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Bird's Opening

August 16, 2023

Bird's Opening (or the Dutch Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the move:

Bird's Opening
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Moves1.f4
ECOA02–A03
Named afterHenry Bird
1. f4

Named after 19th century English player Henry Bird, Bird's opening is a standard flank opening. White's strategic ideas involve control of the e5-square, offering good attacking chances at the expense of slightly weakening their own kingside. Black may challenge White's plan to control e5 immediately by playing From's Gambit (1...e5); however, the From Gambit is notoriously double-edged and should only be played after significant study.

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings assigns two codes for Bird's Opening: A02 (1.f4) and A03 (1.f4 d5).

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

History

The opening was mentioned by Luis Ramírez de Lucena in his book Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con Cien Juegos de Partido, published c. 1497. In the mid-nineteenth century the opening was sometimes played by La Bourdonnais and Elijah Williams, among others. The British master Henry Edward Bird first played it in 1855 and continued to do so for the next 40 years.[1] In 1885, the Hereford Times named it after him.[2] In the first half of the 20th century Aron Nimzowitsch and Savielly Tartakower sometimes played 1.f4.[3] In more recent decades, grandmasters who have used the Bird's with any regularity include Bent Larsen, Andrew Soltis, Lars Karlsson,[4] Mikhail Gurevich, and Henrik Danielsen.[5]

1...d5

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after 1.f4 d5

Black's most common response is 1...d5, when the game can take on the character of a Dutch Defence (1.d4 f5) with colours reversed. White will then often either fianchetto their king's bishop with Nf3, g3, Bg2, and 0–0 with a reversed Leningrad Dutch; adopt a Stonewall formation with pawns on d4, e3, and f4 and attempt a kingside attack; or fianchetto their queen's bishop to increase their hold on the e5-square. Another strategy, by analogy with the Ilyin–Zhenevsky variation of the Dutch Defence, involves White playing Nf3, e3, Be2, 0-0, d3 and attempting to achieve the break e3–e4 by various means, e.g. Ne5, Bf3, Qe2 and finally e3–e4, or simply Nc3 followed by e4. Timothy Taylor's book on Bird's Opening suggests as a main line: 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Be2 Nf6 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 c5.

White can also play 2.c4, the Mujannah-Sturm gambit. This is a decent opening and seems to borrow ideas from the Réti Opening (1.Nf3 d5 2.c4) and the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Eventually, this move order is followed by Nf3. The best move in this position is 2...d4, where the game continues in the style of the Réti Opening, with 3.Nf3 being a possible next move. 2.c4 is not a true gambit, since if Black tries to hold on to their pawn, they will be punished (2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 b5? [Black should pursue development instead] 4.a4 c6? 5.axb5 cxb5 6.Qf3, where Black must part with a minor piece, akin to the Queen's Gambit Accepted trap).

From's Gambit: 1...e5

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after 1.f4 e5

Black's sharpest reply is 1...e5!?, From's Gambit, named for the Danish chess player Martin Severin From (1828–1895). White then has the option to transpose into the King's Gambit with 2.e4. This is an important option which may cause Black to consider playing a different line if they wish to avoid the King's Gambit. It has been observed that one of the possible disadvantages of From's Gambit is that it is very easy for White to avoid.

