Bird’s Opening Bird’s Bird’s Opening Opening (or the Dutch Attack Attack) i s a chess opening characterised characterised by the move:
followed followed by e4. Timothy Taylor’s Taylor’s book on Bird’s Opening puts the main line Bird’s Opening as follows: 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Be2 Nf6 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 c5.
1. f4 Bird’s is a standard flank standard flank opening. opening. White’s strategic ideas From From’s ’s Gamb Gambit it involv involvee con control trol of the e5-square e5-square,, offerin offering g good attackattack- 3 ing potential potential at the expense expense of slightl slightly y weake weakening ning the kingside.. Black may challenge kingside challenge White’s plan to control e5 Black’s sharpest try is 1...e5!?, From’s Gambit , named immediately immediately by playing From’s Gambit (1...e5). (1...e5). Howfor the Danish the Danish chess chess player Martin player Martin Severin From (1828– From (1828– ever, the From’s Gambit is notoriously double edged and 1895). 1895). White White then has the option option to transpose to transpose into into the should should only be played played after significant significant study. King’s Gambit with with 2.e4. 2.e4. This This is an import important ant option option The Encyclopaedia The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings assigns Openings assigns two codes which may cause Black to consider playing a different for Bird’s Opening: A02 (1.f4) and A03 (1.f4 d5). line if he wishes to avoid the King’s Gambit. It has been observ observed ed that that one of the possi possibl blee disad disadva vanta ntage gess of From’s From’s Gambit is that it is very easy for White to avoid.
1
Hisstor Hi tory
If White White accepts accepts the gambit gambit with 2.fxe 2.fxe5, 5, Black Black must choose between the main line 2...d6 and the rather obscure 2...Nc6. 2...Nc6. After 2...Nc6, 2...Nc6, International International Master (IM) Master (IM) Timothy Taylor, in his 2005 book on the Bird’s, recommen ommends ds 3.Nc3! 3.Nc3! Nxe5 Nxe5 4.d4 intendi intending ng 5.e4, 5.e4, rathe ratherr [6] than than 3.N 3.Nf3 f3?! ?! g5! g5! when when Bla Black ck stan stands ds wel well. l. After the normal normal 2...d6 2...d6 3.exd 3.exd6 6 Bxd6, Bxd6, White White must must play play 4.Nf3, 4.Nf3, avoi avoidin ding g 4.Nc3? 4.Nc3??? Qh4+ Qh4+ 5.g3 5.g3 Qxg3+ Qxg3+ 5.hxg3 5.hxg3 Bxg3 checkmate. checkmate. Then Then Black Black again again has has two alterna alterna-tives: tives: 4...g5 4...g5 to drive drive away White’s White’s knight, and 4...Nf6, 4...Nf6, threatening 5...Ng4 and 6...Nxh2! Future World Future World Champion pio n Eman Emanuel uel Lask Lasker er introd introduc uced ed 4...g5 4...g5 in the game game Bird– Bird– Lasker, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1892, so it is known as “Lasker’s “Lasker’s Variation”. Variation”.[7] Taylor considers 4...g5 dubious; a quiet response that he considers favorable for White is 5.d4 5.d4 g4 6.Ne5! 6.Ne5! (6.Ng5 (6.Ng5?? lead leadss to a dubi dubious ous piece piece sacrifice) sacrifice) Bxe5 7.dxe5 Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 8.Kxd1 Nc6 9.Nc3! Be6 (9...Nxe5 (9...Nxe5?! ?! 10.Bf4 10.Bf4 f6 11.Nd5 Kd8 Kd8 12.Nxf6!) 12.Nxf6!) 10.Bf4 10.Bf4 0-0-0+ 11.Ke1 Nge7 12.e3 Ng6 13.Bg5 Rdf8 14.Bf6 Rhg8 15.Be2 Ngxe5 16.Rf1 “with the typical edge for White that is characteristic of this variation”, according to Taylor. Taylor.[8] He also considers the sharper 5.g3 g4 6.Nh4 favorable for White, giving as the main line 6...Ne7 7.d4 Ng6 8.Nxg6 hxg6 9.Qd3 Nc6 (9...Rh5 10.Bg2; 9...Na6 10.c3) 10.c3) 10.c3 10.c3 (10.Nc3? (10.Nc3? Nxd4! Nxd4! 11.Qxd4?? 11.Qxd4?? Bg3+ wins White’s White’s queen) queen) Bf5 (10...Qe7 (10...Qe7 11.Bg2! 11.Bg2! Bd7 12.Nd2 00-0 13.Ne4! favored avored White in Taylor–Becerra Taylor–Becerra Rivero, Minneapo Minneapolis lis 2005) 11.e4 Qe7 12.Bg2 12.Bg2 0-0-0 13.Be3. Accord According ing to Taylor, Taylor, White White has a large large advantag advantagee in all lines, lines, althoug although h play play remains remains extremel extremely y sharp, sharp, e.g. 13...Rde8 13...Rde8 14.Nd2; 13...Rxh2 13...Rxh2 14.Rxh2 Bxg3+ Bxg3+ 15.Kd1 15.Kd1 Bxh2 Bxh2 16.ex 16.exf5! f5! Re8 Re8 17.fxg 17.fxg6! 6! Qxe3 Qxe3 18.Qx 18.Qxe3 e3 Rxe3 Rxe3 19.gxf7; or 13...Bd7 (threatening 14...Rxh2!) 14.Bf2! [9]
