Created: December 13, 2014Updated: January 13, 2015The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, Algebraic EditionReuben Fine1989New York: Random House, Inc.----------Fine, Reuben. 1989. The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, Algebraic Edition. New York: Random House, Inc.----------(p. 1) An apt illustration occurs indeviations from "book". A gamebegins with 1 e4 f6. The reply isbad, so bad in fact that it willnot be found in any collection ofstandard opening moves. What todo about it? The man who hasmemorized oodles and oodles ofmoves without understandingthem is at a loss; he will not evenbe able to give a good reason whythe move is bad. But the man whoknows that Black has neglectedthe centre, deprived his KN of itsbest square, and weakened hisKing position will find it a simplematter to refute his opponent'sfaulty play.(p. 2) As yet, however, nobody hasfound a method of determiningvalues which is superior to that ofgood master practice. That is, bysticking to well-established rulesand principles we get to a positionwhere there are pros and cons forboth sides. In that event a gamebetween two experts is the mostimportant clue that we can possi-bly have. This is one of the chiefreasons for quoting games. Weshall return to this question a littlelater but suffice it to say for thetime being that in many examples"theory" is nothing but "goodpractice".(p. 4) It will sometimes be observedthat the ideas which are said to beat the basis of certain openings areeither avoided or entirely absentin practice. That is because ideasare not dictatorial laws but coun-selling guides. Strategy, the bodyof ideas, holds only as a frame-work. Tactics, the individual vari-ations, is what goes into this frame-work, which is why the result oftenvaries so widely from the originalconception. Frequently a linewhich carries out the basic ideaand is therefore strategicallysound must be rejected becausethere is a tactical refutation: it justwon't work. Proper timing comesin here. Further, in most openingsthere are several ideas for eachside, not all of which may berealized in a single game.(p. 7) From the above it is clear thatthere are two types of defencewhich Black may adopt in hissearch for equality. The first isthe strong point method, where heretains a Pawn at e5 come whatmay. The second is the counter-attack, where he relinquishes hise-pawn but compels White to giveup his e-pawn as well, or to weakenhis position otherwise. (It is worthnoting that the executiion of thisplay does not involve hitting atthe e-pawn on every move; it is theset-up as a whole that counts.) This analysis holds good ifWhite continues "theoretically" or"according to Hoyle". Against lessregular lines Black can and shoulddo what his opponent hasneglected: advance ... d5 andsecure the favourable pawn skel-eton (1) for himself. In fact, it maybe adopted as a good working rulethat once Black succeeds in playing... d5 without any immediate harm-ful consequences he has equalized. These preliminaries should beborne in mind in the course ofwhat follows. Centre Game: 1 e4 e5 2 d4This represents the most directapplication of our theories, forBlack is forced to make animmediate decision. It will not doto defend the Pawn by 2 ... d6because he then obstructs his KBand permits 3 Nf3 with transpos-ition to other openings (e.g. Phili-dor's Defence) which are favour-able for White. But Black cancapture, in which event Whitemust recapture with the queen orplay a gambit. The gambit will beconsidered separately. The trouble with this openingis, of course, the early developmentof White's queen and it is notsurprising that Black has twoexcellent lines to choose from. After 2 ... exd4 3 Qxd4 Nc64 Qe3 Nf6 5 Nc3 (2) Black hasthe choice of two continuations,both direct applications of ourbasic rule. He can either play foran early exchange of the White e-pawn by 5 ... Be7 and 6 ...d5 followed by castling on thequeenside, or he can bring press-ure to bear on the White e-pawn(p. 8)by ... Bb4, ... O-O, ... Re8, etc.In both lines all moves are quitenormal. The first runs as follows: 5 ...Be7 6 Bd2 d5 7 exd5 Nxd5 8Nxd5 Qxd5; 9 Ne2 (White mustnot castle because his a-pawn isundefended), Bg4 10 Nf4 Qd711 f3 O-O-O! [sic] 12 O-O-O Bf5 andBlack's development is freer. The second is equally effective:5 ... Bb4 6 Bd2 O-O 7 O-O-O Re88 Bc4 d6 9 Nf3 Be6! 