If White accepts the gambit with 2.fxe5, Black must choose between the main line 2...d6 and the rather obscure 2...Nc6. After 2...Nc6, International Master (IM) Timothy Taylor, in his 2005 book on the Bird's, recommends 3.Nc3! Nxe5 4.d4 intending 5.e4, rather than 3.Nf3?! g5! when Black stands well.[6] After the normal 2...d6 3.exd6 Bxd6, White must play 4.Nf3, avoiding 4.Nc3?? Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxg3+ 6.hxg3 Bxg3 checkmate. Then Black again has two alternatives: 4...g5 to drive away White's knight, and 4...Nf6, threatening 5...Ng4 and 6...Nxh2! Future world champion Emanuel Lasker introduced 4...g5 in the game Bird–Lasker, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1892, so it is known as "Lasker's Variation".[7] Taylor considers 4...g5 dubious; a quiet response that he considers favourable for White is 5.d4 g4 6.Ne5! (6.Ng5? leads to a dubious piece sacrifice) Bxe5 7.dxe5 Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 Nc6 9.Nc3! Be6 (9...Nxe5?! 10.Bf4 f6 11.Nd5 Kd8 12.Nxf6!) 10.Bf4 0-0-0+ 11.Ke1 Nge7 12.e3 Ng6 13.Bg5 Rdf8 14.Bf6 Rhg8 15.Be2 Ngxe5 16.Rf1 "with the typical edge for White that is characteristic of this variation", according to Taylor.[8] He also considers the sharper 5.g3 g4 6.Nh4 favourable for White, giving as the main line 6...Ne7 7.d4 Ng6 8.Nxg6 hxg6 9.Qd3 Nc6 (9...Rh5 10.Bg2; 9...Na6 10.c3) 10.c3 (10.Nc3? Nxd4! 11.Qxd4?? Bxg3+ wins White's queen) Bf5 (10...Qe7 11.Bg2! Bd7 12.Nd2 0-0-0 13.Ne4! favoured White in Taylor–Becerra Rivero, Minneapolis 2005) 11.e4 Qe7 12.Bg2 0-0-0 13.Be3. According to Taylor, White has a large advantage in all lines, although play remains extremely sharp, e.g. 13...Rde8 14.Nd2; 13...Rxh2 14.Rxh2 Bxg3+ 15.Kd1 Bxh2 16.exf5! Re8 17.fxg6! Qxe3 18.Qxe3 Rxe3 19.gxf7; or 13...Bd7 (threatening 14...Rxh2!) 14.Bf2![9]

