Chess Opening Theory/1. h4

From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Desprez Opening
a b c d e f g h
8 a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 f8 g8 h8 8
7 a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 f7 g7 h7 7
6 a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 f6 g6 h6 6
5 a5 b5 c5 d5 e5 f5 g5 h5 5
4 a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h4 4
3 a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h3 3
2 a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 h2 2
1 a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h1 1
a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN)
Moves: 1. h4
ECO code: A00
Parent: Starting position

1. h4?! · Beaver claw[edit | edit source]

The Beaver claw (or Kádas Opening) is a rare kingside flank opening. It does little for development, does not fight for control of the center, and weakens White's kingside. It frees the rook, but the rook normally does not go to h3. It could be said that White has made their position worse, as castling kingside is now less attractive. Due to the near-uselessness of this opening, it is rarely seen among serious chess players. However, it could be used to throw off the opponent.

No top masters have ever[citation needed] used this opening in professional play, although some, most notably Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, play it during blitz. Magnus Carlsen played it in the November 2023 "Titled Tuesday" online tournament, where he successfully defeated strong grandmasters, including Alireza Firouzja.

Black's responses[edit | edit source]

Black has many decent replies.

  • 1...d5, staking a claim to the centre and simultaneously making 2. Rh3?? impossible.
  • 1... e5, also staking a claim in the center and freeing Black's queen and dark-squared bishop.
  • 1... g6 is rarely played, as it justifies the move 1. h4. White can play 2. h5 to attack Black's kingside.

Statistics[edit | edit source]

No statistics as 1. h4 is rarely played.

All possible Black's moves[edit | edit source]

Quick
Navigation
Na6
a6
a5

b6
b5
Nc6
c6
c5

d6
d5

e6
e5
Nf6
f6
f5

g6
g5
Nh6
h6
h5

References[edit | edit source]

  • Eric Schiller (2002). Unorthodox Chess Openings (Second Edition ed.). Cardoza. ISBN 1-58042-072-9. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)

When contributing to this Wikibook, please follow the Conventions for organization.