10 Bxe6Rxe6 11 Nfg5 (note the constantpressure on the White e-pawnwhich compels White to adoptradical measures), Re8 again witha healthier formation for Black. Attempts to improve on Whi-te's play have been uniformlyunsuccessful. Consequently theopening cannot be consideredadequate for White. It is well,however, to master its variationsbecause it is a clear and uncompli-cated illustration of our funda-mental principles. Scotch Game1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4Again a perfectly logical idea, forthe strong point method (3 ... d6)is once more inapplicable. Un-fortunately, as in the previous casein the counter-attack against theWhite e-pawn is quite effective. The first and most obviouscounter-attack begins with 3 ...exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6. Then the nor-mal line would run 5 Nc3 Bb46 Nxc6 bxc6 7 Bd3 d5 8 exd5cxd5 9 O-O, O-O 10 Bg5 c6 11 Qf3Be7 12 Rae1 Rb8 13 Nd1Re8 14 h3 Be6 (3). The position reached is approxi-mately even: White has somewhatmore freedom for all his pieces, whichis counter-balanced by Black'sstronger centre pawn. Conse-(p. 9)quently this is one of those caseswhere both sides have searchedfor improvements: White tostrengthen his bind, Black to easethe defence.(p. 16) Ruy Lopez:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5Since White's only trump is theinitiative or the extra move, he isthe first who can attack anything.Consequently, to force the gameinto favorable channels he mustuse threats. 2 Nf3 fits in, becauseit menaces the e-pawn. And 3 Bb5is the most logical continuationbecause it attacks the defender ofthe e-pawn and thus continues theseries of threats. It is no surprisethat of all the openings in thischapter the Ruy Lopez is hardestfor Black to meet, and understand-ably the one encountered most often.6r2q1rk1/pppbbppp/2np1n2/8/3NP3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQRBK1 b - - 2 9Ideal position for White in theRuy Lopez One reason why the Ruy Lopezis so strong is that the most naturalsequence of moves leads to anideal position for White. Thus: 3... d6 4 d4 Bd7 5 Nc3 Nf6 6O-O Be7 7 Re1 exd4 (forced) 8Nxd4 O-O 9 Bf1! (6) White has(p. 17)the better pawn centre and Black'sposition is badly cramped. It took a while for expertsto appreciate the strength of thisand similar lines. The two mainolder defences--which are nowthe buffalo of the e-pawn open-ings--dominated the stage rightup to the twenties, but then gradu-ally disappeared. If he does not choose themodern waiting move, 3 ... a6,Black must adopt one of the usualtwo defensive systems: strongpoint or counter-attack. It shouldbe noted that the only alternativewhich does not yield White amarked advantage is 3 ... Bc5the Classical Defence, but thatit is inadequate because White secures stronger centre pawns atan early stage. The strong point line is theSteinitz Defence, 3 ... d6. Onlythe opening defeats its purposebecause Black cannot avoid theexchange ... exd4 (as he can inother lines). As a result he mustsubmit to an inferiority in thecentre which, if coupled with acramped position, will spell hisdownfall sooner or later. His onlyhope then is a series of exhanges.For, as we know, thevaue of thesuperior centre pawn is that itkeeps the opponent's position con-gested. With many pieces on theboard, Black's game is bound tobe cramped because he disposesof less terrain, but once a numberhave gone into the woodpile Blackhas more room and the enemycentre pawn has lost most of itsstrength. This theoretical discussionexplains virtually everything in theSteinitz. White's first task is tocompel ... exd4 (which is doneeasily enough). Then he avoidsexchanges and seeks to build upan attack. Black on the other handmust exchange as much as possiblein order to free himself. If success-ful, he has excellent drawing chances, but the fight is alwaysuphill. The whole defence, inciden-tally, is a classic illustration ofthe fundamental principle that acramped position is freed byexchanges, but exploited by anattack. The first main line runs 3 ... d64 d4 Bd7 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 O-O Be7Re1. So far, so good: everythinghas been normal development forboth sides. But now Black disco-vers that he cannot castle becauseof the trap: 7 ... O-O? 8. Bxc6Bxc6 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 Qxd8Raxd8 11 Nxe5 Bxe4 12 Nxe4Nxe4 13 Nd3 d5 14 f3 Bc5+15 Nxc5 Nxc5 16 Bg5 Rd5 17Be7 Rf7 18 c4 and winds. So 7 ... exd4 (instead of 7 ...O-O) is forced. Now we find astriking illustration of the princi-(p. 18)ple enunciated above: the morepieces exchanged, the betterBlack's game becomes. Thuswhere three pieces go from eachcamp, White's advantage is sosmall that Black can draw withoutmuch trouble: 7 ... exd4 8 Nxd4Nxd4 9 Qxd4 Bxb5! 10 Nxb5a6! 