Van 't Kruijs Opening
Encyclopedia
The Van 't Kruijs Opening (vɑn ət ˈkrœys) is a chess opening
defined by the move
It is named after the Amsterdam
player Maarten van 't Kruijs (1813–1885) 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
and Bent Larsen
. Garry Kasparov
has used the move against the Fritz
chess-engine to get it "out of book."
This opening is beginning to age. After 1. e3 f5! 2. d4 Nf6, Black is in a Dutch Defense where White's e3 is not a really helpful move, and so forth virtually wastes a tempo
.
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...
defined by the move
- 1. e3
It is named after the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
player Maarten van 't Kruijs (1813–1885) who won the sixth Dutch championship
Dutch Chess Championship
The Dutch Chess Championship was officially established in 1909, although unofficial champions stretch back to the 1870s.-Early years:-Official championships:...
in 1878. As this opening move is rarely played, it is considered an irregular opening
Irregular chess openings
Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual or rare first moves from White. Such openings include:*1.a3 *1.a4 *1.b4 *1.c3...
, and thus it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
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...
(ECO).
The opening 1. e3 is not popular according to ChessBase
ChessBase
ChessBase GmbH is a German company that markets chess software, maintains a chess news site, and operates a server for online chess. Set up in 1998, it maintains and sells massive databases, containing most historic games, that permit analysis that had not been possible prior to computing...
; it ranks eleventh in popularity out of the twenty possible first moves. It releases the king's bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
, 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
Transposition (chess)
A transposition in chess is a sequence of moves that results in a position which may also be reached by another, more common sequence of moves. Transpositions are particularly common in opening, where a given position may be reached by different sequences of moves...
to lines of the English Opening
English Opening
In chess, the English Opening is the opening where White begins:A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular and, according to various databases, anywhere from one of the two most successful to the fourth most successful of White's twenty possible first moves. White begins the fight for the...
(c2-c4), Queen's Pawn Game
Queen's Pawn Game
In the most general sense the term Queen's Pawn Game can refer to any chess opening which starts with the move:It is the second most popular opening move. The name is now usually used to describe openings beginning with the moves 1.d4 d5 where White does not follow through with an early pawn...
(d2-d4), or reversed 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...
(delayed d2-d4) or reversed 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.....
(f2-f4) positions.
The Van 't Kruijs Opening is not a common choice for Grandmasters
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
, but its ability to transpose into many different openings explains its attraction for some people such as the Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
Grandmaster Pavel Blatny, Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...
and Bent Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
. Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
has used the move against the Fritz
Fritz (chess)
Fritz is a German chess program developed by Frans Morsch and Mathias Feist and published by ChessBase. There is also a version called Deep Fritz that is designed for multiprocessing....
chess-engine to get it "out of book."
This opening is beginning to age. After 1. e3 f5! 2. d4 Nf6, Black is in a Dutch Defense where White's e3 is not a really helpful move, and so forth virtually wastes a tempo
Tempo (chess)
In chess, tempo refers to a "turn" or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, he "gains a tempo" and conversely when he takes one more move than necessary he "loses a tempo"...
.
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 Nc6 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 d5 3. Bb3