The opening opening was mention mentioned ed by by Luis Luis Ramír Ramírez ez de Lucena in his book Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con Cien Juegos de Partido , published circa 1497. In the mid-nineteenth century the opening was sometimes played by La Bourdonnais and Elija Elijah h Williams Williams,, among among others. The British British master master Henry Edward Bird first played it in 1855 and continued to do so for the next 40 years.[1] In 1885, the Hereford Times named it after him.[2] In the the first first half half of the the 20th 20th cent centur ury y Aron Nimz Nimzowowitsch and itsch and Savielly Tartakower sometimes played 1.f4.[3] In more more recent recent decades decades,, Grandmasters who have have used the Bird’s with any regularity include Bent Larsen, Larsen, Andrew [4] Soltis,, Lars Karlsson, Mikhail Gurevich, Soltis Gurevich, and Henrik [5] Danielsen.
2
1...d5
Black’s most common response is 1...d5, when the game can take take on the charac character ter of a Dutch Def Defence ence (1.d4 f5) with colors reverse reversed. d. White White will then often either either fianchetto his king’s bishop with Nf3, g3, Bg2, and 00 with a reverse reversed d Leningra Leningrad d Dutch; Dutch; adopt adopt a Stonewall formation with formation with pawns on d4, e3, and f4 and attempt a kingside attack; attack; or fianchetto fianchetto his queen’s queen’s bishop bishop to increase crease his hold on the e5 square. Another Another strategy, strategy, by analogy with the Ilyin–Zhenevsky variation of the Dutch Defence, involves White playing e3, Be2, 0-0, d3 and attempting to achieve the break e3–e4 by various means, e.g. e.g. Ne5, Ne5, Bf3, Bf3, Qe2 and finall finally y e3–e4, e3–e4, or simply simply Nc3 1
2
5
4
Other Black responses •
•
•
Swiss correspondence game Wagner–Kostin, 1910– 11. The term “Swiss Gambit” is often used to refer more generally to 1.f4 f5 2.e4. Chess historian Edward Winter has criticized that usage, pointing out that 1.f4 f5 2.e4 was analyzed by F.A. Lange in the June 1859 Deutsche Schachzeitung , and was played by many players, including Adolf Anderssen, in the nineteenth century.[14]
The flexible 1...Nf6 is also possible. Then if White plays 2.b3?! (2.Nf3 is safer), 2...d6! 3.Bb2?! (or 3.Nf3 e5! 4.fxe5 dxe5 5.Nxe5?? Qd4!) e5!, a sort of From’s Gambit Deferred introduced by IM Michael Brooks, is dangerous for White, e.g. 4.fxe5 dxe5 5.Bxe5 Ng4! Then 6.Bb2 Bd6“leaves White in huge trouble down the e1–h4 diagonal”, and Black wins an exchange after 7.Nf3 Bxh2! 8.Rxh2 Nxh2. After the alternative 6.Bg3, 6...Qf6! (even better than 6...Bd6) 7.c3 (not 7.Nc3? Ne3! 8.dxe3 Bb4) Bd6 is strong for Black. [10]
•
Another popular response is 1...g6, a sort of Modern Defense, which may transpose into a reversed Dutch Defense (if Black plays ...d5 and ...c5), or a Sicilian Defence (if White plays e4 and Black plays ...c5). Black thus prevents White from playing on the a1– h8 diagonal. •
Also reasonable is 1...c5, hoping for a transposition into the Tal Gambit, a favorable variation of the Sicilian Defence, after 2.e4 d5! 3.exd5 (3.Nc3, the mellifluously-named “Toilet Variation,” is also possible) Nf6, but White need not oblige, and may build up more slowly with 2.Nf3, followed by g3, Bg2, d3 and possibly a later e4.
