Chess Openings – Petrov Defense
Petrov Defense has been played since ancient times although it is known to be popularized by the Russian player Alexander Petrov. Kevin explains in this video at www.thechesswebsite.com, that black tries to mirror the first two opening moves from white hoping for a draw. This defense has a reputation of being dull even though parts of it has some interesting attacking moves.
The Petrov Defense starts with pawn e4 to which black responds with e5 and then white moves the knight from g1 to f3. Now we see black again reflect back the same move from white with moving knight to f6. Black applies this strategy to mainly bring the game to a draw and even avoid Ruy Lopez, Giuoco Piano and other Italian games.
Over here the black needs to be extremely careful while the white can capitalize if the black makes any mistake. The first mistake white can coax black to commit is by capturing the black pawn in e5 with its knight, which the black may respond to get even. This is the point where white can take advantage by placing the queen in e2 which will force black to retreat the knight back to f6. At this point white still has the advantage to push its knight from e5 to c6 which poses a clear attack on the black king and queen. This is a beautiful strategy where the black king is checked by the white queen in e2 and at the same time the knight is attacking black queen in d1 and also e7 square which is the only vacant space for the queen to move.
Chess Openings – Caro Kann Defense
This is one of the most popular defenses used by black against the white e4 move. Kevin explores the Caro Kann Defense in this video at www.thechesswebsite.com and shows us how we can use this strategy when we play against our opponents.
White moves e4 and black responds with c6. Then white follows up with e6 to which black responds similarly with e5. The next move is, white moving the knight to c3. This move puts an attack on the black pawn in d5 square and also at the same time protecting e4. On the other hand, this move also instigates black to capture e4 only to be recaptured by white knight which is in c3.
The Caro Kann Defense is a fast moving game as we see the black bishop move out quickly from c1 to f5 – a clear position of attack on the knight in e4. In this defense system, the black is now going to support his bishop by bring out the pawn to e6 at a later stage and also create a stronger base by pulling out the knight from b8 to d7 a couple of times, and also from g8 to f6. Black also has the option of pulling out queen to c7. The black has whole lot of options to support the initial moves with this defense which seems extremely interesting and solid.
Chess Openings – Halloween Gambit
The Halloween Gambit is a risky option as it requires the player to sacrifice the main piece which is the knight. This gambit is a bit aggressive compared to the others where the white sacrifices the knight just for a pawn. Kevin brings an example of a game played at a top level to explain the specifics of this gambit at www.chesswebsite.com
Here the game starts with white moving e4 and black responding with e5. Then white moves knight to f3 and black responds the same with nc6. Again white moves nc3 to which, black responds with nf6. The game position is more less moving the same from both sides which increases the tension interestingly.
So, after the first 3 moves, white moves nf3xe5 to capture the pawn, which puts the knight in a sacrificial position, which means black, will soon capture ne5 by moving nc6. The next option to this for white would be to push the pawn to d4 which is obviously attacking the black knight in e5. This move forces black to move back to c6 or g6 which is an advantage for white to add more pressure to the opponent by pushing the pawn further up from d4 to d5. This obviously makes black avoid the pawn and move the knight to e6. The whole strategy is about applying pressure on the opponent and you can see how the next move progresses in the following video.
Chess Openings – Scandinavian Defense
The Scandinavian Defense is one of the oldest openings recorded in the history of the chess game. In this video at www.thechesswebsite.com, Kevin shows us the different variations possible when applying this defense.
White opens with d4 to which black immediately responds with e5.This interesting move gives white an option to capture e5, which means black is willing to sacrifice e5. Assuming black moves Knight to f6 – a very strong move, which determines an attack on d4. We can also clearly notice here that queen in d1 is also watching d4. This move by black is to make white think about changing the position of d4 or even prompt the white opponent to push c2 to c4.
Keeping the present positions of the pieces in view, black may move c6 to prompt a recapture. If white falls in trap to this plan and captures c6 (d5xc6), it gives black an advantage to capture white with nc6. So the final position for black on the board is nf6 and nc6. This gives a very strong defense position with two knights guarding the pieces up front for black.
This is one of the options Kevin explains moving to other probabilities of the opponent’s moves to which he gives the right solution to get black on the top eventually by using the Scandinavian Defense.
Chess Openings – Bird’s Opening
Kevin at www.thechesswebsite.com explains the Bird’s opening which is the 6th most popular opening but is not used much compared to the others. The game starts with white moving f2 to f4. There are a couple of things we have to watch over here. The most common move is black responding with e5. This gives white two options. The first option is to capture e5 with the pawn in f4 or push up e2 to e4, which is a transition to the King’s Gambit. This is the first probability that could happen in retrospect to f4.
But usually, black responds with nf6 and white replies with nf3. So with these two moves, you got to make note of the most important factor involved with the Bird’s opening i.e. the white is trying to control the dark squares whereas black is looking to control the light squares by moving d7 to d5. So in this case, the dark square bishop for the white is going to play a key role in winning the game. This strategy of controlling the dark and light squares by both sides is going prevail throughout the game.
This video is about how to build your attack and gain a better control over the light or dark squares, (depending on which side you’re playing) and eventually win the game.
