Chess opening theory table
Encyclopedia
A chess opening theory table or ECO
(Encyclopedia Of Chess Openings) table presents lines of moves, typically (but not always) from the starting position. Notated
chess
moves are presented in the table from left to right. Variations on a given line are given horizontally below the parent line.
theory tables are commonly published in opening books with annotations by experienced chess players. These tables are typically arranged in a compact manner to allow experienced players to see variations from a position quickly. Usually, the table indicates that either White or Black has equal, slightly better, or better chances at the end of the variation. Often, this information is distilled down to mere symbols
or the percentage of games (usually tournament games) where White won – no information is usually given on what the assessment is based on or how to proceed in the game.
(...) represent moves that, for the variation, are identical to the variation above. Bold type indicates that another variation is considered elsewhere – usually in another table. A hyphen
(-) or en dash (–) indicates that the variation transposes to a variation elsewhere. Transpositions are common in chess – a given position can often be reached by different move orders – even move orders with more or fewer moves.
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
(Encyclopedia Of Chess Openings) table presents lines of moves, typically (but not always) from the starting position. Notated
Chess notation
Chess notation is the term for several systems that have developed to record either the moves made during a game of chess or the position of the pieces on a chess board. The earliest systems of notation used lengthy narratives to describe each move; these gradually evolved into terser systems of...
chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
moves are presented in the table from left to right. Variations on a given line are given horizontally below the parent line.
Arrangement
Chess openingChess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
theory tables are commonly published in opening books with annotations by experienced chess players. These tables are typically arranged in a compact manner to allow experienced players to see variations from a position quickly. Usually, the table indicates that either White or Black has equal, slightly better, or better chances at the end of the variation. Often, this information is distilled down to mere symbols
Punctuation (chess)
When annotating chess games, commentators frequently use question marks and exclamation points to denote a move as bad or good. The symbols normally used are "??", "?", "?!", "!?", "!", and "!!". The corresponding symbol is juxtaposed in the text immediately after the move When annotating chess...
or the percentage of games (usually tournament games) where White won – no information is usually given on what the assessment is based on or how to proceed in the game.
Shortcomings
Chess opening theory books that provide these tables are usually quite large and difficult for beginners to use. Because the table entries typically do not include the themes or goals involved in a given line, beginners will either try to memorize the tables or simply drown in the detail. The Wikibook Chess Opening Theory aims to bridge this gap by providing this type of information at the end of each line.Notation
Typically, each table has a heading indicating the moves required to reach the position for which the table provides an analysis. The example below is for the opening position, so no moves are shown in the heading. The first row provides the move numbers with subsequent row representing different variations. Since the initial position is not always the opening position, these number will not always start at "1." White half-moves are shown above black half-moves. EllipsesEllipsis
Ellipsis is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence...
(...) represent moves that, for the variation, are identical to the variation above. Bold type indicates that another variation is considered elsewhere – usually in another table. A hyphen
Hyphen
The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...
(-) or en dash (–) indicates that the variation transposes to a variation elsewhere. Transpositions are common in chess – a given position can often be reached by different move orders – even move orders with more or fewer moves.
Development
