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Control the Center
The Power of the Bishop's Opening
Tired of the Ruy Lopez?
Looking for a solid yet surprising opening for White?
The Bishop's Opening (1. e4 e5 2. Bc4)
offers a unique path to control the center and launch powerful attacks!
The Bishop's Opening is not as popular as some other openings, but it
can be a good choice for players who want to control the center of the
board and play for a solid, positional advantage.
The Bishop's Opening can lead to closed, positional positions, and is a good choice for players who prefer a more measured, strategic approach to the game.
- Ruy Lopez with 2...Nc6
- Two Knights Defense with 2...Nf6
- Berlin Defense with 2...Nf6 3. d3
C23 Sub-variants:
Bishop's opening
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4
Bishop's opening, Philidor counter-attack
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 c6
Bishop's opening, Lisitsyn variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 c6 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 cxd5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Nxd7 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Ne2
Bishop's opening, Calabrese counter-gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 f5
Bishop's opening, Calabrese counter-gambit, Jaenisch variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 f5 3. d3
Bishop's opening, Classical variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5
Bishop's opening, Lopez gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Qe2 Nc6 4. c3 Nf6 5. f4
Bishop's opening, Philidor variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3
Bishop's opening, Pratt variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5 6. exf6 dxc4 7. Qh5 O-O
Bishop's opening, Lewis counter-gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 d5
Bishop's opening, del Rio variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 Qg5
Bishop's opening, Lewis gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. d4
Bishop's opening, Wing gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4
Bishop's opening, MacDonnell double gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4 Bxb4 4. f4
Bishop's opening, Four pawns' gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4 Bxb4 4. f4 exf4 5. Nf3 Be7 6. d4 Bh4+ 7. g3 fxg3 8. O-O gxh2+ 9. Kh1
C24 Sub-variants:
Bishop's opening, Berlin defence
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6
Bishop's opening, Greco gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. f4
Bishop's opening, Ponziani gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4
Bishop's opening, Urusov gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nf3
Bishop's opening, Urusov gambit, Panov variation
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nf3 d5 5. exd5 Bb4+ 6. c3 Qe7
BOOKS (Free)
Short & Sweet: Bishop's Opening - FREE Chessable Course - 21 Trainable Variations w/ 1hr & 18 Min of Video (IM Miodrag Perunovic)
Bishops Opening Chess ARTICLES
Overall Strategy & Concepts:
- The Bishop’s Opening – How to Play It as White and Black - Chessable Blog Opening Guide, Detailed overview of the opening w/ some traps and Lines
- Bishop’s Opening: Complete Guide - ChessWorld - Opening Guide w/ 2 Annotated Games and embedded 30 Min Video from GM Damien Lemos
- Bishop’s Opening (Simple and Powerful) - Remote Chess Academy (Article w/ 22 Min Video and 3 Very Detailed Annotated games in Lichess Study Format)
Specific Variations & Gambits:
- The Jerome Gambit Blog ( All about this one Gambit over 2000 posts???)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ...and related lines
(risky/Non risky lines, tactics & psychology for fast, exciting play) - The Urusov Gambit - Huge Simplify Chess Page (Explaining every Move)
Learning from the Masters:
- Magnus Carlsen’s Bishop’s Opening - Blog Articles 2018 - Game analysis of a Carlson game vs. Caruana, Historical Context and a 22Min Embeeded Video from GM Daniel King about the Game.
- Openings for Tactical Players: the Bishop's Opening. - GM Gregory Serper - Analysis and Puzzles from 4 Famous Games.
GAMES DATABASES
Level up your Bishop's Opening repertoire with thousands of games at your disposal! Here are some of the best online databases to explore and analyze Bishop's Opening games (C23-C24):
365Chess.com
- C23: Bishop's opening 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 - 16,000 Games ( Broken into 15 sub-varients)
- C24: Bishop's opening, Berlin defence 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 - 11,000 Games (Broken into 5 Sub-Varients)
Chessgames.com
- Bishop's Opening (C23-C24) - 2243 games
- C24 Urusov-Gambit - 51 Game Collection
Bishop's Opening LiChess Studies
Take your Bishop's Opening knowledge to the next level with interactive LiChess studies! These studies allow you to explore variations move-by-move, test your understanding, and solidify key concepts.
Comprehensive Studies:
- The Bishop Opening - 20 Chapter Study - Real nice study of belin and Classical w/ other sidelines
- Opening Studies (Bishop's Opening) - 8 Chapter Study (All Annotated Games) Each game a different Variation.
Focusing on Specific Variations:
- Bishop's opening - 10 Chapter Study (583 hearts) - Mainly the Gambits
- Bishop's Openings for Beginners - 12 Chapter Study - Nice list of the different gambit openings.
- Urusov gambit - Huge In-depth Study with 55 Chapters - Deep dive into the Different variations of the Gambit down to lines at Move 7 with Model games at the end of the study.
LiStudy (Lichess Move Order trainer)
Bishop's Opening - 2 Studies Here you Can Practice.
