Operation Sneak Attack Trivia Quiz

Answer: Closed and Semi-Closed

Played on average every 8th game, the Queen's gambit is a popular opening with the following notation:

1. d4 d5
2. c4

The opening is played by White in order to constantly put pressure Black either by forcing Black to lose control of the centre, or to be hampered by lack of options.

Answer: Flank openings

The English Opening begins with the move:

1. c4

It derives its name from the 19th century English master Howard Staunton, and is considered a solid move that enables both classical and hypermodern variants. It effectively prevents Black from playing 1....d5 by risking both losing a pawn and giving White a passed pawn.

Answer: Open and Semi-Open

The Sicilian Defence is statistically the best response to White's 1.e4 for Black.

1. e4 c5

The beauty of the Sicilian Defence is that it enables Black to create an asymmetrical centre that is harder for White to counter. The Sicilian Defence always starts off as above, but there are many variations, the most common of which are the Najdorf, Dragon, Classical and Scheveningen.

Answer: Open and Semi-Open

Often employed by Kasparov against 1...e5 as an alternative to the Ruy López, it was first discussed by Ercole del Rio in 1750.

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4

White plays 3. d4 to develop its pieces and take control over the centre. It allows serendipitous opportunities to take Black's pieces, particularly if Black is unfamiliar with the opening.

Answer: Indian Defences

The Catalan Opening is a combination of the Queen's Gambit and Réti openings.

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. g3 d5
4. Bg2 dxc4
5. Nf3 Be7

White plays a king-side fianchetto (Italian for 'little flank') with its pawns on d4 or c4. Long term, this places pressure on Black's queen-side as White sacrifices a pawn to hinder Black's development.

It became popular after it was created as a new opening for a 1929 tournament in Barcelona.

Answer: Closed and Semi-Closed

The Slav Defence is commonly used by Black in response to White's use of the Queen's Gambit:
1. d4 d5
2. c4 c6

This opening allows Black to develop his pieces while protecting the centre and enables the development of the bishop.

Answer: Indian Defences

The sequence of moves for this opening is as follows:

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Bb4

While Black offers to give up the bishop pair, the resulting formation of pawns provides easy development and control of the e4 square.

It is classified as a hypermodern opening, and was developed by Aron Nimzowitsch in the early 20th century.

Answer: Closed and Semi-Closed

An opening for Black favoured by many champions, including Garry Kasparov, due to the fact that it puts White under pressure in the centre.

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6
3. Nc3 d5

It is a variation of the King's Indian defence, which would continue 3...Bg7. The opening was first recorded as being played by Indian Moheschunder Bannerjee in 1855, but is named for an Austrian grandmaster, Ernst Grunfeld, who played it in 1922 at an international tournament.

Answer: Open and Semi-Open

The Bishop's Opening is one of the oldest openings:

1. e4 e5
2. Bc4

After these opening moves, the game can develop into either the King's Gambit or the Vienna Game depending on subsequent moves. It was used on occasion as a surprise tactic by Kasparov, and more recently, grandmaster Jorgen Larsen was one of the few to play it with relative frequency.

Answer: Flank openings

The Benko Gambit follows these steps:

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 b5

In the Benko Gambit, Black sacrifices his b-pawn to enable quick development and a powerful attack on open files. There are a number of variations of the Benko Gambit, of which the King Walk is the most popular.

Answer: Indian Defences

The King's Indian Defence emerges on the board after the following moves:

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6

The main strategy with this defence is for Black to develop the minor pieces, giving up control of the board, while allowing White to take control of the centre.

This allows Black to counterattack White's weakened, over-extended pawns. Central control is thus traded for a solid defensive position that is hard to counter.

Answer: Flank openings

The Dutch Defence is an opening for Black:

1.d4 f5

1...f5 was first proposed in 1789 as the best response for 1. d4 by Elias Stein, as it unbalances the centre.

Stein was a Frenchman whose family settled in the Hague. He taught chess to the sons of Prince William of Orange.

Answer: Open and Semi-Open

This most commonly performed of openings is also known as the Spanish Opening.

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5

It was named after 16th century Spanish priest called Ruy Lopez de Segura, and made fashionable in the 1800s by Wilhelm Steinitz who popularised more strategic play.

Depending on what moves follow, it becomes the Closed Spanish, Open Spanish, or Berlin defence.

Answer: Closed and Semi-Closed

A variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Tarrasch defence has the following opening moves:
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 c5

Russian grandmaster Boris Spassky was the first to use this opening in 1965 against Efim Geller. Later, in the 1908s, world champion Garry Kasparov was a proponent of the opening using it very successfully.

Answer: Flank openings

The Polish Opening is also known as the Orangutan Opening.

Unusually, White moves 1. b4, rather than one of the central pawns (hence a flanking opening). It opens White up to attack by Black's bishop, so White will normally move his c bishop out ('fianchetto) to attack Black's pawn:

1. b4 e5
2. Bb2

The move 1.b4 ranks ninth in popularity.