• •
•
The offbeat 1...b6!? is also known, and more soundly based than the same move after 1.e4 or 1.d4, since 1.f4 does not aid White’s development, and weakens the a8–h1 diagonal as the move f3 is no longer available to shore up White’s center. Taylor recommends 2.e4 Bb7 3.d3 e6 4.Nf3 Ne7 5.c3 d5 6.Qc2 Nd7 7.Be3, with a spatial advantage for White.[11] Also possible is 1...b5!?, a form of Polish Defense. After the natural 2.e4 Bb7, White has no good way to protect e4 while maintaining his attack on b5, since 3.Nc3? b4 4.Nd5 e6 wins a pawn.
POPULARITY
5
An aggressive but rare response is 1...g5?!, the Hobbs Gambit, with play possibly continuing 2.fxg5 h6, a sort of mirror image Benko Gambit. White can simply return the pawn with 3.g6, leaving Black with a weakened kingside after 3...fxg6. A variant is the Hobbs–Zilbermints Gambit, 1...h6 intending 2...g5; against this, White could proceed with 2. e4 g5 3. d4, when Black has lost time and weakened his kingside. Another offbeat try is Martin Appleberry’s 1...Nh6!?. The idea is to meet 2. b3 with 2...e5, another deferred From Gambit, and 2.e4 with 2...d5, when 3.exd5 Qxd5 would result in a Scandinavian Defense where White’s pawn is oddly placed on f4. However, 2.Nf3 avoids both of these lines. Another possible reply by Black is 1...Nc6. With this move, Black lays the support for the advance of the e-file pawn. The general sequence of moves that Black may opt for is g6, Bg7 and d6 and eventually advance the e-file pawn.
Popularity
Out of the twenty possible opening moves, 1.f4 ranks sixth in popularity in ChessGames.com's database, behind 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.Nf3, 1.c4, and 1.g3.[15] It is less than one-twentieth as popular as the mirror image English • If Black chooses the symmetrical reply 1...f5, TayOpening (1.c4).[15] The move 1.f4 slightly weakens lor considers White’s best line to be quiet play with White’s king's position.[16] ChessGames.com’s statistics 2.b3 b6 3.Bb2 Bb7 4.e3, when 4...Nf6 5.Bxf6! exf6 indicate that the opening is not an effective way of pre6.Nf3 left White with the better pawn structure in serving White’s first-move advantage: as of February Larsen–Colon Romero, San Juan 1969. Instead, 2013, out of 3,872 games with 1.f4, White had won 4...e6 5.Qh5+ forces the weakening 5...g6, with a 30.7%, drawn 32%, and lost 37.7%, for a total score of slight advantage to White according to Taylor. [12] 46.7%.[15][17] White scores much better with the more Also possible is the aggressive 2.e4!?, when Taypopular 1.e4 (54.25%), 1.d4 (55.95%), 1.Nf3 (55.8%), lor analyzes 2...fxe4 3.d3 exd3 4.Bxd3 Nf6 5.Nf3 1.c4 (56.3%), and 1.g3 (55.8%).[15] (5.g4 is well met by 5...d5, when after 6.g5, 6...Bg4 and 6...Ne4 both favor Black) 5...d5 6.0-0, when According to the similar site 365chess.com, which inhe considers White to have some, but not enough, cludes data for lower level games, as of August 2015, compensation for the sacrificed pawn.[13] Another out of 20,010 games with 1.f4, White had won 35.1%, possible continuation is 2...fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g4, drawn 25%, and lost 39.9%, for a total score of 47.6%.[18] the Swiss Gambit. This gambit was named by The five more popular openings are still substantially Alexander Wagner (1868–1942), a Polish chess more successful for White: 1.e4 (53.15%), 1.d4 (54.8%), player and openings analyst who introduced it in the 1.Nf3 (55.4%), 1.c4 (54.65%), and 1.g3 (54.9%). [18]
3
6
See also •
•
7
•
List of chess openings •
List of chess openings named after people
Notes
•
[1] “Having forgotten familiar openings, I commenced adopting KBP for first move, and finding it led to highly interesting games out of the usual groove, I became partial to it.” —Henry Bird (1873, entering match play after a six year absence from chess); Hooper and Whyld (1987), p. 32.