Chess openings are studied in great depth by serious players. "Novelties", or new, previously unexplored variations are often discovered and played by professional players. These new lines can refute lines that were previously thought to be sound. The games that represent this discovery process are represented in these ever-changing and expanding tables. With the advent of computer databases, even the most casual player can explore an opening line deeply, looking for novelties to spring on their opponents.Example
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Σ% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nf3 c5 |
c4 Nf6 |
Nc3 d5 |
cxd5 Nxd5 |
d4 Nxc3 |
bxc3 g6 |
e4 Bg7 |
Rb1 0-0 |
25: 42% |
| 2 | ... d5 |
d4 Nf6 |
c4 c6 |
Nc3 e6 |
e3 Nbd7 |
Qc2 Bd6 |
b3 0-0 |
Be2 b6 |
16: 56% |
| 3 | ... Nf6 |
c4 e6 |
Nc3 Bb4 |
Qc2 0-0 |
a3 Bxc3 |
Qxc3 b6 |
b4 a5 |
Bb2 axb4 |
28: 63% |
| 4 | d4 d5 |
c4 dxc4 |
e6 |
e3 Nf6 |
Bxc4 c5 |
0-0 a6 |
Bb3 cxd4 |
exd4 Nc6 |
33: 50% |
| 5 | ... ... |
... c6 |
Nf3 Nf6 |
Nc3 dxc4 |
a4 Bf5 |
Ne5 Nbd7 |
Nxc4 Qc7 |
g3 e5 |
28: 63% |
| 6 | ... Nf6 |
c4 g6 |
Nc3 Bg7 |
e4 d6 |
Nf3 0-0 |
Be2 e5 |
Be3 c6 |
d5 Ng4 |
28: 57% |
| 7 | ... ... |
... ... |
... d5 |
cxd5 Nxd5 |
e4 Nxc3 |
bxc3 Bg7 |
Nf3 c5 |
Be3 Qa5 |
16: 59% |
| 8 | ... ... |
... e6 |
Nf3 d5 |
Nc3 Be7 |
Bf4 0-0 |
e3 c5 |
dxc5 Bxc5 |
a3 Nc6 |
28: 52% |
| 9 | ... ... |
... ... |
Nc3 Bb4 |
Qc2 0-0 |
a3 Bxc3† |
Qxc3 b6 |
Bg5 Bb7 |
f3 h6 |
23: 67% |
| 10 | ... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... d5 |
cxd5 Qxd5 |
e3 c5 |
Bxc3 |
Bxc3 cxd4 |
13: 46% |
| 11 | e4 e6 |
d4 d5 |
Nc3 Nf6 |
e5 Nfd7 |
f4 c5 |
Nf3 Nc6 |
Be3 cxd4 |
Nxd4 Bc5 |
31: 77% |
| 12 | ... e5 |
Nf3 Nf6 |
Nxe5 d6 |
Nf3 Nxe4 |
d4 d5 |
Bd3 Nc6 |
0-0 Be7 |
c4 Nf6 |
16: 63% |
| 13 | ... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... Nb4 |
20: 50% |
| 14 | ... ... |
... Nc6 |
Bb5 Nf6 |
0-0 Nxe4 |
d4 Nd6 |
Bxc6 dxc6 |
dxe5 Nf5 |
Qxd8+ Kxd8 |
24: 60% |
| 15 | ... ... |
... ... |
... a6 |
Ba4 Nf6 |
0-0 Be7 |
Re1 b5 |
Bb3 d6 |
c3 0-0 |
35: 63% |
| 16 | ... c5 |
Nf3 Nc6 |
Bb5 g6 |
0-0 Bg7 |
Re1 e5 |
Bxc6 dxc6 |
d3 Ne7 |
Be3 b6 |
29: 50% |
| 17 | ... ... |
... ... |
Nc3 e5 |
Bc4 d6 |
d3 Be7 |
0-0 Nf6 |
Nh4 Nd4 |
g3 Bg4 |
16: 59% |
| 18 | ... ... |
... ... |
d4 cxd4 |
Nxd4 Nf6 |
Nc3 e5 |
Ndb5 d6 |
Bg5 a6 |
Na3 b5 |
31: 56% |
| 19 | ... ... |
... d6 |
d4 cxd4 |
Nxd4 Nf6 |
Nc3 a6 |
Be2 e6 |
f4 Be7 |
Be3 0-0 |
28: 45% |
| 20 | ... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
... ... |
Be3 e6 |
f3 b5 |
g4 h6 |
32: 52% |
External sources of chess opening theory tables
- John NunnJohn NunnJohn Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
(Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe GallagherJoseph GallagherJoseph Gerald Gallagher is a British Chess Grandmaster and former British Champion, as well as a chess author.Born to Irish parents Norah and Patrick, Gallagher was the eldest child . His sister Marie also played chess to an international standard at age 11...
(1999), Nunn's Chess Openings. ISBN 1-85744-221-0. - Nick de FirmianNick de FirmianNicholas Ernest de Firmian , is a chess grandmaster and three-time U.S. chess champion, winning in 1987 , 1995, and 1998. He also tied for first in 2002, but Larry Christiansen won the playoff...
, Walter KornWalter KornWalter Korn was an author of books and magazine articles about chess. Despite his status as a writer, there is no known record of him playing tournament chess, and few chess players ever met him...
(1999), Modern Chess OpeningsModern Chess OpeningsModern Chess Openings is an important reference book on the chess openings, first published in 1911 by the British players Richard Clewin Griffith and John Herbert White...
: MCO-14. ISBN 0-8129-3084-3. - Aleksandar MatanovićAleksandar MatanovicAleksandar Matanović is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was born in Belgrade.Awarded the GM title in 1955, he was junior champion of Yugoslavia in 1948 and Yugoslav national champion in 1962 , 1969 and 1978...
, editor, Encyclopaedia of Chess OpeningsEncyclopaedia of Chess OpeningsThe Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
, 5 volumes (Belgrade: Šahovski informatorChess InformantChess Informant is a publishing company from Belgrade that periodically produces a book of the same name, as well as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings, Opening Monographs, other print publications, and software Chess Informant (Šahovski Informator) is a...
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