Sneaky Opening: Center Game (C21)

My second blog post on a chess opening. I would of easily chosen to write about King's Indian games or the various Sicilian variations. But today, I would like to indulge in an opening I saw that really hit home. This opening is very sneaky, seeming almost innocent, but if played correctly, gives an extremely easy win for white.

Ladies and Gents, may I present: C21 Center Game

I stumbled upon this opening while watching a lowly 1100 rating player versing a much stronger 1500-ish player. I was bored at the time, and decided to observe a random game. The 1100 player played white, 1500-ish played black. I wanted to see how badly white would play against the might of a 1500. However, what I saw shocked me so much, I had the urge to write a lovely blog on it. 

Below, is a detailed chess sequence with the correct way white should take advantage of blacks passive position. Even though most players will not decline the pawn at the beginning, those who feel that taking the pawn will "be a trap", will actually fall into a trap if they decide NOT to take it

And there you have it. BOOM. Checkmate. Sneaky, I might add.

Black's only chance for survival after the first check is to block with the g7 pawn. Of course, black will be down 6 points (pawn, rook) but it sure beats having to lose in a 7 move checkmate.

I have seen that only about 20% of players decline the pawn on d4, but it's not because they realize that it's a deadly trap: it's because white will lose tempo when the queen retreats from the inevitable black knight advancing to push the white queen back. So it's a natural move.

But regardless of the fury of this opening, many players will not take the bait as planned. Most accept the pawn, leaving white with a lose of tempo. However, it's definitely an opening I recommend you try at least once. It might prove a valuable tool, for defense AND offense.

Now, even if you do not decide to use this opening, never ever ever, it's still valuable information to have. Knowing this deadly trap will allow you to also avoid it's lethal blow, and ultimately, study upon further variations of an early queen-out opening.

Hope you enjoyed this opening sequence, comment any of your thoughts. 

Happy New Year, 2011