Chess is a game many people would like to know but are held back because of the seemingly complicated terms. If you are new to chess, you have probably heard terms like check, checkmate, defense, openings, Gambit and so on. As you play the game you will also come across openings named after nationalities like Scotch game, French defense, English game, and Russian game. To understand and remember these chess openings the best way is to know that Scotch and English refer to the white pieces and therefore white plays. Let us learn terms used in chess openings the simplest way possible.
Other terms usually used in chess openings include game. The word game is added to chess openings created long ago. These old openings include Vienna game, Four Knights game and Scotch game. Variation is another term which describes a line within a general opening. It’s like a sub topic; a good example is the exchange variation under Queen Gambits declined. When you make an opening using the black piece, this is referred to as a defense. A defense is an aggressive move and an example of this is the Two Knights defense and Nimzo Indian defense.
There are openings that involve sacrifice of material and this can be 1 or 2 pawns. The term used here is Gambit and it can refer to white or black pieces. If the opponent takes the offered material you will hear of Accepted Gambit. On the other hand refusal of the sacrifice is a Declined Gambit. Queens Gambit is only temporary and is not true because black cannot keep the pawn. When a Gambit is played by black or as a response to white, the term used is Counter Gambit. An example is Flakbeer Counter Gambit or Kings Gambit.
When you come up with a method of development used against different setups by your opponent this is called a system. The Hedgehog System, Colle System, Stonewall System and Barcza System are perfect examples. Learning chess openings the simplest way is by taking one term or opening and practicing it for a couple of weeks. It is not easy to learn them all at once because you will get confused along the way.
An attack is an aggressive or provocative variation like Fried Liver Attack and the two Knights defense. In other cases it can refer to the defense system by black when it is adopted by white. Most players associate an attack with the inoffensive Durkin Opening. A reversed or inverted opening refers to a black opening played by white or the opposite which is a white opening played by black. Studying and understanding chess openings the layman’s way will hasten your learning process. There are many books and sites claiming to teach you all Chess openings the simplest way possible. I suggest first start by understand the meanings behind the many terms then play the game. Just like other games, chess cannot be learnt over night, in few days or a week.