Other Black responses

  • The flexible 1...Nf6 is also possible. Then if White plays 2.b3?! (2.Nf3 is safer), 2...d6! 3.Bb2?! (or 3.Nf3 e5! 4.fxe5 dxe5 5.Nxe5?? Qd4!) e5!, a sort of From's Gambit Deferred introduced by IM Michael Brooks, is dangerous for White, e.g. 4.fxe5 dxe5 5.Bxe5 Ng4! Then 6.Bb2 Bd6 "leaves White in huge trouble down the e1–h4 diagonal", and Black wins an exchange after 7.Nf3 Bxh2! 8.Rxh2 Nxh2. After the alternative 6.Bg3, 6...Qf6! (even better than 6...Bd6) 7.c3 (not 7.Nc3? Ne3! 8.dxe3 Bb4) Bd6 is strong for Black.[10]
  • Another popular response is 1...g6, a sort of Modern Defense, which may transpose into a reversed Dutch Defense (if Black plays ...d5 and ...c5), or a Sicilian Defence (if White plays e4 and Black plays ...c5). Black thus prevents White from playing on the a1–h8 diagonal.
  • Also reasonable is 1...c5, hoping for a transposition into the Tal Gambit, a favourable variation of the Sicilian Defence, after 2.e4 d5! 3.exd5 (3.Nc3, the mellifluously named "Toilet Variation," is also possible) 3...Nf6, but White need not oblige, and may build up more slowly with 2.Nf3, followed by g3, Bg2, d3, and possibly a later e4.
  • The offbeat 1...b6!? is also known, and more soundly based than the same move after 1.e4 or 1.d4, since 1.f4 does not aid White's development, and weakens the a8–h1 diagonal as the move f3 is no longer available to shore up White's centre. Taylor recommends 2.e4 Bb7 3.d3 e6 4.Nf3 Ne7 5.c3 d5 6.Qc2 Nd7 7.Be3, with a spatial advantage for White.[11]
  • Also possible is 1...b5!?, a form of the Polish Defense. After the natural 2.e4 Bb7, White has no good way to protect e4 while maintaining their attack on b5, since 3.Nc3? b4 4.Nd5 e6 wins a pawn.
  • If Black chooses the symmetrical reply 1...f5, Taylor considers White's best line to be quiet play with 2.b3 b6 3.Bb2 Bb7 4.e3, when 4...Nf6 5.Bxf6! exf6 6.Nf3 left White with the better pawn structure in Larsen–Colon Romero, San Juan 1969. Instead, 4...e6 5.Qh5+ forces the weakening 5...g6, with a slight advantage to White according to Taylor.[12] Also possible is the aggressive 2.e4!?, when Taylor analyses 2...fxe4 3.d3 exd3 4.Bxd3 Nf6 5.Nf3 (5.g4 is well met by 5...d5, when after 6.g5, 6...Bg4 and 6...Ne4 both favour Black) 5...d5 6.0-0, when he considers White to have some, but not enough, compensation for the sacrificed pawn.[13] Another possible continuation is 2...fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g4, the Swiss Gambit. This gambit was named by Alexander Wagner (1868–1942), a Polish chess player and openings analyst who introduced it in the Swiss correspondence game Wagner–Kostin, 1910–11. The term "Swiss Gambit" is often used to refer more generally to 1.f4 f5 2.e4. Chess historian Edward Winter has criticized that usage, pointing out that 1.f4 f5 2.e4 was analysed by F.A. Lange in the June 1859 Deutsche Schachzeitung, and was played by many players, including Adolf Anderssen, in the nineteenth century.[14]
  • An aggressive but rare response is 1...g5?!, the Hobbs Gambit, with play possibly continuing 2.fxg5 h6, a sort of mirror image Benko Gambit. White can simply return the pawn with 3.g6, leaving Black with a weakened kingside after 3...fxg6. A variant is the Hobbs–Zilbermints Gambit, 1...h6 intending 2...g5; against this, White could proceed with 2.e4 g5 3.d4, when Black has lost time and weakened their kingside.
  • Another offbeat try is Martin Appleberry's 1...Nh6!?, also known as the Horsefly, which exploits the closed c1-h6 diagonal. One idea is to meet 2.b3 with 2...e5, another deferred From Gambit, and 2.e4 with 2...d5, when 3.exd5 Qxd5 would result in a Scandinavian Defense where White's pawn is oddly placed on f4. However, 2.Nf3 avoids both of these lines. The primary objective of the Horsefly is to retain control of e5, preventing the Stonewall attack, but otherwise giving White great flexibility.
  • Another possible reply by Black is 1...Nc6. With this move, Black lays the support for the advance of the e-pawn. The general sequence of moves that Black may opt for is ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...d6 and eventually advance the e-pawn.
  • Another possible reply is 1...e6. This exploits the weakness created by 1.f4 on the e1–h4 diagonal by releasing the queen, and also releases the king's bishop without offering a pawn, unlike the From Gambit. White should avoid playing 2.g4?? as it leads to 2...Qh4# (a variation of the Fool's Mate). 2.e4 transposes to the La Bourdonnais Variation of the French Defense (the normal order being 1.e4 e6 2.f4).

Popularity

Out of the twenty possible opening moves, 1.f4 ranks sixth in popularity in Chessgames.com's database, behind 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.Nf3, 1.c4, and 1.g3.[15] It is less than one-twentieth as popular as the mirror image English Opening (1.c4).[15] The move 1.f4 slightly weakens White's king's position.[16] Chessgames.com's statistics indicate that the opening is not an effective way of preserving White's first-move advantage: as of February 2013, out of 3,872 games with 1.f4, White had won 30.7%, drawn 32%, and lost 37.7%, for a total score of 46.7%.[15][17] White scores much better with the more popular 1.e4 (54.25%), 1.d4 (55.95%), 1.Nf3 (55.8%), 1.c4 (56.3%), and 1.g3 (55.8%), as well as with the less popular 1.b3 (52.5%).[15]

According to the similar site 365chess.com, which includes data for lower-level games, as of August 2015, out of 20,010 games with 1.f4, White had won 35.1%, drawn 25%, and lost 39.9%, for a total score of 47.6%.[18] The five more popular openings are still substantially more successful for White: 1.e4 (53.15%), 1.d4 (54.8%), 1.Nf3 (55.4%), 1.c4 (54.65%), and 1.g3 (54.9%).[18]

