The Alien Gambit: the engine says no, and practice is catching up
The Alien Gambit gives up a knight for a pawn. The engine says −2, yet White scored 61% in 2024. Now Black has learned 7...c5, and the edge fades every year.
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Notes on opening preparation, backed by the data behind Ochess: which openings work at which ratings, and why.
How to Practice Chess Openings: Ten Minutes a Day
How to practice chess openings: play the moves from memory against the replies people at your rating make, then review each line just as it starts to fade.
Read the article →The Naroditsky Variation: the Four Knights line named after Danya
The Naroditsky Variation is 4.Nd5 in the Four Knights Game. Why it carries Danya's name, how Black should answer, and how White scores with it at every rating.
Read the article →Is the Halloween Gambit good? A knight for a pawn on move four
Is the Halloween Gambit good? The engine says no, but at club level White scores 54–55% after 4.Nxe5. Where the name comes from, and how Black should answer.
Read the article →The Bongcloud: the worst opening in chess, played by the world's best
Is the Bongcloud good? No: after 1.e4 e5 2.Ke2 White scores about 33% at club level. Where the name comes from, and why Carlsen and Nakamura play it anyway.
Read the article →How to Study Chess Openings (and Actually Remember Them)
How many openings to learn, when to start, why to study what is played at your rating, and how to remember a line a week later. With puzzles to solve.
Read the article →The Martian Gambit: the engine disapproves, but it's still hard to meet
White gives up a knight for nothing and scores 64% anyway. What 16,000 games say about the bishop move that decides it, and why knowing the right move is not the same as surviving it.
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