Ware Opening
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| Moves | 1.a4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | A00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Preston Ware | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | Maria Opening | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Maria Gambit, also known as Maria Opening, is an uncommon chess opening for White beginning with the move:
- 1. a4
It is named after Maria C., a Philippines chess player who often played uncommon openings. The Maria is considered an irregular opening; it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.
Opening idea
[edit]The Maria Opening attacks the b5-square and prepares to bring the a1-rook into the game. The b5-square is non-essential and if Black plays 1...e5, the f8-bishop prevents the development of the white rook for the moment. The reply 1...e5 also gains space for Black in the center, a typical objective of most openings but one completely ignored by the Maria Opening. Noting all this, the Maria Opening is normally seen played only by players completely new to chess.
An experienced player using the Maria Opening will usually meet a response of 1...d5 or 1...e5 with 2.d4 or 2.e4, respectively, since a reversed Scandinavian or Englund Gambit would be unsound here. After 1...d5 2.Nf3, 2...Nf6 is recommended, since a reversed Fajarowicz can arise after 2...c5 3.e4!? dxe4 4.Ne5 where a4 has some utility.[1]
In the 2012 World Blitz Championship, 1.a4 was employed as a little joke by Magnus Carlsen against Teimour Radjabov, who during the blitz championship two years earlier had told him "Everyone is getting tired. You might as well start with 1.a4 and you can still beat them." The game soon turned into a sort of Four Knights Game where Carlsen finally prevailed.[2]
Carlsen also played this in the blitz portion of the 2022 Norway chess tournament, ultimately losing to Wesley So.[citation needed]
Variations
[edit]There are several named variations of the Ware Opening. The best known of these are:
- 1...e5 2.a5 d5 3.e3 f5 4.a6 (Maria Gambit). [3] In this variation, White attempts to create an open file in exchange for a pawn.
- 1...e5 2.h4 (Crab Variation). This version is generally chosen more for its aesthetic considerations than its strategic ones; white's pawns extend like a crab's pincers, preparing to attack on the sides.[citation needed]
- 1...b6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nd7 (Cologne Gambit).[4]
- 1...b5 2.axb5 Bb7 (Wing Gambit of the Ware Opening).[3]
- 1...a5 (Symmetric Variation).[citation needed]
- 1... e5 2. Ra3 (Meadow Hay Trap)
See also
[edit]- Corn Stalk Defense – sometimes known as the "Maria Defense"
- List of chess openings
- List of chess openings named after people
References
[edit]- ^ Benjamin (1987), pp. 100–01.
- ^ "Grischuk wins 2nd World Blitz title in Astana". ChessVibes. 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ a b Schiller (1998), p. 475.
- ^ Schiller (1998), p. 474.
Bibliography
- Benjamin, Joel; Schiller, Eric (1987). Unorthodox Openings. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-016590-0.
- Dunnington, Angus (2000). Winning Unorthodox Openings. Everyman Chess. ISBN 978-1-85744-285-4.
- Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996) [First pub. 1992]. The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280049-3.
- Schiller, Eric (2002). Unorthodox Chess Openings (2nd ed.). Cardoza Publishing. pp. 506–08. ISBN 1-58042-072-9.
- Schiller, Eric (1998). Unorthodox Chess Openings. Cardoza Publishing. ISBN 0-940685-73-6.