Welcome to the Orangutan Opening Thematic Tournament!

Click the following link to register:

http://www.chess.com/tournament/orangutan-opening-thematic-tournament

"The Sokolsky Opening (also known as the Orangutan or Polish Opening) is an uncommon chess opening:

1 b4

According to ChessBase, in master level chess, out of the twenty possible first moves from White, 1 b4 ranks ninth in popularity. It is considered an irregular opening, so it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.

The opening has never been popular at the top level, though a number of prominent players have employed it on occasion (for example, Richard Réti against Abraham Speijer in Scheveningen 1923 and Boris Spassky against Vasily Smyslov in the 1960 Moscow–Leningrad match). Perhaps its most famous use came in the game Tartakower–Maroczy, New York 1924. The name "Orangutan Opening" originates from that game: the players had visited the zoo the previous day, and Tartakower had consulted an orangutan there about what move he should open with the next day. Soviet player Alexei Pavlovich Sokolsky (1908–1969) wrote a monograph on this opening in 1963, Debyut 1 b2-b4." - Wikipedia

Thanks for your participation, have fun, and good luck!

Best regards,

Charles Frey

Enigmata

Group Leader

Chess Association