The Most Subtle Chess Openings
Introduction
What do the Catalan Opening and the Goldsmith Defense have in common? Well, they are both very, very hard to explain the ideas of. For the Catalan, it may be because it is very theoretical and complex, while most players struggle to see the point of the Goldsmith Defense. We have ranked common chess openings by their subtlety.
Subtlety Grading Scale
Here is what the subtlety grading scale means.
0/5: If there are ideas in this opening, we need a 500-rated player to explain them to us.
1/5: The idea of the opening is extremely straightforward yet stupid, and can be grasped by a beginner.
2/5: The idea of the opening is straightforward and sound, and can be grasped by an advanced beginner.
3/5: The ideas of the opening are somewhat subtle and can be grasped by an imaginative intermediate player.
4/5: The ideas of the opening are subtle and require an advanced player to see through it.
5/5: The ideas of the opening are extremely subtle and need a master to understand it.
For example, if you present Opening A to a player of intermediate strength who has never seen it before, and they can explain it to you, then Opening A is 3/5 on our SGS.
0/5: Buntin Gambit
Ideas: If you have me one thousand years to mull over the potential ideas behind this 'gambit', I would return empty-handed. The Buntin Gambit can only be explained by the chaotic mind of a super beginner, who undoubtedly is planning something deep and strategical like 4. exf7+ followed by 5. fxe8#.
0/5: Alessi Gambit
Ideas: I seem to be repeating myself, but if you stranded me on a desert island and only let me leave when I explained the idea of this opening, I would start looking for food sources and shelter, because I would not be leaving that island for a long, long time, if ever.
1/5: Wayward Queen Attack
Ideas: To bring out the most powerful piece, the queen, and attack the e5-pawn at the same time. Also, to try for a scholar's mate.
Justification: After 1. e4 e5, this is one of the most brutish moves on the board, and not in a good way. 2. Qh5 looks like something a Neanderthal would play, an attempt of forcing the matter that falls flat after any move that doesn't hang a rook or mate. This is one of the dumbest openings in all of chess.
1/5: Accelerated Mannheim Variation
Ideas: To check the king and win back the gambited pawn immediately.
Justification: This rushes matters, forgets the idea of the entire Queen's Gambit, and almost any move by Black immediately achieves equality. A terrible variation, and deserving of the 1/5.
2/5: Danish Gambit
Ideas: In return for the two sacrificed pawns, White's bishops are slicing through the open diagonals and Black has no development at all.
Justification: I think if you presented the position to an advanced beginner and asked them why you just sacrificed two pawns, they would understand the concept of open lines and quick development, as it is aesthetically obvious.
2/5: Phillidor Defense
Ideas: You defend the attacked e5-pawn with a pawn rather than a knight, making this a more solid approach against 2. Nf3.
Justification: An advanced beginner probably wouldn't like the passivity of this opening, but would appreciate the idea of it.
3/5: King's Gambit
Ideas: You sacrifice the f-pawn to get better control of the d4-square and to get rapid development on open lines.
Justification: The abstract idea that the f4 sacrifice affords White more control over d4 is not something a beginner would normally see, especially since White cannot play d4 immediately, hence I rank it at 3/5.
3/5: Caro-Kann Defense
Ideas: The c6-pawn is put out to defend d5 which will be played on the next move to challenge the center, just like the French, but this time, the light squared bishop is not blocked in.
Justification: The concept of a 'bad bishop' as well as comparing this opening to the French Defense are both things that a healthy intermediate player should be able to do if offered the two positions cold turkey.
4/5: French Defense
Ideas: The French is an aggressive, counter-punching opening. Ideas include attacking the d4-pawn to undermine the pawn chain with maneuvers like Qd8-Qb6 and Ng8-Ne7-Nf5. There are many more ideas in many more variations.
Justification: Why is the French Defense all the way up here when it's such a popular opening? Well, this innocuous, passive-looking move actually hides remarkable venom that can only be appreciated by an advanced player. Black has many different plans and maneuvers in this highly complex opening, and lines can vary from insanely sharp to shockingly (in comparison) tame. It takes an advanced player to take in the French Defense in all its glory.
4/5: Alekhine Defense
Ideas: White's pawns will kick the knight about, gaining time, but they also become overextended (as Alekhine Defense enthusiasts argue) and can be attacked in the middlegame.
Justification: A complex opening, indeed! If an intermediate player saw this with no prior knowledge of the opening, he'd probably think it was one of the worst moves on the board! However, an advanced player understands while space-gaining advanced pawns are a boon, they are also a target for Black to undermine throughout the game.
5/5: Ruy Lopez
Ideas: To put long-term pressure on the e5 and d4 squares by putting pressure on the knight defending them.
Justification: I believe it takes a chess master to deeply understand all the ideas of this extremely old and complex opening. It takes a chess master to understand when to play d3, d4, or c3, as all the moves are correct in different scenarios. It takes a chess master to understand if the many pawn sacrifices are justified, it takes a chess master to discern the correct time to take the center. It takes a chess master to use this powerful weapon to its fullest potential.
5/5: Catalan Opening
Ideas: Too many to list! In short, the Catalan bishop eyes the long diagonal, and White will try to pressure and win the c4-pawn as well as advance with e4. That's for the Open Catalan, and the Closed Catalan has a whole different set of ideas and plans.
Justification: Playing the Catalan well requires 2300+ level positional skills or far, far too much time on your hands to memorize moves. Slightly different positions have completely different plans, theory stretches out into the middlegame so there are far too many sidelines, and lots of this theory is unorthodox and not something you and me could find over the board.
5/5: Bongcloud Attack
Ideas: If the King can't lead, why are his subordinates expected to follow?
Justification: The Bongcloud is an impossibly complex opening with theory ranging from three to thirty-three moves. At master level, the Bongcloud has been analyzed all the way to a draw, but at amateur level, weak players who don't know what they are doing can easily be punished. The ideas of the Bongcloud are extremely deep and unorthodox, and many first-time players lose games since they don't know about thematic ideas, and strings of must-memorize-to-survive theory. Its complexity and difficulty grant it a spot at the top of this list.
Outroduction
I'm far from done with the subtle openings ranking, as there are more than twelve openings in the game of the chess. I will post more soon, but until then, it's Vikrat, signing out!