Semi-Closed Game
Encyclopedia
A Semi-Closed Game is a chess opening
in which White opens with the queen's pawn 1.d4 but Black does not make the symmetrical reply 1...d5. (The openings starting 1.d4 d5 are the Closed Game
s.)
As these defenses have much in common and have a great deal more theory than all the remaining semi-closed openings put together, they are treated in a separate article; see Indian defense for details.
The third most common response to 1.d4 (after 1...Nf6 and 1...d5) is 1...e6. This move is sometimes used by players wishing to play the Dutch Defense (1.d4 f5) without allowing White the option of 2.e4!?, the Staunton Gambit
. 1...e6 rarely has independent significance, usually transposing to another opening, e.g. the aforementioned Dutch Defense (2.c4 f5 or 2.Nf3 f5), French Defense (2.e4 d5), or Queen's Gambit Declined
(2.c4 d5). Another possibility is 2.c4 Bb4+, the Keres Defence (also known as the Kangaroo Defence), which is fully playable, but also little independent significance, since it often transposes into the Dutch, Nimzo-Indian
, or Bogo-Indian
.
Other important responses to 1.d4 include the Dutch (1...f5) and the Benoni Defense
(1...c5). The Dutch, an aggressive defense adopted for a time by World Champions Alekhine
and Botvinnik
, and played by both Botvinnik and challenger David Bronstein
in their 1951 world championship match
, is still played occasionally at the top level by Short
and others. The Benoni Defense
is also fairly common, and may become very wild if it develops into the Modern Benoni, though other variations are more solid.
1...d6 is reasonable, and may transpose to the King's Indian Defense (e.g. after 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6), Grünfeld Defence
(e.g. after 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5), Old Indian Defense
(e.g. after 2.Nf3 Nbd7 3.c4 e5 4.Nc3 Be7), Pirc Defense (2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6), or even Philidor's Defense (e.g. 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5). The Wade Defence, a slightly offbeat but fully playable line, arises after 1...d6 2.Nf3 Bg4. Note that the plausible 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5?! dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8 scores less than 50% for White.
has never been very popular but has been tried by Spassky
, Ljubojević
, and Csom
, among others. The Queen's Knight Defense
is an uncommon opening that often transposes to the Nimzowitsch Defence
after 1.d4 Nc6 2.e4 or the Chigorin Defense
after 2.c4 d5, although it can lead to unique lines, for example after 1.d4 Nc6 2.d5 or 2.c4 e5. The Englund Gambit
is a rare and dubious sacrifice
.
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
in which White opens with the queen's pawn 1.d4 but Black does not make the symmetrical reply 1...d5. (The openings starting 1.d4 d5 are the Closed Game
Closed Game
A Closed Game, also called a Double Queen Pawn Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The move 1.d4 offers the same benefits to development and center control as does 1.e4, but unlike with the King Pawn openings where the e4 pawn is undefended after the first move, the d4 pawn is...
s.)
Important openings
By far the most important category of the semi-closed openings are the Indian systems, which begin 1.d4 Nf6.As these defenses have much in common and have a great deal more theory than all the remaining semi-closed openings put together, they are treated in a separate article; see Indian defense for details.
The third most common response to 1.d4 (after 1...Nf6 and 1...d5) is 1...e6. This move is sometimes used by players wishing to play the Dutch Defense (1.d4 f5) without allowing White the option of 2.e4!?, the Staunton Gambit
Staunton Gambit
The Staunton Gambit is a chess opening characterized by the moves:Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defence; or 2...e6, transposing to the Kingston Defence...
. 1...e6 rarely has independent significance, usually transposing to another opening, e.g. the aforementioned Dutch Defense (2.c4 f5 or 2.Nf3 f5), French Defense (2.e4 d5), or Queen's Gambit Declined
Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined...
(2.c4 d5). Another possibility is 2.c4 Bb4+, the Keres Defence (also known as the Kangaroo Defence), which is fully playable, but also little independent significance, since it often transposes into the Dutch, Nimzo-Indian
Nimzo-Indian Defence
The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:This hypermodern opening was developed by Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch who introduced it to master-level chess in the early 20th century. Unlike most Indian openings the Nimzo-Indian does not involve an immediate fianchetto,...
, or Bogo-Indian
Bogo-Indian Defence
The Bogo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-Variations:White has three viable moves to meet the check. 4.Nc3 is a transposition to the Kasparov Variation of the Nimzo-Indian, therefore the main independent variations are 4.Bd2 and 4.Nbd2.-4...
.
Other important responses to 1.d4 include the Dutch (1...f5) and the Benoni Defense
Benoni Defense
The Benoni Defense is a group of chess openings generally characterized by the opening moves 1. d4 c5 2. d5, although Black's ...c5 and White's answer d5 are often delayed. The most usual opening sequence for the Benoni is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5...
(1...c5). The Dutch, an aggressive defense adopted for a time by World Champions Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
and Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
, and played by both Botvinnik and challenger David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
in their 1951 world championship match
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
, is still played occasionally at the top level by Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
and others. The Benoni Defense
Benoni Defense
The Benoni Defense is a group of chess openings generally characterized by the opening moves 1. d4 c5 2. d5, although Black's ...c5 and White's answer d5 are often delayed. The most usual opening sequence for the Benoni is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5...
is also fairly common, and may become very wild if it develops into the Modern Benoni, though other variations are more solid.
