Unusual Chess Openings

[John Townsend]

Edward Winter has a feature article on "Unusual Chess Openings":

https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/ext ... nings.html

Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle!

[JustinHorton]

Curiously, in the section on the Rat Opening, the extract from the Dictionary of Modern Chess doesn't note that 1. P-N3 is ambiguous.

[Roger de Coverly]

Curiously, in the section on the Rat Opening, the extract from the Dictionary of Modern Chess doesn't note that 1. P-N3 is ambiguous.

Perhaps it's suggesting that 1. P-N3 and 2. B-N2 isn't any good regardless of whether it represents 1. g3 2, Bg2 or 1, b3 Bb2 or for that matter 1. .. g6 2. .. Bg7 or 1. .. b6 2. ,.. Bb7

Interesting also to see Fischer suggest h4 punts against Pircs and Moderns as well as Austrian attacks.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Alekhine famously described 1e4 g6 as a "Joke Opening".

It is also dismissed pretty briskly in Fine's famous work from that time, The Ideas Behind The Chess Openings.

[Roger de Coverly]

Alekhine famously described 1e4 g6 as a "Joke Opening".

It is also dismissed pretty briskly in Fine's famous work from that time, The Ideas Behind The Chess Openings.

It seems to date back to Victorian times, first being tried in recorded games by a player named George Macdonnell in 1862. His treatment was to set up a Hippo structure with b6, e6, d6, Bb7, Nd7, Ne7.

One of the positions in what is now called the Tiger Modern didn't surface until 1964 by Ujtelsky ( 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 a6 )
Smyslov also tried it, including against PH Clarke at Hastings in 1969. Ujtelsky faced the 150 attack version in 1963 (1. e4 g6 2. d4 Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6)

(edit) Another 1960s and early 1970s player who favoured openings then unusual was the Canadian Duncan Suttles. Were not his opening systems which featured g6 and Bg7 referred to as "the Rat"? (/edit)

[Matt Mackenzie]

I think the double fianchetto defence was actually named after one of MacDonnell's contemporaries, Augustus Mongredien.

One of its more famous deployments was by Spassky against Petrosian in the 1966 WC match (an interesting draw)

[Roger de Coverly]

I think the double fianchetto defence was actually named after one of MacDonnell's contemporaries, Augustus Mongredien.

There was a poster who claimed it as his own. He even got New in Chess magazine to publish a letter about it.

viewtopic.php?t=7329

[John Upham]

I'm disappointed with the incomplete coverage of the Mao Tse Tung Variation viz:

1.e4 f5 2.ef: Kf7! 3.Dh5+ g6 4.fg: Kg7 with an edge for the second player.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi John,

For some reason I recall that opening being called the 'Fred'
After I won a game with it as Black. Someone in 'Scottish Chess 'analysed it and came to the conclusion 2.Nf3 was best.

rnbq1bnr/pppppkpp/8/5P2/8/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQ - 0 3

Recently I was reminded about 3.d3 v the Petrov, you play it as white as though it was a Philidors Defence.
I kept promising myself next time I face a Petrov I'll try 3.d3 but usually only remembered about it
after I had played the Cochrane Gambit 4.Nxf7 and was a piece down. 2 d3 v the Alekhine could go the same way if Black plays 2..e5.

[John Upham]

Hi John,

For some reason I recall that opening being called the 'Fred'
After I won a game with it as Black. Someone in 'Scottish Chess 'analysed it and came to the conclusion 2.Nf3 was best.

rnbq1bnr/pppppkpp/8/5P2/8/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQ - 0 3

Recently I was reminded about 3.d3 v the Petrov, you play it as white as though it was a Philidors Defence.
I kept promising myself next time I face a Petrov I'll try 3.d3 but usually only remembered about it
after I had played the Cochrane Gambit 4.Nxf7 and was a piece down. 2 d3 v the Alekhine could go the same way if Black plays 2..e5.

1.e4 f5 IS the Fred.

The line where the black king finds refuge on g7 is the Mao Tse Tung or Running Away Variation of the Fred.

[Geoff Chandler]

Thanks John, that is how my game went. 3.Qh5+ g6 4.fxg7+ Kg7 it looks forced.

[Matt Mackenzie]

A common continuation is the K ending up on h8, viz 5 gh7 Rh7 6 Qg5+ Kh8 - yes, there are a few wins for Black from this position in databases

[John Upham]

A common continuation is the K ending up on h8, viz 5 gh7 Rh7 6 Qg5+ Kh8 - yes, there are a few wins for Black from this position in databases

Correct Matt.

A favourite at the London Central YMCA in Tottenham Court Road.

[Phil Neatherway]

I. e4 e5 2. f4 ef 3. Kf2 is the King's Own, according to a poem included in Chernev's Chess Companion pp 46-8.

[Gerard Killoran]

Hi John,

For some reason I recall that opening being called the 'Fred'
After I won a game with it as Black. Someone in 'Scottish Chess 'analysed it and came to the conclusion 2.Nf3 was best.

rnbq1bnr/pppppkpp/8/5P2/8/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQ - 0 3

Recently I was reminded about 3.d3 v the Petrov, you play it as white as though it was a Philidors Defence.
I kept promising myself next time I face a Petrov I'll try 3.d3 but usually only remembered about it
after I had played the Cochrane Gambit 4.Nxf7 and was a piece down. 2 d3 v the Alekhine could go the same way if Black plays 2..e5.

1.e4 f5 IS the Fred.

The line where the black king finds refuge on g7 is the Mao Tse Tung or Running Away Variation of the Fred.

Surely it's the Mao Tse Tung or Long March Variation.