Looking at lichess.org, a popular website where millions of games are available, in the 1600-2200 rating range in Rapid, Classical, and Correspondence time controls White wins 50% of the time while losing 45% of the time in the 2,600,000 games in their database. In those games the most common responses to 1.f4 are d5 (41%), e6 (11%), c5 (9%), e5 (7%) and Nf6 (7%). Black's most successful response to Bird's Opening in that rating range is e5, where Black's win percentage is 50-46%, but that evens to 48-48% when White plays 2.fxe5.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Having forgotten familiar openings, I commenced adopting KBP for first move, and finding it led to highly interesting games out of the usual groove, I became partial to it." — Henry Bird (1873, entering match play after a six year absence from chess); Hooper and Whyld (1987), p. 32.
  2. ^ Hooper and Whyld (1992), p. 40.
  3. ^ de Firmian (2008), p. 732.
  4. ^ "The chess games of Lars Karlsson". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  5. ^ "The chess games of Henrik Danielsen". Chessgames.com. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  6. ^ Taylor (2005), p. 182.
  7. ^ Taylor (2005), pp. 150–51.
  8. ^ Taylor (2005), pp. 149–52.
  9. ^ Taylor (2005), pp. 135–45.
  10. ^ Palliser (2006), p. 124.
  11. ^ Taylor (2005), pp. 202–03.
  12. ^ Taylor (2005), p. 210.
  13. ^ Taylor (2005), pp. 214–16.
  14. ^ Edward Winter, 'The Swiss Gambit' (1998).
  15. ^ a b c d "Opening Explorer". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  16. ^ Adorján (1998), p. 27.
  17. ^ White's overall winning percentage is calculated by taking the percentage of games won by White and adding half of the percentage of drawn games, in this case 32.8 plus half of 25.3.
  18. ^ a b "Chess Opening Explorer". 365Chess.com. Retrieved 2022-10-09.

