Van 't Kruijs Opening

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This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
Van 't Kruijs Opening
Image:chess zhor 26.png
Image:chess zver 26.png a8 rd b8 nd c8 bd d8 qd e8 kd f8 bd g8 nd h8 rd Image:chess zver 26.png
a7 pd b7 pd c7 pd d7 pd e7 pd f7 pd g7 pd h7 pd
a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 f6 g6 h6
a5 b5 c5 d5 e5 f5 g5 h5
a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h4
a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 pl f3 g3 h3
a2 pl b2 pl c2 pl d2 pl e2 f2 pl g2 pl h2 pl
a1 rl b1 nl c1 bl d1 ql e1 kl f1 bl g1 nl h1 rl
Image:chess zhor 26.png
Moves 1.e3
ECO A00
Named after Maarten van 't Kruijs
Parent Irregular chess opening
Synonym(s) Van 't Kruys
Chessgames.com opening explorer

The Van 't Kruijs Opening (also Van 't Kruys) is a chess opening defined by the move

1. e3

It is named after the Amsterdam player Maarten van 't Kruijs (18131885) who won the sixth Dutch championship in 1878. As this opening move is rarely played, it is considered an irregular opening, and thus it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO).

The opening 1. e3 is not popular according to ChessBase; it ranks eleventh in popularity out of the twenty possible first moves. It releases the king's bishop, and makes a modest claim of the centre, but the move is somewhat passive. The queen's bishop's development is somewhat hindered by the pawn on e3, and White usually wants to take more than a modest stake of the centre.

Although not very aggressive for a first move, play may transpose to lines of the English Opening (c2-c4), Queen's Pawn Game (d2-d4), or reversed French Defence (delayed d2-d4) or reversed Dutch Defence (f2-f4) positions.

The Van 't Kruijs Opening is not a common choice for Grandmasters, but its ability to transpose into many different openings explains its attraction for some people such as the Czech Grandmaster Pavel Blatny, Aron Nimzowitsch[1] and Bent Larsen[2]. Garry Kasparov has used the move against the Fritz chess-engine to get it "out of book."


[edit] Named variations

  • Amsterdam Attack: 1. e3 e5 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.b3 Nf6
  • Ekolu Variation: 1. e3 e5 2. Nc3 d5 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3
  • Alua Variation: 1. e3 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3
  • Akahi Variation: 1. e3 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3
  • Bouncing Bishop Variation: 1. e3 e5 2. Bc4 b5 3. Bb3

[edit] References

  1. ^ Aron Nimzowitsch playing 1.e3 at Chessgames.com
  2. ^ Bent Larsen playing 1.e3 at Chessgames.com
Wikibooks

[edit] External links