11 Nc3 O-O 12 Bg5 Nd7etc. With fewer exchanges, Whitesecures a slight, but unmistakablesuperiority. Still, if this were the best thatWhite could do, the defence wouldbe sufficient for a draw with exactplay. This fact led to a search forimprovements for White, and theywere found. First of all, Whitereasons that since he cannot avoidall exchanges, he had better con-centrate on finding the one whichwill be most effective. This turnsout to be Bxc6 at an early stage:3 ... d6, 4 d4 Bd7 5 Nc3 Nf6 6Bxc6! (the point to the immediatecapture is that White reserves thepossibility of castling on thequeenside, which is of great valuein some lines) 6 ... Bxc6 (forced)7 Qd3! Now the Black e-pawn isattacked, and after the normal 7... exd4 10 O-O-O! O-O 11 f4 White hasa powerful attack (the attack isthe way to exploit a congestedposition). Perhaps the decisive reason whythis defence has gone out offashion is not so much that Blackmust lose by force (such a claimwould be exaggerated), but thatthe best he can possibly do, andthat only in a few cases, is drawafter a long uphill fight.-----MY NOTES The above moves as PGN:{Chess.com won't accept Fine's notation since it lacks periods after the move numbers.}1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 {Ruy Lopez} d6 4 d4 Bd7 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 O-O Be7 7 Re1 exd4 8 Nxd4 O-O 9 Bf1!{Periods must be inserted as follows:}1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {Ruy Lopez} d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 exd4 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. Bf1!-----(p. 30) Four Knight's Game:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6In this relatively tame openingWhite departs from his usualattempt to get the better of it withan early d4 and relies solely on hisextra move. Because of the paucityof direct threats Black can contenthimself with copying hisopponent's moves and is thereforefaced by no difficult problems atan early stage. Later on, however,he must watch his step because hecannot continue aping the otherfellow indefinitely. He can also, ifhe so desires, try a most promisingattack of his own (RubinsteinDefence). White must threaten somethingearly, for otherwise Black will be(p. 31)able to counter with ... d5 ordevelop all his pieces without anytrouble. So 4 Bb5. Now the ques-tion for Black all along is: Whenshall I break the symmetry? After4 ... Bb4 5 O-O O-O 6 d3 d6 7Bg5 Bg4? 8 Nd5 leads to a wongame for White. so Black mustvary earlier. Experience has shown that the sixth or seventh move isbest (unless he plays theRubinstein Line), so 7 ... Bxc3above (instead of 7 ... Bg4?) 8bxc3 (11). Examination of the diag-rammed position reveals severalfeatures which must be taken intoconsideration in deciding upon thecontinuation. White has the inferior pawnposition, but the two bishops andsomewhat more freedom for hispieces. Thus he wants an opengame and a mobile pawn centre.Black with his N prefers a closedposition where he will be able tosecure impregnable posts for hishorsemen (especially c5). A lockedcentre is better for him. Further,he notes that White will soon tryd4. To close the centre he will thenhave to hammer away with ... c5(compare Ruy Lopez variations)so that he must get his QN out ofthe way. One obvious idea is to shift theN to g6, via e7, but this is refutedafter 8 ... Ne7 by 9 Nh4! Ng610 Nxg6 hxg6 11 f4 and Whitehas an overwhelming position. An ideal move for Black inDiagram 11 is 8 ... Qe7, whichstrengthens the centre and clearsthe way for a regrouping of thepieces. Then a normal line whereboth sides are partially satisfied is9 Re1 Nd8 10 d4 Ne6 11 Bc1c5! 12 g3 Nc7 13 Bf1 Bg4 14h3 Bh5 15 Bg2 Rad8 16 d5Qd7 with about even chances.Note here that White delayed clos-ing the centre as long as feasible,but that he could not delay itindefinitely. Black can simplify his problemby compelling the early exchangeof the White KB by 9 ... a6(instead of 9 ... Nd8): 10 Bc4Na5 11 Nd2 h6! (he must becareful nnot to let the pin becometoo dangerous), etc. Again, sinceknights are better than bishops inclosed pawn positions, Black mayreason that he should exchange(p. 32)his QB for the white KN with ...Bg4 but his game remains toocramped: 8 ... h6 9 h4 Bg4 (9... g5 is refuted by the usual Nxg5)10 h3 Bxf3 11 Qxf3 g5 12 Bg3Nd7 13 d4 f6 14 Qg4 Kh815 h4 and White's game remainsfreer: he can build up a strongattack on the h-file. A noteworthy improvement forWhite in the main line is 9 Qd2(instead of 9 Re1), so that if then9 ... Nd8 10 d4 Ne6? wouldlose the e-pawn without adequatecompensation. However, Blackcan then lift the pin by ... a6,... Na5 and ... Qe6 after theexchange of the enemy KB. It is a natural impulse for Blackto try to force the normal ...d5 in view of White's seeminglypassive play. But there is a tacticalrefutation: 4 Bb5 Bb4 5 O-O 6d3 Bxc3 7 bxc3 d5? 