The Keres Defence is a chess opening

Chess 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...

 characterised by the moves:

1. d4 e6

2. c4 Bb4+

The opening is named for Estonian grandmaster Paul Keres

Paul Keres

Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....

.

Transpositions after 2... Bb4+

White can respond 3.Nc3, 3.Nd2 or 3.Bd2. The game often transposes to a Dutch Defence

Dutch Defence

The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:Elias Stein , an Alsatian who settled in The Hague, recommended the defence as the best reply to 1.d4 in his 1789 book Nouvel essai sur le jeu des échecs, avec des réflexions militaires relatives à ce jeu.-Theory:Black's 1.....

, a Nimzo-Indian Defence

Nimzo-Indian Defence

The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:This hypermodern opening was developed by Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch who introduced it to master-level chess in the early 20th century. Unlike most Indian openings the Nimzo-Indian does not involve an immediate fianchetto,...

, a Bogo-Indian Defence

Bogo-Indian Defence

The Bogo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-Variations:White has three viable moves to meet the check. 4.Nc3 is a transposition to the Kasparov Variation of the Nimzo-Indian, therefore the main independent variations are 4.Bd2 and 4.Nbd2.-4...

, a Queen's Indian Defence, an English Defence

English Defence

The English Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6. White often gains a broad pawn centre with 3.e4, which Black puts pressure on with moves like ...Bb7, ...Bb4, and sometimes even ...Qh4 and/or ...f5. It was developed by the Leicester player P.N...

, or a Queen's Gambit Declined

Queen's Gambit Declined

The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined...

. 3.Nc3 is likely to transpose into one of those openings: 3...Nf6 (Nimzo-Indian Defence), 3...f5 (Dutch Defence), 3...d5 (an unusual form of Queen's Gambit Declined), or 3...b6 (English Defence). Black has the same options after 3.Nd2, except that 3...Nf6 4.Nf3 is a Bogo-Indian Defense.

2. e4

Although unusual, the opening is fully sound. Perhaps the only reason it is not seen more often is that most players of the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Gambit Declined, and Dutch prefer to not give White the option of playing 2.e4 after 1.d4, so they tend to play 1...Nf6, 1...d5, or 1...f5 instead. After 1.d4 e6 2.e4, Black must decide whether to play 2...d5 (the French Defence

French Defence

The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the moves:The French has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages...

), 2...b6 (Owen's Defence), 2...c5 (the Franco-Benoni), or 2...f5 (the Kingston Defence

Kingston Defence

The Kingston Defence or Franco-Dutch Defence is an uncommon chess opening. It is characterised by the opening moves:giving the position at right. . Its ECO classification is C01.The first record of the defence being played is Schiffers-Chigorin, 1880...

).

See also

• List of chess openings
• List of chess openings named after people
• List of chess openings named after animals

External links

• chess database