Opening Theory

Opening Theory Sort: Most Recent‎ Using Bent Larsen's Wisdom To Crush In The Opening GM Gserper | Feb 2, 2026 GM Bent Larsen was not only one of the best players in the world, but also a great thinker and writer. A book of his selected 50 games is one of the most original chess books I've ever read. It is not just a collection of Larsen's unusual openings... Why You Should Study Short Games GM Gserper | Oct 30, 2025 One of my first chess books had a very interesting feature: Every three to four chapters, it would present about a dozen short games. Initially, I just enjoyed playing through them, but as I started participating in tournaments, the thought of tra... The 1st Chess Opening Traps Of Famous Grandmasters NM CoachJKane | Sep 25, 2025 Most chess players have a favorite opening trap, a trick they use to win many quick games. At the highest level, these tricks have to be quite sophisticated to catch experienced opponents, but when you're new to chess, many opening traps can rake ... How To Build Your Perfect Opening Repertoire With Black GM GMNeiksans | May 20, 2025 In my previous article, I discussed how to build a strong opening repertoire with the white pieces. Now, we will figure out the even harder challenge of getting a good game as Black. What To Play Against 1.e4 What To Play Against 1.d4 Wha... How To Build Your Perfect Opening Repertoire With White GM GMNeiksans | May 13, 2025 Greetings, chess fans! You might remember that in late December I published a study plan for advanced players. I gave a brief overview of what type of openings you should look for and where to look for reliable sources. Now, I'll attempt to expand... The Most Dangerous Gambit GM Gserper | May 7, 2025 There are many gambit lines known in chess. Some of them are very sharp and dangerous, others are more positional and not even real gambits, like the Queen's Gambit. Today, I want to discuss one of the most dangerous gambits in chess, which you pr... Chess Openings In The Engine Era NM CoachJKane | Apr 2, 2025 Former world champion GM Magnus Carlsen recently lamented that it's "kind of sad to see how far you have to go to get a game, that you cannot really play the best lines anymore." Chess engines have demonstrated that all mainstream openings, and ev... Another Killer Opening Trap GM Gserper | Feb 26, 2025 Last year, I shared a powerful opening trap, and judging by the comments, you, my dear readers, liked it. Since I got numerous requests for more traps like this, I will share another one, which is even more powerful than the previous one... The Killer Trap GM Gserper | Aug 5, 2024 Pictures taken at chess tournaments can tell fascinating stories. Just look at the faces of the players and spectators, and you'll see the whole gamut of human emotions. The Washington Chess Federation has recently posted a brilliant photo on its&... There's No Such Thing As A Boring Chess Opening NM CoachJKane | Jun 11, 2024 "I captured on d5. I was terribly ashamed, and from the time I swore: to play for a draw, at any rate with White, is to some degree a crime against chess." - GM Mikhail Tal on the Exchange Variation of the French Defense. Mikhail Tal on a less... The Unexpected Danger Of "Beginner" Moves GM Gserper | Apr 4, 2024 Last month marked 88th birthday of GM Eduard Gufeld, who was born March 19, 1936 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Even though he died over 20 years ago in 2002, he is well-remembered for his entertaining style of play and strong sense of humor. Among many pictur... 10 Opening Traps That Actually Work PedroPinhata | Aug 25, 2023 It was on July 17, 2019, that I lost all faith in humanity. That was my first loss to the shameful Englund Gambit, which left me wondering what type of person does this. Why would someone play a dubious opening trap that either gives them a quick ... How To Optimize Your Opening Study With Chessable NM Shrilla | Aug 15, 2023 When initially working with beginner students, I am often told something like, "I struggle to remember opening theory that I have studied." This is because their study is not taking place in the right way to optimize their results. Luckily, Chessa... Every First Move Ranked (From Worst To Best) NathanielGreen | May 12, 2023 There are 20 possible first moves in chess: each of the eight pawns can move one or two squares forward, and each of the two knights has two squares it can go to. But not everything that is equally legal is equally advisable as a course of actio... How To Set Up An Opening Trap GM Gserper | Apr 17, 2023 In the age of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence computer algorithms that know everything (or almost everything), a YouTube algorithm started recommending me videos of a doctor who promised to cure most health problems with just one simple recipe... How To Study Openings The Right Way GM Gserper | Dec 16, 2022 The opening is the part of chess that players study the most. I doubt that this statement came as a big surprise to you, considering the humongous amount of books and videos on this subject. When I ask my students what kind of chess books they hav... Why The London Is The Best Chess Opening PedroPinhata | Aug 11, 2022 Nowadays, there are two things every new chess player learns very fast. The first is how to move the pieces, the second is that you must hate the London System. pic.twitter.com/tqfhwOS3Wb — Chess.com (@chesscom) November 14, 2021 ... The Most Interesting Opening Ideas From The 2022 Candidates GM GMRafpig | Jul 13, 2022 The 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament recently ended with a convincing victory for GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. The best chess players in the world prepare for months for such an important tournament and try to find new opening ideas. The question for ama... Being Ian Nepomniachtchi GM Gserper | Jul 4, 2022 I spent the end of March 1994 playing the Oslo Open in beautiful Norway. The tournament was very memorable for me mostly for two things: I tied for first place with GM Ilya Smirin and also I had the opportunity to talk to legendary GM David Bronst... Why Do Super-Grandmasters Play These Moves? GM Gserper | Mar 24, 2022 Last week I had one of the worst nightmares a chess coach can experience. No, none of my students blundered a queen nor played the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez—the danger came from a totally different direction. I was watching a playoff... The Deadly Opening Setup GM Gserper | Jul 19, 2021 The whole chess community was stunned by GM Garry Kasparov's disastrous result in the first half of the blitz section in the Croatia Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz. While 0.5 out of 9 games is indeed an utter catastrophe, I completely disagree... How To Bamboozle Your Opponent With Transpositions! NM SmarterChess | Mar 16, 2021 In chess, an opening transposition occurs when a sequence of moves leads to a position that is more commonly reached by a different move order—same resulting position, different paths to reach the position. Transpositions can be a powerful... The Opening For Chess Trolls GM Gserper | Oct 19, 2020 Last week my student told me that his internet opponent played a weird opening. I wasn't surprised a bit since any opening that doesn't allow the Scholar's Mate is labeled as "weird" by this little kid. Yet, I was intrigued when he mentioned that ... Make Your Own Opening Theory GM Gserper | Aug 11, 2020 "Every strong chess player should have his own opening theory which is different from the mainstream theory." This is one of the most important rules I learned from World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik as a student in his famous Botvinnik-Kasparov s... The Sicilian Nimzowitsch Variation CHESScom | Aug 1, 2020 How does IM Tuan Minh Le compete in blitz with the top players in the world? He uses the rare and sharp Nimzowitsch Variation of the Sicilian! In this course, Minh Le, along with NM Sam Copeland explains his favorite variation and all of its compl... Top 1 2 Remove Ads Articles For Beginners Strategy Tactics Scholastics Opening Theory Middlegame Endgames Amazing Games Chess Players Fun & Trivia Other Chess.com Help Authors Study Plans Curriculum for Kids Remove Ads