Bibliography

 
The Wikibook Chess Opening Theory has a page on the topic of: Bird's Opening

August 16, 2023
bird, opening, dutch, attack, chess, opening, characterised, move, abcdefgh8877665544332211abcdefghmoves1, f4ecoa02, a03named, afterhenry, bird, f4named, after, 19th, century, english, player, henry, bird, bird, opening, standard, flank, opening, white, strate. Bird s Opening or the Dutch Attack is a chess opening characterised by the move Bird s Openingabcdefgh8877665544332211abcdefghMoves1 f4ECOA02 A03Named afterHenry Bird 1 f4Named after 19th century English player Henry Bird Bird s opening is a standard flank opening White s strategic ideas involve control of the e5 square offering good attacking chances at the expense of slightly weakening their own kingside Black may challenge White s plan to control e5 immediately by playing From s Gambit 1 e5 however the From Gambit is notoriously double edged and should only be played after significant study The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings assigns two codes for Bird s Opening A02 1 f4 and A03 1 f4 d5 Contents 1 History 2 1 d5 3 From s Gambit 1 e5 4 Other Black responses 5 Popularity 6 See also 7 References 7 1 BibliographyThis article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves History EditThe opening was mentioned by Luis Ramirez de Lucena in his book Repeticion de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con Cien Juegos de Partido published c 1497 In the mid nineteenth century the opening was sometimes played by La Bourdonnais and Elijah Williams among others The British master Henry Edward Bird first played it in 1855 and continued to do so for the next 40 years 1 In 1885 the Hereford Times named it after him 2 In the first half of the 20th century Aron Nimzowitsch and Savielly Tartakower sometimes played 1 f4 3 In more recent decades grandmasters who have used the Bird s with any regularity include Bent Larsen Andrew Soltis Lars Karlsson 4 Mikhail Gurevich and Henrik Danielsen 5 1 d5 Editabcdefgh8 877665544332211abcdefghafter 1 f4 d5 Black s most common response is 1 d5 when the game can take on the character of a Dutch Defence 1 d4 f5 with colours reversed White will then often either fianchetto their king s bishop with Nf3 g3 Bg2 and 0 0 with a reversed Leningrad Dutch adopt a Stonewall formation with pawns on d4 e3 and f4 and attempt a kingside attack or fianchetto their queen s bishop to increase their hold on the e5 square Another strategy by analogy with the Ilyin Zhenevsky variation of the Dutch Defence involves White playing Nf3 e3 Be2 0 0 d3 and attempting to achieve the break e3 e4 by various means e g Ne5 Bf3 Qe2 and finally e3 e4 or simply Nc3 followed by e4 Timothy Taylor s book on Bird s Opening suggests as a main line 1 f4 d5 2 Nf3 g6 3 e3 Bg7 4 Be2 Nf6 5 0 0 0 0 6 d3 c5 White can also play 2 c4 the Mujannah Sturm gambit This is a decent opening and seems to borrow ideas from the Reti Opening 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 and the Queen s Gambit Accepted Eventually this move order is followed by Nf3 The best move in this position is 2 d4 where the game continues in the style of the Reti Opening with 3 Nf3 being a possible next move 2 c4 is not a true gambit since if Black tries to hold on to their pawn they will be punished 2 c4 dxc4 3 e3 b5 Black should pursue development instead 4 a4 c6 5 axb5 cxb5 6 Qf3 where Black must part with a minor piece akin to the Queen s Gambit Accepted trap From s Gambit 1 e5 Editabcdefgh8 877665544332211abcdefghafter 1 f4 e5 Black s sharpest reply is 1 e5 From s Gambit named for the Danish chess player Martin Severin From 1828 1895 White then has the option to transpose into the King s Gambit with 2 e4 This is an important option which may cause Black to consider playing a different line if they wish to avoid the King s Gambit It has been observed that one of the possible disadvantages of From s Gambit is that it is very easy for White to avoid If White accepts the gambit with 2 fxe5 Black must choose between the main line 2 d6 and the rather obscure 2 Nc6 After 2 Nc6 International Master IM Timothy Taylor in his 2005 book on the Bird s recommends 3 Nc3 Nxe5 4 d4 intending 5 e4 rather than 3 Nf3 g5 when Black stands well 6 After the normal 2 d6 3 exd6 Bxd6 White must play 4 Nf3 avoiding 4 Nc3 Qh4 5 g3 Qxg3 6 hxg3 Bxg3 checkmate Then Black again has two alternatives 4 g5 to drive away