8 exd5 Qxd59 Bc4 Qa5 10 Rb1 a6 11 Re1and Black's position is badly dis-organized. Of the other deviations forBlack at an earlier stage (againexcepting the Rubinstein Defence)7 ... Ne7 in the main line (insteadof 7 ... Bxc3) is most important.Black's idea is to bolster the centerwith ... Ng6 ... c6 and ... d5,eventually releasing the pin by ...Qd6. The weakening of the Blackking position by 8 Bxf6 gxf6 9Nh4 and 10 f4 is hard to exploit:there is enough compensation forthe defender in his strong centre;the open g-file may even workout to his advantage. Blac must,however, avoid allowing his QBto be shut in without securingcounterplay in return. Instead of8 Bxf6, a natural reply is 8 Nh4(to play f4) 8 ... c6 9 Bc4. Now9 ... d5 10 Bb3 Qd6 11 h3 h612 Bxf6 Qxf6 13 Qh5! leavesBlack's centre pawns weak (thismotif of allowing an advance ofpawns in the centre and then ham-mering away at them occurschiefly in d-pawn openings, butalso in e-pawn games on occasion).A better reply for Black is 9 ...Ng6 (instead of 9 ... d5) and ifthen 10 Nxg6 hxg6 11 f4 Bc5+12 Kh1 Be6! and the exchangesfree Black's game satisfactorily. The symmetrical line whereWhite tries 7 Ne2 (instead of7 Bg5) offers fewer difficultiesbecause Black can keep on copy-ing longer: 7 ... Ne7 8 c3 Ba5 9Ng3 c6 10 Ba4 Ng6 11 d4 andnow 11 ... d5 liquidates the centreproblem. Black must be careful not toallow a favourable transpositioninto the Ruy Lopez. E.g., on 5 ...d6 (instead of 5 ... O-O) 6 Nd5!Bc5 7 d4! exd4 8 Nxd4 is a linesimilar to the Classical Defence tothe Ruy Lopez. The same holdsfor 4 ... Bc5 5 O-O d6 6 d4. It(p. 33)must not be supposed that becauseWhite does not play d4 immedi-ately he will never do so when anopportunity arises. While White does not secureany noticeable advantage in theabove variations, he none the lessretains the initiative. Conse-quently the Four Knights' wouldundoubtedly be more popularwere it not for the speculative butpromising: Rubinstein Defence: 4 Bb5Nd4 The thought underlying thisgambit is that Black can secureadequate counterplay by develop-ing and hitting at the White centre.Despite a great deal of analysis, thesacrifice is still considered sound.The strategic ideas, as in mostgambits, are of minor importance:tactics predominates [sic]. First of all we have the mostobvious line 5 Nxe5. Then it hasbeen found that Black can equalizewith 5 ... Qe7, for if 6 f4 Nxb57 Nxb5 d6 8 Nf3 Qxe4+ 9 Kf2 Ng4+ 10 Kg3 g6: theexposure of the White king willsoon lead to an incurable lungdisease. Here White pursues theplan of gaining material, while theBlack attack is too strong: thebest that White can do is contenthimself with an even game. Since the direct acceptance fails,the indirect alternatives must beconsidered. For Black cannotmerely offer the pawn for onemove and then call it quits: hisobject is to secure a good game,and he must not rest before thatis done. The chief advantage of theN sortie in that connection is thatit leaves the way open for thedevelopment of the Black KB. (Itwill be recalled that this is a greatproblem in many variations of theRuy Lopez.) Thus after either 5Ba4, or 5 Bc4 (in reply to 4 ...Nd4) 5 Bc4 (in replay to 4 ...Nd4) 5 [sic; should have "..."?] Bc5 must be tried.. After5 Ba4, Black profits from thefact that the White diagonal f1-h5cannot be held by the bishop, sothat if he can secure the pin ...Bg4 he will have a good bind.Thus 5 Ba4 Bc5 6 Nxe5 O-O! Ifnow 7 Nf3 d5 8 d3 Bg4 White'sgame is far from easy. Likewise onthe normal 7 O-O d6 or even 7 ...d5; the point is that White mustnot be allowed to develop properly8 Nd3 (forced, since 8 Nf3? Bg4is disastrous) 8 ... Bb6! 9 Kh1!Ng4 10 Nd5 Qh4 11 h3 f5Black's attack is very hard to meet.On other replies Black likewisegets enough play for the pawn byspeedy and pointed development. Similarly on 5 Bc4 Bc5! canbe and should be ventured. Then6 Nxe5 Qe7! (now 6 ... O-Ois not good because the criticaldiagonal can be held by thebishop: 7 O-O d6 8 Nf3 Bg4 9Be2! etc.) and again the normal(p. 34)7 Nf3 d5! 