What to play in chess openings?

Question

Well I hope you answer these if you like chess.

FIRST. What do you play if your opponent plays the silicon defence (1.e4 c5), and if you are the one to play what can you do if white plays 2.d4 if I take white plays 2.f3 or c3. SECOND. I also dont know how to handle the Queens gambit. Most of the time I decline it with 2 ...c6, but that is not a problem. THIRD. Okay well I found out that the King's gambit is busted but I don't know how to really stop it. Maybe you do what i like to do in the opening. Take the pawn and then check with the Queen on the H file if white makes a discovery by moving the pawn on the E file and attacking the black pawn. Though most of the time I think Nf3 if played by white. Therefore I don't accept the king's gambit. Is it really busted? If it is, please tell me what to play.

Answer 1

1.  After 1.  e4 c5 2.  d4  pxp.   3.  c3...take the c3 pawn and be happy.  It's the morra gambit, and not very good for white, although it can be tricky.  3. f3 is horrible for white.  

2.  You're way of playing vs the Q's gambit is fine:  The Slav Defense.

3.  If you are worried about the king's Gambit, decline it with 2...Bc5.  if 3. PxP, Q-h4+ wins.  

My favorite response is 2...d5.  

It's not busted, it's just out of favor.

Answer 2

I should like to point out it's not actually called the Silicon defence, but the Sicilian defense, after the little Isle Sicily. It does not refer to Silicon valley. So if white plays 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3, you can just win a pawn by taking it. I did that once or twice and it should be ok, but I thought it was difficult. Black can also try 3...d5, and if white accepts you get a good square for the queen. (Nc3 is impossible now.) White has some play with his isolani if he follows up with 5.cxd4. The centre pawn looks weak but you have to play this carefully with black. Objectively, black should be best off just taking the pawn, because none of these variations are easy and you just want to be a pawn up, don't you? Your other question: White plays 2.f3. That's just a bad move blocking the knight. It's not even theory. It doesn't need a special refutation.

The queen's gambit. The Slav is alright, as they say, it's rock hard. It will also require you to do some subtle defending. You must find the right time to break up white's centre. The Slav is essentially a light square constraint strategy. you keep those black pawns on c6 and e6, preventing white's d5. And when you're ready for it, advance in the centre, still preventing d5. Then white must exchange and you're ok. This is not the easiest strategy and if you're looking for something else, check out the example of the Queen's gambit accepted I posted earlier. (Just look at the questions in my profile.)

The king's gambit. I believe you have just described what is called the Dodo variation. It may be extinct, because no one plays it. :) Anyway, it's not so much busted, but the article by Bobby Fischer is interesting nonetheless. (See source) You can chose yourself which variation you like to play. I would not call Fischer's variation a refutation but it should be good.

Good luck and merry christmas.

Answer 3

I would recommend buying an opening reference book such as ECO, Batsford Modern Openings or Nunn's chess openings. I did this when I started playing in chess tournaments as a young junior and it helped me immensely. You should be able to find answers to all your opening questions in there.

Having said that I'll have a go at ur questions myself:

1. Fashionable against the Sicilian these days is 2. Nf3 followed by d4, Nc3, Be3, f3, Qd2, 0-0-0 and launch a Kingside-attack.

Against 2.d4, cxd4 is good followed by Nc6, d6, e6. Its very solid for black

2. 2...c6 is a good solid way of playing against Queen's Gambit

3. King's Gambit isn't actually busted - but an interesting way of dealing with it that you might like is by playing 2...g5 followed by the threat of g4 and Qh4+