Trompowsky Attack

In this post, we study a very good system to play as White: Trompowsky Attack (named after the Brazilian master: Octavio Trompowsky). This Opening is good for players who like to avoid too theoretical lines. In general, the middlegames are more or less balanced, but as Trompowsky Attack is not mainline, very often Black is not familiar with the positions and this could mean a small additional advantage for the first player, who, by the way, will know much better the subtleties of the positions.

We have Trompowsky Attack on the board after the moves

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5… Read more

Catalan Opening

Today we are going to study a very famous and strong variation for White: Catalan Opening. The Best Masters in the World still play it very often, so, definitely, it is a pretty good opening, and at the same time it is an easy and interesting option for players wanting to improve. We are going to analyze and understand some theory, general plans and typical development squares for white pieces.

Great Masters who played Catalan Opening

Great Chess legends like Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Vladimir Kramnik, and Viswanathan Anand played Catalan Opening in their Chess Careers, … Read more

Dutch Defense

Hi, everyone. If you are looking for a new and strong defense against Queen’s Pawn, then you are on the right site. In this post, we are going to study Dutch Defense, an interesting and sometimes dynamic variation.

1.d4 f5

The idea with this move (1. … f5) is to control the center with a pawn. The drawback, compared to other first moves for Black like 1. … Nf6 or 1. … d5 is that it is not developing any piece. However, Black is taking some really interesting space in the Kingside, which could be important in … Read more

Slav Defense

Are you having trouble playing against Queen’s Gambit? In this post, we will study a strong and popular variation against it: Slav Defense. This is a fantastic line, they play it in the Elite, but at the same time, it is a good option for beginners and club players.

We have Slav on the board after the moves:

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

Some theory and ideas in Slav Defense                 

When White plays 2.c4 Black has two main options: to accept the Gambit with dxc4 (Queen’s Gambit Accepted) or decline … Read more

Queen’s Gambit

Have you ever heard or read about Queen’s Gambit? You think it is an interesting opening but you do not understand it very well and you are not sure how or where to start? Well, if that is your situation, then you are on the right site because in this post we are going to learn and understand from the very beginning how to play this strong variation.

1.d4 d5 2.c4

The idea with the second move c4 is to attack Black’s central pawn, and trade it for a Bishop pawn, which should be very convenient for … Read more

Nimzo-Indian Defense

Are you having some trouble when facing Queen’s Pawn? Would you like to learn and play some interesting and annoying variation against it? In this post, we are going to analyze a very strong system: Nimzo-Indian Defense (named after the great Aaron Nimzowitsch).

This is one of the best lines Black can play against Queen’s Pawn, the second player is getting a balanced game in almost the lines, and it is really hard for White to get anything from the opening in these variations. It is strongly recommended for all levels, from beginners to masters, and it … Read more