Dullest and most interesting openings in chess

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Avatar of pdve

Please vote for your dullest and most interesting openings..

Dullest: Four Knights, Scotch, Spanish Steinitz Defense

Most interesting:  Sicilian Najdorf, Spanish Chigorin Defense/Closed Spanish, King's Indian Defense

Avatar of ponz111

Benko Gambit is quite interesting.

Avatar of pdve
HueyWilliams wrote:

dullest:  Caro-Kann

most interesting (ironically enough):  Slav

 

Interestingly, the Slav can be quite sharp like the Meran Variation. There is something to be said for certain versions of the Queen's Gambit Declined as well like the Cambridge Springs Variation. And yes the Caro Kann can be quite dull, especially the Karpov variation.

Avatar of pdve

The Benko is again interesting and hard to defend against unless you are a GM in which case Black is lost.

Avatar of ponz111

It is unclear to me that the Benko Gambit is a loss against a GM.

[but I admit I have only tested it against experts and masters]

Blackmar Deimer Gambit is interesting but definitely not sound.

Avatar of MuhammadAreez10

Interesting: Sicilian Najdorf, Sicilian Dragon, Ruy Lopez (almost all variations, Berlin is good too.), King's Indian Defence, Nimzo Indian Defence, Queen's Gambit, Grunfeld Defence Exchange.

Dull: Four Knights Game, Ruy Lopez Exchange, Caro-Kann (partially boring), Petroff Defence, London System, Alekhine's Defence (somewhat dull), Nimzo-Larsen, Closed Sicilian, Englund Defence.

Avatar of MuhammadAreez10

I think I posted long lists. Anyways, they are in no specific order.

Avatar of eatchipss

its not dependent on the openings its dependent on the players. for example williams-nakamura played a french exchange, but nakamura made into a sharp and intresting games, likewise when jobava plays caro exchange he spices it up and makes it intresting

Avatar of MuhammadAreez10

No. I think it is up to your likes and dislikes about the opening that classify it as dull or interesting for you.

Avatar of MuhammadAreez10

Strange selection.

Avatar of cornbeefhashvili

Dullest: anything symmetrical

Most Interesting: any true gambit that sacrifices material for absolute initiative

Avatar of JamieKowalski

Dull: Four Knights (good to see we all agree!), Petroff, Benoni (except when it turns into the Blumenfeld Gambit)

Interesting: Grünfeld, Blumenfeld Gambit, Falkbeer Countergambit

Avatar of Ziryab

The Petroff is dull?

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nc5? 5.Nxe4 f6

White has a forced checkmate in eight.

Avatar of premio53

The "Amar Opening" would probably rank in there somewhere.

1.Nh3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.d3

"This certainly does not contribute to the correct development of the centre, but it is less bad than you might think.  The lateral development of a knight does not scandalize the flexibly-minded contemporary player."  (Chess Essentials, Vol. 4)

Avatar of damsehgal

dull French defense exchange variation

Avatar of pdve

cool. that's an interesting variation but I still think black can defend.

Avatar of Chicken_Monster
pdve wrote:
HueyWilliams wrote:

dullest:  Caro-Kann

most interesting (ironically enough):  Slav

 

Interestingly, the Slav can be quite sharp like the Meran Variation. There is something to be said for certain versions of the Queen's Gambit Declined as well like the Cambridge Springs Variation. And yes the Caro Kann can be quite dull, especially the Karpov variation.

I didn't think there was a Meran Variation of the Slav.

There is a Meran Variation of the Semi-Slav.

Am I correct in my understanding?