•
[2] Hooper and Whyld (1992), p. 40. [3] de Firmian (2008), p. 732.
Hooper, David and Kenneth Whyld (1992). The Ox ford Companion to Chess . Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866164-9. Palliser, Richard (2006). Beating Unusual Chess Openings . Gloucester Publishers. ISBN 978-185744-429-2. Taylor, Timothy (2005). Bird’s Opening: Detailed Coverage of an Underrated and Dynamic Choice for White. Gloucester Publishers. ISBN 1-85744-4027. A reference to the Bird’s Opening was shown in the Television series "Monk" (Season 7, Episode 2, “Mr. Monk and the Genius”) in which Monk seeks help in catching a chess master plotting to kill his wife from another chess player, who is seen playing the Bird’s Opening and making the comment “The Bird, as if I haven't seen that one before”.
[4] “The chess games of Lars Karlsson”. Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2012-09-07. [5] “The chess games of Henrik Danielsen”. Chessgames.com. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
[7] Taylor (2005), pp. 150–51.
•
[8] Taylor (2005), pp. 149–52. [9] Taylor (2005), pp. 135–45. [10] Palliser (2006), p. 124. [11] Taylor (2005), pp. 202–03. [12] Taylor (2005), p. 210. [13] Taylor (2005), pp. 214–16. [14] Edward Winter, 'The Swiss Gambit' (1998). ChessGames.com.
Retrieved on
[16] Adorján (1998), p. 27. [17] White’s overall winning percentage is calculated by taking the percentage of games won by White and adding half of the percentage of drawn games, in this case 32.8 plus half of 25.3. [18] http://www.365chess.com/opening.php
8
References •
•
Adorján, András (1998). Openings . CAISSA Ltd.
External links •
[6] Taylor (2005), p. 182.
[15] Opening Explorer. 2009-02-06.
9
Black is O.K. in Rare
de Firmian, Nick (2008). Modern Chess Openings (15th edition). Random House Puzzles & Games. ISBN 978-0-8129-3682-7.
Opening Report. Bird, Williams Gambit: 1.f4 d5 2.e4 (47 games) Grandmaster with many OTB games in this opening, and also his YouTube channel with Bird’s Opening lessons and live games.
4
10
10
Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
10.1 •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Images
File:Chess_bdt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Chess_bdt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_blt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Chess_blt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_kdt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Chess_kdt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_klt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Chess_klt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_ndt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Chess_ndt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_nlt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Chess_nlt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_pdt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Chess_pdt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_plt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Chess_plt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_qdt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Chess_qdt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_qlt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Chess_qlt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_rdt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Chess_rdt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chess_rlt45.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Chess_rlt45.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: en:User:Cburnett File:Chessboard480.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Chessboard480.svg License: CC0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: File:Wikibooks-logo-en-noslogan.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Wikibooks-logo-en-noslogan. svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: User:Bastique, User:Ramac et al.
10.3 •
Text
Bird’s Opening Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird’{}s_Opening?oldid=751342752 Contributors: Camembert, No Guru, Neilc, ThreeE, Byrial, Modargo, ZeroOne, CanisRufus, Art LaPella, Themindset, Jacobolus, Sjakkalle, Quale, Bubba73, DoubleBlue, Falphin, WarmasterKron, YurikBot, Krakatoa, BOT-Superzerocool, Cobblet, SmackBot, Silly rabbit, Sim man, Shalom Yechiel, Birdsf4, Ligulembot, Cantoni~enwiki, Mibelz, CharlotteWebb, Matthew Proctor, Mack2, JAnDbot, The Transhumanist, SyG, Albmont, Baccyak4H, Pawnkingthree, Use the force, Chessnerd, Deevrod, Newzild, Sun Creator, Rossen4, Chesslover96, XLinkBot, Lab-oratory, Addbot, Opus88888, SpBot, Tassedethe, Lightbot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, TaBOT-zerem, Legobot II, MrsHudson, Adrignola, FrescoBot, RedBot, Lotje, CarlesMartin, Auxysfox, EmausBot, ChuispastonBot, Ihardlythinkso, ClueBot NG, Frietjes, Green Rain, ChrisGualtieri, Dylanvt, DocFido, Lugia2453, Wikiew, Tjust85, Shreyas61196, King Nook, BirdNinjas, BirdInformator, Bender the Bot and Anonymous: 47
10.2 •
TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
Content license
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
