Irregular Chess Opening

Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual or rare first moves from White. Such openings include:

  • 1.a3 (Anderssen's Opening)
  • 1.a4 (Ware Opening)
  • 1.b4 (Sokolsky Opening, also known as Polish or Orangutan Opening)
  • 1.c3 (Saragossa Opening)
  • 1.d3 (Mieses Opening)
  • 1.e3 (Van 't Kruijs Opening)
  • 1.f3 (Barnes Opening, also known as Gedult's Opening)
  • 1.g4 (Grob's Attack)
  • 1.h3 (Clemenz Opening, or Basman's Attack)
  • 1.h4 (Desprez Opening, or Kadas Opening)
  • 1.Na3 (Durkin Opening, also known as Durkin's Attack or the Sodium Attack)
  • 1.Nc3 (Dunst Opening)
  • 1.Nh3 (Amar Opening, also known as Paris Opening)

The above openings are all categorized under the ECO code A00. Openings that are not "irregular" comprise:

  • 1.e4 (King's Pawn Game)
  • 1.d4 (Queen's Pawn Game)
  • 1.c4 (English Opening)
  • 1.Nf3 (Réti Opening or Zukertort Opening)
  • 1.f4 (Bird's Opening)
  • 1.g3 (Benko's Opening) and
  • 1.b3 (Larsen's Opening).

If White plays a regular opening and Black responds in an unconventional way, the opening is not categorized A00. For instance, 1.e4 a6 is classified as B00 (King's Pawn Opening).

Famous quotes containing the words irregular, chess and/or opening:

    “I am one of those who hold that poetry is never so blithe as in a wanton and irregular subject.”
    —Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)

    “What have we achieved in mowing down mountain ranges, harnessing the energy of mighty rivers, or moving whole populations about like chess pieces, if we ourselves remain the same restless, miserable, frustrated creatures we were before? To call such activity progress is utter delusion. We may succeed in altering the face of the earth until it is unrecognizable even to the Creator, but if we are unaffected wherein lies the meaning?”
    —Henry Miller (1891–1980)

    “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”
    —Bible: Hebrew Proverbs, 6:6.

    The words were rendered by Samuel Johnson in the opening lines of The Ant: “Turn on the prudent ant thy heedful eyes, Observe her labours, sluggard, and be wise.”