Chess Openings – Reti’s Opening
In this video from www.thechesswebsite.com Kevin discusses the Reti’s opening. The Reti’s opening is not exactly an opening, but a system which can transpose into many openings. In this system, you will be using your minor pieces – the knight and the bishop to control the center instead of the pawns. The Reti’s opening starts with 1.nf3, d5, 2.c4. This move, eventually forms a castle for the white king and at the same time maintains an attack on the d4 and e5 square.
Reti’s opening can transpose into a lot of other openings such as the Ruy Lopez, the Queen’s Gambit or even the English opening. This move is generally used when the player wants to avoid getting trapped into the opponent’s defense strategies, as this gives the player the opportunity of transposing his moves into different openings.
Here is an illustration of one example. The white starts with 1nf3 to which the black responds with d4. Then quickly the white can move the c4, which is the English opening. We are already seeing how the Reti transposes into different openings. But the black being in a position to capture c4, white can still move pawn to e3 so the bishop can cover c4, which is the Queen’s Gambit.
Kevin clearly explains the different openings with other options which can be used with the Reti’s opening. Please follow the video.
Chess Openings – Dutch Defense
The Dutch Defense has lost its popularity over the years, but it’s still an interesting ploy which can be applied along with the other chess strategies. In this section, we are going to learn about the Dutch Defense which is a move to counter attack the white’s king side. This kind of defense is used when white opens with 1.d4 to which black responds with f5. The moment black plays f5, it prevents white from moving e4 to avoid it from being captured by the former. Now, we look into the possibilities of white’s response which could either be with the pawn moving to g3 to bring the bishop in g2 square or, moving the pawn to c4 to bring the knight out to c3 square.
But soon after the moves 1.d4, f5 have been made and as we assume white to move g3, black can respond with e6. If you observe the video carefully, you will notice that e6 prevents white from moving its pawn further into d5 although white has the option to open c4 to push d5 further into d6. But still f5 gives protection to f7.
Later, we will see how we move the bishop in c8 as it is cramped for any movement along d7, e6 and f5. Assuming white moves its bishop into g2 we see black moving the knight to f6 square. Kevin further explores the various options of attack and counterattack and explains them with meticulous detail. Learn it, grab an opponent and your favorite chess set and give it a try.
Chess Openings – French Defense (Part–1)
The French Defense is a popular tactic often used against the white opening with e4. The illustration has been divided into two videos and we will be looking into the specifics in two parts. Watch both videos and then try this opening on your electronic chess set.
As white starts the move with e4, black responds with e6. Then the game moves on with white expanding its pieces with d4 and black responding with d5. The key strategy here lies in blocking the bishop, which white wants to bring out from f1 to c4 to place it diagonally to check f7. But first, black moves d5 to block d4.
No sooner than white responds with e5, you can move the black piece from c7 to c5. But this wouldn’t be sufficient to counter attack the white move.
Now what you have to watch out for is the options white has. White may respond with Nf3 to which the black can respond with nc6.
This is the first part of the French Defense shown in this video. You can watch the remaining lesson in part-2.
Chess Openings – French Defense (Part–2)
A continuation from Part-1, the next move after Nf3, white responds with c3. In this video we see the black opponent moving the queen to b6. This sets up a very strong defense with bishop covering d5 along with the pawn, knight and queen providing a solid cover. Now queen is also attacking b2 which is a very strong position. If you notice in the video, the illustrator clearly explains that the queen can form a very strong attack on the pawn in b2 as well as the rook in a1, and also keep an eye on c3 (in case white moves nb1 to nd2), which is a position to check the king. There is a possibility of white in this situation moving the bishop to e2. Probably you may respond by placing the knight in h6.
The positions on the chess board at this point look very interesting as the whole diagonal path is open from c1 to h6 where the black knight is currently placed. This gives the white opponent something to think about. White may want to just get aggressive and attack nh6 with its bishop, which opens the way for black queen to capture b2 and slowly expand itself further to capture a3 and the rook.
The second option we can look at is, after the e4 and e5 at the opening, the next move is the d4 and d5 as exactly explained in part-1. But instead of moving c2 to c3, the white moves Nb1 to Nc3. To counter attack the white, the Ng8 is moved to Ng6. Please watch the video for further explanation. Then grab your favorite chess set and give it a try!
Chess Strategies – Pins and Skewers
Pins and skewers are not very difficult to understand. Basically, you make a pin when you attack two of your opponent’s pieces with one of yours. For e.g. If you are playing white, and according to this video, if you see the black queen placed in f2 which is straight in line with the black king in f8 and you have your white rooks in a1 and d1. Your motive is to attack the black king. You pin the black queen by moving your rook from d1 to f1, which means it’s placed right behind the black queen. This puts the black queen in a tight situation as your opponent will not be able to wipe out your rook in f1 as it is being covered by the second rook in a1. This is a pin.
A skewer is a move in which you attack two pieces in the same line which is similar to a pin but, you first focus on removing the most valuable piece so it gets easy to capture the one which is less important.
You will see the illustration in the following video and hopefully you will understand better. Most of us happen to make pins and skewers while playing chess unconsciously too at times. But in this video you will learn how to move a pin and skewer. Watch the video and then bring out your favorite chess set and give it a try!