8 Bxd5 Bg4 9 d3 c610 Bb3 Nd7! takes advantage ofthe weak diagonal. White may wish to exploit theN thrust by concentrating onquick development himself, butthis leads to nothing becauseBlack's position is too solid. E.g.,on 5 O-O Nxb5 6 Nxb5 c6 7 Nc3d6 8 d4 Qc7 or 5 Be2 Nxf3+6 Bxf3 Bc5 7 O-O O-O 8 d3 d6 9Be3 Re8 Black has little to fear.The point is that the exchangefree his game to such an extentthat even if White gets a slightlystronger pawn centre it will be oflittle avail because there is too littleto constrict in the Black camp. White may if he so desires trans-pose into the Scotch Game or theGiuoco Piano on his fourth move.On untheoretical lines, the usualrejoinder of ... d5 guaranteesequality. E.g., 4 g3 d5 5 exd5Nxd5 6 Bb2 Nxc3 7 bxc3 Bd6etc. It should be noted that whenWhite is anxious to draw no wea-pon is more effective against aplayer of equal strength. Againstcomplicated lines he can alwayssimplify by exchanges. Three Knights' Game:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 or1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3This is really a generic name tocover all the replies at Black'sdisposal other than the regular 3... Nf6. The most usual line in the firstbranch is 3 ... Bb4 which has theadvantage of avoiding the mainlines of the Four Knights', a con-sideration which is chiefly ofpsychological value. Since Black's B is exposed, themost natural reply is 4 Nd5, tocontinue with c3 and d4. But Blackcan counter with an immediatethreat to White's centre, so thatWhite's plan cannot be realized: 4... Nf6! Then after the normalcontinuation 4 Bc4 O-O (comparethe Rubinstein Defence to theFour Knights') 6 c3 Be7 Whitehas no time to build up a strongcentre because of his exposed e-pawn. E.g., if 7 Nxf6+ Bxf6 8d4? exd4 9 cxd4 Re8 10 e5 d6 etc.with an excellent position. Thus 8d3 (instead of 8 d4) is necessary,when 8 ... d6 9 O-O O-O and ...Be6 equalizes. Note that d4 mayalso be answered by ... exd4 fol-lowed by ... Bg4. More promising for White--ifBlack persists in avoiding the FourKnights'--is 4 Bb5, so that on 4... Nge7 (of course 4 ... Nf6) ispossible); 5 d4! exd4 6 Nxd4 giveshim the better centre position.(p. 35) Philidor's Defence:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6This is the strong point defencereduced to its essentials. It has theoutstanding merit of that type ofgame--solidity--and it has itsoutstanding demerit--lack of mobility. Black must be on his guardagainst a number of traps, allbased on the weakness of f7 andhis cramped king position. On thenormal course 3 d4 Bg4? e.g.,leads to the loss of a pawn after 4dxe5 Bxf3 5 Qxf3 dxe5 6 Bc4Nf6 7 Qb3 etc. Likewise on 3 d4Nd7 4 Bc4 Be7 5 dxe5 dxe5 6Qd5 is immediately disastrous. But the defender can avoid allthe traps and secure a tenablethough passive position with 3 d4Nd7 4 Bc4 c6 5 Nc3 Be7 6O-O Ngf6 7 a4 O-O 8 Qe2 h6 9Bb3 Qc7 10 h3 Kh7 11 Be3g6 12 Rad1. The two prophylactic moves 7a4 and 10 h3 have to be stressedbecause they illustrate the all-important principle that bydepriving the enemy of counter-play, a cramped but sound pos-ition such as Black's here has allthe life taken out of it and isreduced to pure passivity. Black may follow one of twolines to get some counterplay: afterdue preparation ... exd4 andpressure on the White e-pawn, ormanoeuvre his N to f4. White canproceed by opening some lines(especially from f4) and securingan attack. All told, such positionsoffer the defender little promiseagainst a person equipped withmodern technique. One of the chief merits of thedefence is that it is rather difficultfor White to form a good planright after the opening in view ofBlack's lack of obvious weak-nesses. One worthwhile idea is thefianchetto of the QB, in orderto hammer away at the d-pawn.Another, as mentioned, is playingf4 early. The abandonment of the centrewith 3 ... exd4 is sometimes seen,but nevertheless bad, since Blackgets nothing in return. White canrecapture with either N or Qand secures an ideal development. Finally, it should be noted that(p. 36)if White does not harass the Blackcentre with 3 d4, the second playercan secure good counter-chanceswith the natural 3 ... f5. On 3 d4,however, 3 ... f5? is shown to bepremature by 4 Nc3! Nf6 5 dxe5Nxe4 6 Nxe4 fxe4 7 Ng5 d5 8e6 Bc5 9 Nxe4! Petroff's Defence:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6Here we have the counter-attackin its most elemental form. Againthe usual advantages and disad-vantages appear: Black developsquickly, but at the cost of a ratherloose position. Omitting transpositions intoother openings (e.g., 3 Nc3 Nc6or 3 Nc3 Bb4), there are onlytwo possibilities for White if he isto try to secure and advantage: 3Nxe5 and 3 d4, both designed togain the upper hand in the centreimmediately. After 3 Nxe5 Nxe4? costsBlack a pawn because of 4 Qe2Qe7 5 Qxe4 d6 6 d4. Instead,the normal sequence is 3 Nxe5d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 d5, whenfurther play revolves around theposition of the Black N at e4.White undermines its position byBd3 c4 and Re1, and eventuallyNc3. Black, on the other hand,maintains the strongly centralizedhorseman until he has no furtherchoice in the matter. The naturalcontinuation is 6 Bd3 Bd6 7O-O O-O 8 Nc3 (or 8 c4) 8 ... Nxc39 bxc3 Bg4 10 Rb1 b6 11 c4with about even prospects. Blackcan also vary with 6 ... Be7(instead of 6 ... Bd6) in order tohave the d-pawn defended. Witha simple line such as c4, Re1,Nc3 eventually Ne5, Whiteretains control of slightly moreterrain. The alternative 5 Qe2 onWhite's 5th move is designed toexploit the extra move in anendgame. So slight a superiority,however, is too little to win againstmodern technique. A typical lineis 5 Qe2 Qe7 6 Bd3 Nf6 7 Bg5Qxe2+ 8 Bxe2 Be7 9 Nc3Bd7 10 O-O-O h6! 