Birds opening

Birds Opnening is named after Henry Bird, who popularized the line in the 1850s. It is fast becoming a favorite choice of blitz and tournament players alike, because to this day there is only scarce information and theory about the chess opening.

The Bird ches openingstarts with 1. f4. For those not familiar with algebraic chess notation, that means to move the king's bishop pawn up two squares (as shown in the article image). Thrusting that pawn forward as the first move can throw the player with the black pieces off their

 game quickly, especially if they are used to the stock 1. e4 or 1. d4 game starters (king or queen pawn up two squares).

The idea for the early f4 thrust is really two-fold: it takes immediate control of the crucial e5 square in the center, and it creates a semi-open file for the rook after the king castles, written as 0-0 (for castles king-side; castling queen-side is written 0-0-0). Later in the game, the white player is much closer to pushing the f-pawn to f5 should he or she need to, in order to break open black's position.

The normal "book" reply (a book reply means that the move has been officially accepted as a documented theoretical reply) for black is 1... d5 (or moving the pawn in front of the queen up two squares). That move prevents white from moving an immediate pawn to e4, claiming more of the center. White then develops the knight to f3, which further controls the e5 square.

White has many options in the Bird's chess opening. One opportunity is to play the g pawn up one to g3 and develop the bishop to g2, taking control of the long diagonal. Another option is to play e3, which prevents black from playing pawn to e4 and simultaneously prepares the e2 square for the bishop.

The idea in most games is to play for an eventual pawn to e4, breaking up the center and taking control of black's king-side squares. The coolest thing about the Bird's chess openingis that there is very little theory, or book, on the subject. You are pretty much free to invent as you go.

 

Here is a link

Videos on Bird's opening

 f4 Bird's Opening (A02)
 e5 From Gambit
 f5 e4 fxe4 c3 f6 g4 Swiss Gambit
 g5 Hobbs Gambit
 d5 (A03)
 c4 Mujannah Opening
 e4 Williams Gambit
 f3 f6 e3 c5 Lasker Variation

thx that helps give a mental picture =)