Clemenz Opening
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| Moves | 1.h3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | A00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Hermann Clemenz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Clemenz Opening is a chess opening starting with White's first move:
- 1. h3
This opening is named after Hermann Clemenz (1846–1908), an Estonian chess player.[1] It is considered an irregular opening and is classified under the code A00 as irregular first moves by White in Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.
Description
[edit]Like Anderssen Opening, starting with White's first move 1.a3, 1.h3 is a time-wasting move, because it makes no claim on central squares nor does it aid in development. It also leads to a slight weakening of White's kingside, albeit not as severely as Grob Attack with 1.g4 or Barnes Opening with 1.f3. Since there is no need for White to make such a time-wasting first move,[citation needed] it is among the rarest of the 20 possible first moves for White. Nevertheless, IM Michael Basman has experimented with 1.h3, usually following it up with 2.g4, transposing to Grob Opening, or 2.a3 followed by immediate c4, a line that has been dubbed Creepy-Crawly System, which is also known as Global Opening.
Black responses
[edit]Black has a number of playable responses, the most common of those being either 1...d5 or 1...e5, which stake out a claim for central space. Another response with 1...b6, or even 1...b5, intends to fianchetto a bishop to pressure White's weakened pawns and forestall White's kingside expansion with g4.
1...f5 is probably not Black's best reply to 1.h3, since White can then play 2.d4, transposing to a sharp line against the Dutch Defense once tried by Viktor Korchnoi.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^ Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 81. Clemenz Opening.
- ^ "Viktor Korchnoi vs. Hansjuerg Kaenel, Biel 1979". Chessgames.com.
Bibliography
- Benjamin, Joel; Schiller, Eric (1987). Unorthodox Openings. Macmillan Publishing Company. pp. 102–03. ISBN 0-02-016590-0.
- Dunnington, Angus (2000). Winning Unorthodox Openings. Everyman Chess. ISBN 978-1-85744-285-4.
- Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996) [First pub. 1992]. The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280049-3.
- Schiller, Eric (2002). Unorthodox Chess Openings (Second ed.). Cardoza. p. 108. ISBN 1-58042-072-9.