11 Bh4 Nc6etc. The alternative 3 d4 is based onthe idea of exploiting the undefen-ded Black centre. Thus on 3 ...exd4 4 e5 Ne4 5 Qxd4 Blackapparently has to lose more time.Still, 5 ... d5! is an adequate replybecause the White queen is tooexposed. Black secures a rathercramped position, but since he hasno organic weaknesses his gameis not too bad. Greco Counter Gambit:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5This counter-attack is much moreviolent than any of the others and(p. 37)consequently more easily refuted.Black hopes to be able to secureplay on the open f-file an a strongpawn centre, but if the latter isprevented his game is badly disor-ganized. Thus the best is 3 Nxe5Qf6! 4 d4! d6 5 Nc4! (5 Nf3 fxe46 Ng5 d5 7 c4! is also good) 5 ...fxe4 6 Nc3 Qg6 7 Bf4! Nf6 8Ne3! Be7 9 Bc4 c6 10 d5! andWhite has much the better of it.Note that White's strategyrevolved around the prevention of... d5. Queen's Pawn Counter-Gambit1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d5Just as violent as the preceding,but even more unsound. After 3exd5 Qxd5 4 Nc3 Qe6 5 Bb5+Black is too badly developed,while the sacrifice 3 exd5 e4 4 Qe2Qe7 5 Nd4 is not sufficient. This and the Greco are anotherillustration of the principle that itis far more dangerous for Black toexperiment in the openings thanit is for White. Ponziani's Opening:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc3 3 c3With his last move White envi-sages setting up a strong pawncentre. Yet the obvious disadvan-tages of the move cannot be con-jured away: the QN is deprived ofits most natural square and thereis nothing to prevent a counter-action by Black in the centre. This counter-action can takeone of three forms: 3 ... d5 3 ...f5 or 3 ... Nf6. On 3 ... d5 4 Qa4 the pawnsacrifice for the sake of speedydevelopment yields Black enough:4 ... Nf6 5 Nxe5 Bd6! 6 Nxc6bxc6 7 d3 O-O; 8 Bg5 h6 9 Bxf6Qxf6 10 Nd2 Rb8! etc. 4 ...Bd7 is also playable, but 4 ... f65 Bb5 Ne7 6 exd5 Qxd5 7 d4!is inferior because White has allthe initiative. 3 ... f5 is far more speculative(as is to be expected, since itexposes the king). After 4 d4 dxe4 5Nxe5 Qf6 is the most promising.Finally, 3 ... Nf6 is excellent iffollowed by the normal break 4d4 d5! With the centre liquidatedWhite has nothing to show for hisefforts. Bishop's Opening:1 e4 e5 2 Bc4Except for the Centre Game, thisis the first line discussed so farwhere White does not attack thecentre immediately with 2 Nf3.White's thought is that he willbe able to war off any Blackcounter-attacks and then hit at thecentre with f4. He may also havea chance to transpose into one ofa number of other openings.(p. 38) It goes almost without sayingthat Black should react at onceagainst the White centre. Mosteffective is 2 ... Nf6, although 2... c6, and the neutral 2 ... Bc5are also adequate.(p. 45)King's Gambit DeclinedThe most important branch hereis the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit,2 ... d5, which is designed to turnthe tables and secure an attack forBlack at the expense of a pawn. Opinions of the Falkbeer havevaried widely. At one time it wasclaimed that it was a completerefutation of the entire gambit.Spielmann, who had securedrenown as the greatest livingexpert on gambits, was so impres-sed by it that he wrote an article"From the Sickbed of the King'sGambit". While the first extravag-ant claims had to be abandoned,it retained its force. It remainedfor some profound masters of the(p. 46)present generation--Stoltz, Miln-er-Barry, above all Keres--to con-firm the old adage that Black canill afford to undertake a counter-attack involving a sacrifice at anearly stage. And once more Whi-te's play is based on a familiarprinciple--concentrate on speedydevelopment rather than retentionof the extra material. After the normal 3 exd5 (3dxe5?? Qh4+ 4 g3 Qxe4+ is a typical trap) 3 ... e4! the strengthof Black's game rests entirely onhis pawn at e4. Consequently 4 d3(after 3 exd4 e4) is natural. Nowwe find much the same situationas in the regular gambits, exceptthat the colours are reversed. IfBlack recaptures his material, hedrifts into a positionally inferiorgame. E.g., 4 ... Qxd5 5 Qe2Nf6 6 Nc3 Bb4 7 Bd2 Bxc38 Bxc3 Bg4 9 dxe4 Qxe4 10Qxe4 Nxe4 11 Bxg7 etc. SoBlack must play