1...d6 is reasonable, and may transpose to the King's Indian Defense (e.g. after 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6), Grünfeld Defence
Grünfeld Defence
The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The first instance of this opening is in an 1855 game by Moheschunder Bannerjee, an Indian player who had transitioned from Indian chess rules, playing black against John Cochrane in Calcutta, in May 1855: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4...
(e.g. after 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5), Old Indian Defense
Old Indian Defense
The Old Indian Defense is a chess opening defined by the moves:This opening is distinguished from the King's Indian Defense by Black developing his king's bishop on e7 rather than fianchettoing it at g7...
(e.g. after 2.Nf3 Nbd7 3.c4 e5 4.Nc3 Be7), Pirc Defense (2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6), or even Philidor's Defense (e.g. 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5). The Wade Defence, a slightly offbeat but fully playable line, arises after 1...d6 2.Nf3 Bg4. Note that the plausible 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5?! dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8 scores less than 50% for White.
Uncommon openings
The remaining semi-closed openings are uncommon. The Polish DefensePolish Defense
The Polish Defense is the name commonly given to one of several sequences of chess opening moves characterized by an early ...b5 by Black. The name "Polish Defense" is given by analogy to the so-called Polish Opening , 1.b4. The original line wasas played by Alexander Wagner, a Polish player and...
has never been very popular but has been tried by Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
, Ljubojević
Ljubomir Ljubojevic
Ljubomir Ljubojević is a Grandmaster of chess. He was born on November 2, 1950, in Titovo Užice, Yugoslavia . Ljubojević was awarded the International Master title in 1970 and the GM title in 1971. He was Yugoslav champion in 1977 and 1982. He won the 1974 Canadian Open Chess Championship...
, and Csom
István Csom
István Csom is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster and International Arbiter. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1967 and the Grandmaster title in 1973. He was Hungarian Champion in 1972 and 1973...
, among others. The Queen's Knight Defense
Queen's Knight Defense
The Queen's Knight Defense is a chess opening defined by the moves:...
is an uncommon opening that often transposes to the Nimzowitsch Defence
Nimzowitsch Defence
The Nimzowitsch Defence is a somewhat unusual chess opening, in which Black moves 1... Nc6 in reply to White's 1.e4. It is an example of a hypermodern opening where Black invites White to occupy the centre of the board at an early stage with pawns...
after 1.d4 Nc6 2.e4 or the Chigorin Defense
Chigorin Defense
The Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly played defense to the Queen's Gambit, it begins with the moves:The Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly...
after 2.c4 d5, although it can lead to unique lines, for example after 1.d4 Nc6 2.d5 or 2.c4 e5. The Englund Gambit
Englund Gambit
The Englund Gambit is a rarely played chess opening that starts with the moves:Black's idea is to avoid the traditional closed queen's pawn games and create an open game with tactical chances, but at the cost of a pawn. The gambit is considered weak; Boris Avrukh writes that 1...e5 "seems to me...
is a rare and dubious sacrifice
Sacrifice (chess)
In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
.
List
- 1.d4 b5 Polish DefensePolish DefenseThe Polish Defense is the name commonly given to one of several sequences of chess opening moves characterized by an early ...b5 by Black. The name "Polish Defense" is given by analogy to the so-called Polish Opening , 1.b4. The original line wasas played by Alexander Wagner, a Polish player and...
- 1.d4 c5 Benoni DefenseBenoni DefenseThe Benoni Defense is a group of chess openings generally characterized by the opening moves 1. d4 c5 2. d5, although Black's ...c5 and White's answer d5 are often delayed. The most usual opening sequence for the Benoni is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5...
- 1.d4 Nc6 Queen's Knight DefenseQueen's Knight DefenseThe Queen's Knight Defense is a chess opening defined by the moves:...
- 1.d4 d6 Wade Defence
- 1.d4 e5 Englund GambitEnglund GambitThe Englund Gambit is a rarely played chess opening that starts with the moves:Black's idea is to avoid the traditional closed queen's pawn games and create an open game with tactical chances, but at the cost of a pawn. The gambit is considered weak; Boris Avrukh writes that 1...e5 "seems to me...
- 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 English Defense
- 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+ Keres Defence
- 1.d4 Nf6 Indian Systems (this is an enormous category, treated separately)
- 1.d4 f5 Dutch DefenseDutch DefenceThe Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:Elias Stein , an Alsatian who settled in The Hague, recommended the defence as the best reply to 1.d4 in his 1789 book Nouvel essai sur le jeu des échecs, avec des réflexions militaires relatives à ce jeu.-Theory:Black's 1.....
See also
- Open Game (1.e4 e5)
- Semi-Open GameSemi-Open GameA Semi-Open Game is a chess opening in which White plays 1.e4 and Black breaks symmetry immediately by replying with a move other than 1...e5.The Semi-Open Games are also called Single King Pawn Games, and are the complement of the Open Games or Double King Pawn Games which begin 1.e4 e5.-Popular...
(1.e4 other) - Closed GameClosed GameA Closed Game, also called a Double Queen Pawn Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The move 1.d4 offers the same benefits to development and center control as does 1.e4, but unlike with the King Pawn openings where the e4 pawn is undefended after the first move, the d4 pawn is...
(1.d4 d5) - Flank openingFlank openingA flank opening is a chess opening played by White and typified by play on one or both flanks ....
(1.c4, 1.Nf3, 1.f4, and others) - Irregular chess opening