A Survey of  the Openings

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In the opening phase of the game it is important to develop your pieces quickly to active squares on the chess board. This means that it is seldom a good idea to move the same piece twice before all other pieces have been developed and unnecessary pawn moves should be avoided. It is also important to claim your share of the centre of the board. This makes it easier for your army to manoeuvre.

Here you will find the defining moves of the major openings. I hope to develop this section with some of the opening ideas associated with each opening. In the meantime, if you wish to study openings in greater depth Chess Openings For Juniors by J. N. Walker is a very good introduction to opening play and for a more advanced look at the openings Gabor Kallai's Basic Chess Openings and More Basic Chess Openings are to be recommended.

 

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