White s knight and 4 Nf6 threatening 5 Ng4 and 6 Nxh2 Future world champion Emanuel Lasker introduced 4 g5 in the game Bird Lasker Newcastle upon Tyne 1892 so it is known as Lasker s Variation 7 Taylor considers 4 g5 dubious a quiet response that he considers favourable for White is 5 d4 g4 6 Ne5 6 Ng5 leads to a dubious piece sacrifice Bxe5 7 dxe5 Qxd1 8 Kxd1 Nc6 9 Nc3 Be6 9 Nxe5 10 Bf4 f6 11 Nd5 Kd8 12 Nxf6 10 Bf4 0 0 0 11 Ke1 Nge7 12 e3 Ng6 13 Bg5 Rdf8 14 Bf6 Rhg8 15 Be2 Ngxe5 16 Rf1 with the typical edge for White that is characteristic of this variation according to Taylor 8 He also considers the sharper 5 g3 g4 6 Nh4 favourable for White giving as the main line 6 Ne7 7 d4 Ng6 8 Nxg6 hxg6 9 Qd3 Nc6 9 Rh5 10 Bg2 9 Na6 10 c3 10 c3 10 Nc3 Nxd4 11 Qxd4 Bxg3 wins White s queen Bf5 10 Qe7 11 Bg2 Bd7 12 Nd2 0 0 0 13 Ne4 favoured White in Taylor Becerra Rivero Minneapolis 2005 11 e4 Qe7 12 Bg2 0 0 0 13 Be3 According to Taylor White has a large advantage in all lines although play remains extremely sharp e g 13 Rde8 14 Nd2 13 Rxh2 14 Rxh2 Bxg3 15 Kd1 Bxh2 16 exf5 Re8 17 fxg6 Qxe3 18 Qxe3 Rxe3 19 gxf7 or 13 Bd7 threatening 14 Rxh2 14 Bf2 9 Other Black responses EditThe flexible 1 Nf6 is also possible Then if White plays 2 b3 2 Nf3 is safer 2 d6 3 Bb2 or 3 Nf3 e5 4 fxe5 dxe5 5 Nxe5 Qd4 e5 a sort of From s Gambit Deferred introduced by IM Michael Brooks is dangerous for White e g 4 fxe5 dxe5 5 Bxe5 Ng4 Then 6 Bb2 Bd6 leaves White in huge trouble down the e1 h4 diagonal and Black wins an exchange after 7 Nf3 Bxh2 8 Rxh2 Nxh2 After the alternative 6 Bg3 6 Qf6 even better than 6 Bd6 7 c3 not 7 Nc3 Ne3 8 dxe3 Bb4 Bd6 is strong for Black 10 Another popular response is 1 g6 a sort of Modern Defense which may transpose into a reversed Dutch Defense if Black plays d5 and c5 or a Sicilian Defence if White plays e4 and Black plays c5 Black thus prevents White from playing on the a1 h8 diagonal Also reasonable is 1 c5 hoping for a transposition into the Tal Gambit a favourable variation of the Sicilian Defence after 2 e4 d5 3 exd5 3 Nc3 the mellifluously named Toilet Variation is also possible 3 Nf6 but White need not oblige and may build up more slowly with 2 Nf3 followed by g3 Bg2 d3 and possibly a later e4 The offbeat 1 b6 is also known and more soundly based than the same move after 1 e4 or 1 d4 since 1 f4 does not aid White s development and weakens the a8 h1 diagonal as the move f3 is no longer available to shore up White s centre Taylor recommends 2 e4 Bb7 3 d3 e6 4 Nf3 Ne7 5 c3 d5 6 Qc2 Nd7 7 Be3 with a spatial advantage for White 11 Also possible is 1 b5 a form of the Polish Defense After the natural 2 e4 Bb7 White has no good way to protect e4 while maintaining their attack on b5 since 3 Nc3 b4 4 Nd5 e6 wins a pawn If Black chooses the symmetrical reply 1 f5 Taylor considers White s best line to be quiet play with 2 b3 b6 3 Bb2 Bb7 4 e3 when 4 Nf6 5 Bxf6 exf6 6 Nf3 left White with the better pawn structure in Larsen Colon Romero San Juan 1969 Instead 4 e6 5 Qh5 forces the weakening 5 g6 with a slight advantage to White according to Taylor 12 Also possible is the aggressive 2 e4 when Taylor analyses 2 fxe4 3 d3 exd3 4 Bxd3 Nf6 5 Nf3 5 g4 is well met by 5 d5 when after 6 g5 6 Bg4 and 6 Ne4 both favour Black 5 d5 6 0 0 when he considers White to have some but not enough compensation for the sacrificed pawn 13 Another possible continuation is 2 fxe4 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 g4 the Swiss Gambit This gambit was named by Alexander Wagner 1868 1942 a Polish chess player and openings analyst who introduced it in the Swiss correspondence game Wagner Kostin 1910 11 The term Swiss Gambit is often used to refer more generally to 1 f4 f5 2 e4 Chess historian Edward Winter has criticized that usage pointing out that 1 f4 f5 2 e4 was analysed by F A Lange in the June 1859 Deutsche Schachzeitung and was played by many players including Adolf Anderssen in the nineteenth century 14 An aggressive but rare response is 1 g5 the Hobbs Gambit with play possibly continuing 2 fxg5 h6 a sort of mirror image Benko Gambit White can simply return the pawn with 3 g6 leaving Black with a weakened kingside after 3 fxg6 A variant is the Hobbs Zilbermints Gambit 1 h6 intending 2 g5 against this White could proceed with 2 e4 g5 3 d4 when Black has lost time and weakened their kingside Another offbeat try is Martin Appleberry s 1 Nh6 also known as the Horsefly which exploits