’
S
GAMESMO DERNIZED.
EDITED BY
PROFESSOR HOFFMANN.
446 pp., zam o. With num er ous diagram s. i n fancy boards,
13 . 6d. Cloth, at .
This handy little vo lum e is an abr idgm en t
from the larger work, THE BOOK OF CARD
AND TABLE GAMES, which was w r itten by
ex perts in the var ious subjects treated of, under
the Editorship of Professor Hoffm ann . It con
tains, in a sm all com pass, all essential particular s of the Gam es fo llow ing , w ith valuable hints
as to how to play them .
SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.
All Four s Baccar at Bezique Blind HockeyCr ibbage
— Ecar t! — Euchre Loo—Napoleon PiquetPoker— Pope Joan— Solo Whist— Vingt Uh—WhistBr idge Backgam m on Bagatelle— Billiards —ChessDraughts
— Pool— Snooker Pool— Roulette.
BORGE ROUTLEDGE SONS, LIMITED, BROADWALONDON, E.C .