Bishop's Opening Chess Video Lessons
Playlists
- Bishops Opening (5 Video Playlist) IM Miodrag Perunovic (Over 2.5 Hrs) - A thorough exploration of the Bishop's Opening by an experienced chess instructor. (Great for intermediate and advanced players)
- Bishop's Opening - Ideas, Traps, and Everything! - 23 Video playlist - GM Igor Smirnov - An in-depth course by a Grandmaster, covering strategic concepts, tactical opportunities, and common pitfalls. (Excellent for all levels)
Bishop's Opening (Sneaky Good Attack) - 20 Min
Opening Basics #19: Bishop's opening - 18 Min
The Modern Bishop's Opening | White's Response against the Two Knights Defense | IM Alex Astaneh - 33 Min
How to play against the bishops opening - 14 Min
Urusov Gambit - Deep Dives
The Unbeatable Urusov Gambit - Chess Openings Explained - 49 Min (St Louis CC Lesson) - Jonathan Schrantz - A detailed explanation of the gambit's potential and Black's challenges.
Chess Opening: Urusov Gambit - 17 Min
Diving Deep into Urusov Gambit Theory - 13 Min
The Urusov Gambit | Attacking Gambit in the Bishop's Opening IM Andrey Ostrovskiy - 12 Min
Chess Openings: Smash 'em with The Urusov Gambit!! - 44 min IM Miodrag Perunovic - In-depth analysis of the Urusov Gambit. Discusses various responses to the gambit, highlighting the importance of development and initiative in chess.
Human Defeats Stockfish with Urusov Gambit - 11 min Johnathan Schrantz
Dirty Chess Tricks 14 (Urusov Gambit Declined) - 14 Min
Dirty Chess Tricks 15 (Urusov Gambit Accepted) - 27 Min
The Original URUSOV GAMBIT Surprised a Future World Champion | Chess History Explained - 17 Min
Smothered Mate and an Urusov Gambit | Viewers' Choice - GM Yasser Seirawan - 50 Min
Chess Tips: How To Play The Dangerous Urusov Gambit? - 67 Min Maurice Bishop
Alterman GGuide The Urusov Gambit part1 - 34 Min
Alterman GGuide The Urusov Gambit part2 - 33 min
Ponziani Gambit
- Win Fast with The Bishops Opening! Ponziani Gambit!! - 17 Min IM Miodrag Perunovic
Greco Gambit
- Chess Opening Tricks to WIN Fast | Greco Gambit Traps, Moves, Strategies & Ideas - 7 Min
- GRECO GAMBIT OPENING!!! CARLSEN vs SOCKO - 7 Min
4 Pawns Gambit
- Chess Openings: Learn to Play the Four Pawns Gambit! - 6 Min
- Human Beats Stockfish with FOUR PAWNS GAMBIT - 13 Min
Lewis Gambit
- PREVIEW: Gambit Guide - Bishop's Opening, Lewis Gambit - 4 Min
- Dirty Chess Tricks 13 (Lewis Gambit) - 18 Min
- What is the Lewis Gambit? | Harrison Keyser Plays The People! - 3 min
Calabrese Counter Gambit
Calabrese Counter Gambit against Bishop's Opening - 21 Min - It counters the bishop's opening with 2...f5, as we also do against the Italian or Spanish. It's a rarely-seen but effective response for the aggressive player.
Bishops Opening Chess Traps
Elevate your tactical awareness with videos exploring common traps and winning opportunities in the Bishop's Opening. (Great for all levels)
- 5 Best Chess Opening Traps in the Bishop’s Opening - 11 Min GM Igor Smirnov
- 4 Quick Checkmates In The Bishop’s Opening - 11 Min GM Igor Smirnov
- Top 5 Traps to WIN Fast in the Bishop's Opening - 16 Min GM Igor Smirnov
- Episode 2 of High Probability Traps! Chess Traps to WIN Fast: Bishops Opening Tricks and Ideas - 12 Min - NM Nelson Lopez - I will show you all the traps for white in this Bishop's Opening variation. I will also show you the best chess tactics and ideas that white should be aware of and how to counter blacks best opening plans to gain an advantage in the opening.
Game Videos (W/Analysis)
Bishop's Opening - 10 Video Playlist - kingscrusher (Famous games)
Bishop's Opening - 16 Video Playlist - agadmantor
Amazing BULLETPROOF Approach in Bishops Opening!! - 11 min - IM Miodrag Perunovic - Guy beats IM in 15 Moves in Classical with Bishop's opening. (New - 6/5/2024)
Magnus Carlsen strikes with the Bishop’s Opening! - 22 Min
Chess Tips: Play The Bishops Opening Like Kasparov!! 2...Nc6 - 36 Min IM Miodrag Perunovic
Finally Had Chance to Play Bishops Opening in Real Tournament! All Wins!! - 16 Min - IM Miodrag Perunovic
Dubov plays the Urusov Gambit, or Dubusov? || Dubov vs Giri - 13 Min
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| "In order to avoid playing the opening theory, you need to study A LOT of opening theory." - Peter Svidler |