The following is instruction for some and refresher for others, read on…..
In chess the word "opening" has two common meanings: the first stage of a chess game and also the first sequence of moves.
A good opening will provide better protection of the King, control over an area of the board (particularly the center), greater mobility for pieces, and possibly opportunities to capture opposing pawns and pieces. Some are direct, while others are more subtle and indirect approaches toward these goals.
Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings (as initiated by White) or defenses (as created in reply by Black). A sequence of opening moves that is considered standard (often cataloged in a reference work such as the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings) is referred to as "the book moves", or simply "book". When a game begins to deviate from known opening theory, the players are said to be "out of book".
The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. Instead of the traditional names for the openings, ECO is a unique coding system. There are five main categories, "A" to "E", each of which is divided into one hundred sub-categories.
The opening is a race to see who can get their pieces out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center.’ To illustrate this point, we will be introducing the Evans Gambit.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
The Evan's Gambit - Position after 4.b4
This opening, a variation of the Giuoco Piano, is named after the British sea captain, W. D. Evans who invented it in the 1820s. With 4.b4 White deflects the Black Bishop from its control of the centre squares and White gives up a pawn to gain rapid development and open lines for his pieces. With 4.b4 White deflects the Black Bishop from its control of the centre squares and This opening is not as popular today as it used to be but it is still played by some grandmasters.
Before thinking that you have lost the game already by giving up a pawn in the opening, consider the following. First, according to chessbase, an online chess resource that has 500 games recorded, white wins 50% of the time in grandmaster play. But more importantly, with games between beginning players, the game rarely hinges upon getting a pawn up and successfully promoting the pawn to win the game in the end game. Usually, the game is decided by a player making a major mistake when confronted with the task of dealing with a complex position.
If you chose to play this opening, you will be able to rapidly deploy your pieces, create positions that require tactical play, and can apply a great deal of pressure on your opponent. Perhaps the most famous example of the opening occurs between the Grandmasters, Robert Fischer and Robert Fine.
Making a lasting mark at chess is a tough thing to do. Maybe you play as well as Kasparov, or compose as splendidly as Grigoriev, or teach as memorably as Purdy, but not many of us attain the levels of skill required
to do those things.
Some players achieve some immortality by attaching their names to an opening. Sometimes the moves are not so good - Robert Durkin claimed 1. Na3 - and sometimes they are based in real positional grounds. Two different wing gambits, where one side aims for center control by deflecting an enemy bishop pawn, have been named for Bay Area players.
Get your pieces out into the center quickly. The opening is a race to see who can get their pieces out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center.
This is the main point to remember; all the other rules are just footnotes to this one
More detail on winning the race:
Move pieces not pawns, and
move them to their best squares in one move if you can, and also
try to gain time if you can by aggressive moves.
Move minor pieces out first, not your Q or RRs which can be attacked and lose time
Get a firm foothold in the center and don't give it up
Generally move Knights straightaway to f3/c3 or f6/c6
Move your king to safety at the side by castling King's-side (which also gets your Rook into play)
Complete your development before moving a piece twice or starting an attack
Keep your queen safe
Don't grab pawns or attack if you haven't completed development
What to do if there is a lead in development:
If you are ahead in development, start something going and open up lines for your better pieces
If you are behind in development, don't start anything and keep things closed until you have caught up
There is one thing Black can do on the chessboard that White cannot, and it is to checkmate in two moves. The shortest game that can end is checkmate is the classic Fool's Mate:
Alekhine’s defense is named for Alexander Alekhine, World Champion from 1927 – 1946.
White
Black
1. e2 –e4
Ng8 – f6
Instead of moving a center Pawn, Black moves out a Knight, seemingly begging for White to harass it. The idea behind Alekhine’s defense is a clever one. Black wants White to advance his center Pawns, chasing the Knight around the board. Later on, Black hopes to counter attack the center of the flanks, causing it to collapse. After the center has collapsed, Black will occupy the center with his own Pawns and pieces gaining the upper hand.
Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.
GM Wells has written well regarded opening books before (Kasparov remarked positively on Wells' Semi-Slav book). In this work, he explains the current state of theory in every significant variation of the Caro-Kann.
Wells mentions that in his youth, he employed the Caro-Kann, and throughout the book enjoys pointing out lines where Black is doing well. But this book is certainly not a repertoire for the Black player, nor a one-sided treatise on winning with theCaro-Kann. It is an honest and mostly objective look at how GMs today view the main lines of the Caro.
I found the chapters on the Panov Attack and the Advance variation most interesting. Chapters on 4...Nd7, 4...Bf5 and 4...Nf6 as well as sections on the 2 Pawns Attack and various White tries like the KIA and 2 Knights variation all help anyone interested in the Caro-Kann from either side to gain insight. He gives explanations of the main ideas for BOTH sides of this classic defense. He does present the lastest theory but this is not a theoretical tome on the opening, but more like a textbook. If you play 1.e4, you need this book. If you play 1...c6, you probably already own it.
A solid and unpretentious defense. An excellent defense for players who want a game with a locked Pawn structure and a minimum of early tactics, combined with the possibility of strong counterattacking chances later in the game.
This book is one in a series of books by GM Lev Psakhis. His previous books for Batsford include The Complete French and The Complete Benoni, as well as other volumes.
The book presents a wealth of illustrative games by Viswanathan Anand, Alexei Shirov, Alexander Grischuk, Jan Timman, Viktor Korchnoi and other leaading players, critically annotated with the most up-to-date theoretical refinements. An enthusiastic devotee of the French Defence for over 20 years now, Psakhis remains strictly objective in his judgments, so whether you play the French for White or Black, this is the most authoritative and comprehensive guide available today.
A great book for players new to the Sicilian is, the one Co-authored by David N. L. Levy and Kevin O'Connel, titled - How to Play the Sicilian Defense. Levy and O'Connell do an excellent job of outlining strategies for White and Black in this wide-ranging opening including almost all the variations in this line. For those rated 1400-1800, this is a good introduction to the opening. Some other books in this opening are highlighted below:
Najdorf Variation: A favourite of Both Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov and one of the most complicated variations in chess.
splendidly as Grigoriev, or teach as memorably as 
, but not many of us attain the levels of skill required
out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center. 
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, World Champion from 1927 – 1946. 
. Levy and O'Connell do an excellent job of outlining strategies for White and Black in this wide-ranging opening including almost all the variations in this line. For those rated 1400-1800, this is a good introduction to the opening. Some other books in this opening are highlighted below:
