At your own risk

If there were regulatory oversight of chess openings, some would come with a litany of disclaimers. ‘You may lose more than your initial gambit.’ ‘Possible side effects may include dizziness and nausea.’ ‘Use at your own risk.’ Nonetheless, such openings as the King’s Gambit, the Dragon Sicilian, or the Botvinnik Semi-Slav often enjoy a cult following. Their devotees tend to be audacious types, who won’t let a few slings and arrows obscure the prospect of a glorious victory. These openings are exciting to play, and not necessarily bad, but they demand a special energy to handle well.

In general, grandmasters prefer more conservative, rugged openings, particularly when they are Black. One notorious example is the Berlin defence, a crucial weapon for Vladimir Kramnik when he wrested the world title from Garry Kasparov in 2000. Rarely played at the time, it quickly came to be seen as a dependable workhorse, on which even a well-prepared opponent would struggle to land a blow.

Top players do deploy more risky openings, but usually as an ambush. At the Candidates tournament in Yekaterinburg last month, Kirill Alekseenko must have been surprised to face the Winawer variation of the French defence, against Ian Nepomniachtchi. The Winawer (which begins 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4) is not a bad opening at all (it was a favourite of former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik). But it is double-edged — in seeking counterplay, Black acquiesces to a position with less space, usually without the bishop pair. The ‘poisoned pawn’ subvariation (arising after 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Ne7 7 Qg4, where Black allows Qxg7) is particularly hazardous territory. A couple of years ago, Magnus Carlsen ventured there in a classical game against Anish Giri.