a true gambitwith 4 ... Nf6. Again the analogyholds: if White tries to hang on tohis material, he will only have equality at best, but if he disre-gards material and concentrateson getting his pieces out quickly,he will get the better of it. Theideal realization of this plan is 5Nd2! (Keres' move), when 5 ... e36 Nc4 Nxd5 7 Nxe3 Nxf4 8 g3Ng6 9 Bg2 Bd6 10 Nf3, etc.leaves White with a clear superior-ity in the centre. The strength of5 Nd2 lies chiefly in the fact thatthe N cannot be pinned, so thatBlack is compelled to abandon hisstrong centre pawn without beingable to post a piece there inexchange. The other main line of the Gam-bit Declined is 2 ... Bc5 madepossible by the fact that the tempt-ing 3 fxe5 allows the devastatingcheck 3 ... Qh4+.(p. 52)(French Defence) I. 3 exd5 (The Exchange Vari-ation) is rarely adopted if Whitehopes to secure an advantage. Thereason is clear enough: after 3 exd5exd5 the positions are perfectlysymmetrical when all that Whitecan rely on is his extra move. Notetoo that Black's QB is no longera problem and that since there isno superior White pawn in thecentre, the necessity for ... c5 byBlack has been removed. Straightdevelopment equalizes. Frequently the Exchange Vari-ation is played by White in orderto force to draw. In that event,Black, if he so chooses, can wellafford to play for a win by break-ing the symmetry. E.g., 4 Nf3Bd6 5 Bd3 Nc6! 6 c3 Nge7 7O-O Bg4 8 Re1 Qd7 9 Bg5 f6etc. with attacking prospects (10Bh4 h5) 11 Nbd2 g5 13 Bg3Bxg3 14 hxg3 O-O-O). II. 3. Nc3 is the most obviousway to maintain the tension. Now it is up to Black to choose themould into which the game is tobe poured. He can either simplify,or counter-attack, or maintain thetension as well.(p. 60) Caro-Kann Defence:1 e4 c6This defence is motivated by a desire to secure the good featuresof the French (prevention of anyattack on f7) and to avoid the badones (cramped game, especially(p. 61)due to the fact that the QB is shutin). However, it is subject to the theoretical disadvantage of sup-porting a centre pawn (d5) notwith another centre pawn (a inthe French) but with a side pawn.It thus becomes easier for White to get the upper hand in the centre.On the whole, it is safer than theFrench, but offers fewer opportun-ities for counterplay. After the normal 2 d4 d5 Whitehas four distinct motifs, the elabor-ation of which vary a good dealfrom their analogues in theFrench. They are: maintaining thetension, attack, simplification, andsetting up the cramping Pawnchain.(p. 64)(Caro-Kann) III. 3 exd5 cxd5 4 Bd3 is themore quiet simplification line,much less promising than II. Afterthe normal 4 ... Nc6 5 c3 thepawn structure is that shown inDiagram 15D. Here White'ssource of strength is his control ofe5 which should be occupied with(p. 65)a N at an early stage. If Bf4followed by pouring his piecesinto the kingside is then possible,White will secure a strong attack.But he has no long-term prospects;in the ending he is inferior. Blackhas the famous pawn minorityon the queenside, which may beexploited by advancing the b-pawn to b5, thus creating weak-nesses in the White camp (see page82). He may defend himself againstthe White attack either by a fian-chetto or by manoeuvring toexchange the White KB, thoughthe kingside fianchetto is morelasting. Thus on 5 ... Nf6 6 Bf4 g67 Nf3 e6 8 Qb3! Qc8 9 Nbd2Be7 10 O-O O-O 11 h3 Bf5 12Rae1 Bg6 13 Bxg6 hxg6 14Ne5 White has the better of it.This variation is even stronger ifBlack plays ... e6 without develop-ing his B first.(p. 66) Sicilian Defence:1 e4 c5 Like the Caro-Kann, the Sicil-ian begins by breaking the sym-metry. But unlike that defence, itdoes not do so merely to hold thecentre, but to institute a counter-attack on the queen's wing. Forthat reason the outstanding charac-teristic of the Sicilian Defence isthat it is a fighting game. Bothplayers must necessarily seek theirobjectives on different sides, whichcan lead to deliciously compli-cated and exciting variations. Because the Sicilian is more ofa unit than most other defences itis possible and worth while tolay down a number of generalprinciples which will be found tobe valid in a large majority ofcases. White almost invariably comesout of the opening with more ter-rain. Theory tells us that in suchcases he must attack. He does so,normally, by g4 followed by a general advance g5, f5, and eventu-ally f6. In some cases he may castlelong (in that event he must weightthe counterplay which Black canundertake). One of White's majorpositional objectives is the preven-tion of ... d5.