Opening Analysis on the Web

It is probably about time to update the Kenilworth Chess Club's links to Chess Openings, which features links to opening analysis on the web. There is so much good opening analysis online that it hardly seems necessary to buy a book every time you want to learn a new line (though you will likely want to buy several books once you decide to learn a specific opening very well).

I think we have by far the most extensive links to opening analysis on the web. As with maintaining any links page, though, it is hard to keep up with new material while also trying to assure that the older links have not gone dead. And there is new stuff coming out every day. Here are a few new ones (or ones new to me) that I'll soon be adding to the opening links page. I have mostly focused on openings that interest me (and other club members) as Black.

Excerpt: Chess Openings for Black, Explained
by Lev Alburt, Roman Dzindzichashvili and Eugene Perelshteyn
An excerpt from Chapter 10 of their book on the Maroczy Bind position arising mainly out of the Accelerated Dragon. The discussion is valuable and the approach is very helpful. As Steve Stoyko discussed (in covering the Isolated Queen Pawn), you should try to study typical middlegame positions as much as you study specific openings. This is a good model for doing just that.

Dragon Forever by IM Andrew Martin (in two parts)
Some excellent analysis of the Dragon, with a focus on the popular Yugoslav following 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3.

The Verdict by Andrew Martin
Features analysis of the sharp Levenfish Variation of the Dragon, where white plays 6.f4.

Anti-Sicilians: The Moscow Variation by GM Joel Benjamin, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
Excellent coverage of the popular anti-Sicilian line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+. Be sure to see all three parts.

Castling on Opposite Sides by Mark Dvoretsky
Some excellent analysis of the super-sharp Austrian Variation of the Pirc, where mutual attacks on opposite-side-castled monarchs are featured.

Something Against the Pirc by IM Andrew Martin
An interesting discussion of the Chinese Attack--1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4!?-- which leads to very sharp play but which can also be played positionally for White as a space-grabbing line.

Opening Lanes #78 by GM Gary Lane
Discusses Seirawan's favorite Bd3 line against the King's Indian Defense.

Call It a Gambit by Tim McGrew
Discusses one of the author's games where he mistakenly, but perhaps correctly, played the gambit line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 d6 5.Ng5!? Qf6!?!?

Opening Lanes #76 by GM Gary Lane
Discusses the sharp variation of the Exchange Ruy Lopez with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.O-O Bg4.

Opening Lanes #76 by GM Gary Lane
Discusses the Advanced Variation of the Caro-Kann with 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Be3 which has gained a following among top GMs and which has relatively little theory yet.

A Battle of Opposites by Mark Dvoretsky
Discusses the fascinating Tal-Botvinnik game that began 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.gxf3!?!?

More to come...