the closed c1 h6 diagonal One idea is to meet 2 b3 with 2 e5 another deferred From Gambit and 2 e4 with 2 d5 when 3 exd5 Qxd5 would result in a Scandinavian Defense where White s pawn is oddly placed on f4 However 2 Nf3 avoids both of these lines The primary objective of the Horsefly is to retain control of e5 preventing the Stonewall attack but otherwise giving White great flexibility Another possible reply by Black is 1 Nc6 With this move Black lays the support for the advance of the e pawn The general sequence of moves that Black may opt for is g6 Bg7 and d6 and eventually advance the e pawn Another possible reply is 1 e6 This exploits the weakness created by 1 f4 on the e1 h4 diagonal by releasing the queen and also releases the king s bishop without offering a pawn unlike the From Gambit White should avoid playing 2 g4 as it leads to 2 Qh4 a variation of the Fool s Mate 2 e4 transposes to the La Bourdonnais Variation of the French Defense the normal order being 1 e4 e6 2 f4 Popularity EditOut of the twenty possible opening moves 1 f4 ranks sixth in popularity in Chessgames com s database behind 1 e4 1 d4 1 Nf3 1 c4 and 1 g3 15 It is less than one twentieth as popular as the mirror image English Opening 1 c4 15 The move 1 f4 slightly weakens White s king s position 16 Chessgames com s statistics indicate that the opening is not an effective way of preserving White s first move advantage as of February 2013 out of 3 872 games with 1 f4 White had won 30 7 drawn 32 and lost 37 7 for a total score of 46 7 15 17 White scores much better with the more popular 1 e4 54 25 1 d4 55 95 1 Nf3 55 8 1 c4 56 3 and 1 g3 55 8 as well as with the less popular 1 b3 52 5 15 According to the similar site 365chess com which includes data for lower level games as of August 2015 out of 20 010 games with 1 f4 White had won 35 1 drawn 25 and lost 39 9 for a total score of 47 6 18 The five more popular openings are still substantially more successful for White 1 e4 53 15 1 d4 54 8 1 Nf3 55 4 1 c4 54 65 and 1 g3 54 9 18 Looking at lichess org a popular website where millions of games are available in the 1600 2200 rating range in Rapid Classical and Correspondence time controls White wins 50 of the time while losing 45 of the time in the 2 600 000 games in their database In those games the most common responses to 1 f4 are d5 41 e6 11 c5 9 e5 7 and Nf6 7 Black s most successful response to Bird s Opening in that rating range is e5 where Black s win percentage is 50 46 but that evens to 48 48 when White plays 2 fxe5 See also EditList of chess openings List of chess openings named after peopleReferences Edit Having forgotten familiar openings I commenced adopting KBP for first move and finding it led to highly interesting games out of the usual groove I became partial to it Henry Bird 1873 entering match play after a six year absence from chess Hooper and Whyld 1987 p 32 Hooper and Whyld 1992 p 40 de Firmian 2008 p 732 The chess games of Lars Karlsson Chessgames com Retrieved 2012 09 07 The chess games of Henrik Danielsen Chessgames com 2010 07 26 Retrieved 2012 09 07 Taylor 2005 p 182 Taylor 2005 pp 150 51 Taylor 2005 pp 149 52 Taylor 2005 pp 135 45 Palliser 2006 p 124 Taylor 2005 pp 202 03 Taylor 2005 p 210 Taylor 2005 pp 214 16 Edward Winter The Swiss Gambit 1998 a b c d Opening Explorer Chessgames com Retrieved 2009 02 06 Adorjan 1998 p 27 White s overall winning percentage is calculated by taking the percentage of games won by White and adding half of the percentage of drawn games in this case 32 8 plus half of 25 3 a b Chess Opening Explorer 365Chess com Retrieved 2022 10 09 Bibliography Edit The Wikibook Chess Opening Theory has a page on the topic of Bird s Opening Adorjan Andras 1998 Black is O K in Rare Openings CAISSA Ltd de Firmian Nick 2008 Modern Chess Openings 15th ed Random House Puzzles amp Games ISBN 978 0 8129 3682 7 Hooper David Whyld Kenneth 1992 The Oxford Companion to Chess Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 866164 9 Palliser Richard 2006 Beating Unusual Chess Openings Gloucester Publishers ISBN 978 1 85744 429 2 Taylor Timothy 2005 Bird s Opening Detailed Coverage of an Underrated and Dynamic Choice for White Gloucester Publishers ISBN 1 85744 402 7 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bird 27s Opening amp oldid 1163535584, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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