(p. 77) Attempts at refutation otherthan those mentioned above aremere stabs in the dark, thoughthey may be successful onoccasion. One instance is 2 Nc3(after 1 ef Nf6, when 2 ... d5 3exd5 Nxd5 4 Bc4 Nb6, whileperfectly correct theoretically,may get Black into difficulties. 2... e5 is wholly satisfactory. There are few plausible alternatives forBlack, which is why the defence isseen less often today. One vari-(p. 78)ation that is interesting is the fian-chetto defence continuing the ideaof a counterattack against White'scentre pawns, e.g., 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 g6 5 Bc4Nb6 6 Bb3 Bg7 7 Nbd2 O-O 8h3 a5! 9 a4 dxe5 10 dxe5 Na611 O-O Nc5 12 Qe2 Qe8, withcontinued pressure against theartificially isolated a-pawn. Center Counter Game:1 e4 d5Black's basic idea here is unusual:he wishes to get freedom for hispieces at the cost of a theoreticallyinferior pawn structure and (on oc-casion) loss of time, in the hopethat good development will makeit possible to get adequate com-pensation, either in the form of a counter-attack or of a neutraliz-ation of White's powerful centrepawn. There is, however, only oneline where compensation is theor-etically sufficient and even thereBlack's game is extremelycramped. The defence cannot berecommended. White's only reply is the obvious2 exd5. Then there are two mainlines, depending on whether Blackrecaptures at once or waits a move.(p. 164)6 Reti and English Openings Reti Opening:1 Nf5 d5The Reti Opening is the quintess-ence of hypermodernism. It wasmost popular when the brilliantbut erratic masters of that schoolwere on top. Since then (about1930) it has declined somewhat,though it still remains one of themost important openings. It is frequently said that White'sleading idea in the Reti Openingis control rather than occupationof the centre. To a certain limitedextent that is true, for Whitedevelops his bishops by fianchettoand does not (normally) advancea centre pawn for six or sevenmoves. And yet the statement is a deceptive over-simplification. Inreality the basic idea is to occupythe centre at a time when it isdirectly favourable for White.White's goal is, as ever, a strongcentre, but he goes about itindirectly. If Black is not aware ofwhat his opponent is driving at,he will assuredly fall into a subtlepositional trap; if he is, he shouldhave no trouble. One of the major weaponswhich White uses is that of allow-ing his opponent to occupy thecentre with his pawns and then,when Black is exposed, to strikeat those pawns and create irreme-diable weaknesses (mainly "holes").Again the defender must be carefulnot to be taken off guard. Essenti-ally the idea is the same as thatin Alekhine's Defence or somebranches of the Indian; the onlydifference is that this time Whiteis playing a come-hither-my-darl-ing-and-let-me-snare-you gamewith Black, instead of the reverse.It is no accident that many masterswho are addicted to such defencesfor Black also like Reti's for White.(p. 165)(p. 165) After 1 Nf3, there is only oneimportant independent replay, 1 ...d5. Now d4 is good, of course, butthe Reti continuation is 2 c4. There are four possible repliesfor Black, each based on differentideas. Objectively, there is little tochoose among these lines, thougheach has special advantages anddrawbacks. They are:(p. 171) English Opening:1 c4The English is in many respectssimilar to Reti's. Both are open-ings which derive their strengthlargely from transposition possi-bilities. Both involve complicatedpositional motifs where know-ledge and good judgement areequally essential. Both appeal toplayers who like to leave the(p. 172)beaten track. From a theoretical point ofview, it is quite easy to see whatthe analogy is due to. In both,White does not occupy the centre,but hits at it from the side. Conse-quently Black will place his pawnsin the centre, which will, in manycases, lead to familiar openingswith colours reversed. The English may lead into anumber of familiar openingsdirectly, as, e.g., with 1 c4 Nf6 2d4; here we shall only considerthose lines which distinctivelybelong to this opening. As in Reti's opening, the naturalreplay for Black is to place a pawnin the centre with 1 ... e5. Thenwe have a Sicilian Defence withcolours reversed and with a movein hand. This extra move createsthree important differences fromthe regular Sicilian. The first isthat while ... d4 is normally agreat problem there, here it can beplayed whenever White wishes to doso. The second is the significantfeature that White can build uphis counterplay on the QB filemore quickly in the present case.The third is that ... d5 by Black(analogue of the strongest forWhite) is by no means simple.These three differences, in additionto the normal characteristics of the Sicilian, determine the furthercourse of play.