Chess Openings - Flank Openings
Generally, the Flank Openings are considered to comprise all alternative openings to 1. e4 and 1. d4. It's fairly obvious to see that the vast majority of possible flank openings are quite horrible.
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1. h4
Take the Desprez Opening (1. h4) for example. It is actually not that uncommon to see rank beginners make this move. It appears to allow white to bring out a powerful piece - the rook - while keeping white's pawn structure in the centre flexible.
In reality, the Desprez is complete garbage for several reasons:
- White has not furthered the development of any pieces - save his King's Rook, which actually is better developed through castling Kingside.
- White has not claimed a share of the centre.
- White has handed the initiative over to black.
- White has weakened his King's castled position by moving a Kingside pawn.
No serious chess player plays the Desprez, except perhaps as a joke in a blitz game.
There are several Flank Openings, however, which are considered to be solid and respectable. We will consider the two strongest: The Reti Opening and The English Opening. For fun, we'll round things out with a quirky third: Bird's Opening.
How Common are the Flank Openings?
Common at the Master Level
Uncommon at the Novice Level
Flank openings make up about 10% of games overall. Novices are far more likely to play the more straightforward and logical 1. e4 and 1. d4.