The Bishop’s Opening is 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

The Classical Variation follows with 2… Bc5, mirroring White’s move. This is generally followed by three main lines, called the Berlin Defense [2. Bc4 Nf6], the Philidor Variation [2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3] and the Wing Gambit [2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4].

What is the objective of playing 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4?


The Bishop immediately menaces d5 and f7, traditionally the weaker spot when playing against a King’s Pawn Opening. Although the usual 2. Nf3 has its own set of following moves, Bc4 develops into its own variations and strategies.

Something to remember is the combination of e4 and f4, twin pawns which can be developed into strong outposts for control of the center, especially if the opponent plays something wierd on the Queenside. This style developed from the old Russian Masters, and at that point of time, chess developed into the game as we know it today, with multitudes of variations analyzed from the opening sequences.

Only two other variations apply to the Classical Variation, namely the Lewis Gambit [3. d4] and the Lopez Gambit [3. Qe2 Nc6 4. c3 Nf6 5. f4]. The Lewis Gambit runs the risk of having something of Black’s sitting at d4, while the Lopez Gambit brute-forces its way through the center by offering up a pawn to remove the opponents e-pawn, enabling the rise of d4 and a pawn pair right in the center of the board.

Black can use the Calabrese Countergambit [2. Bc4 f5] to immediately hit back at White’s plans for the domination of the center. The Lisitsyn Variation is rather more complicated. Lets got through it rather briefly:
2. Bc4 c6
Black prepares to play 3…d5 to block that Bishop.
3. d4 d5 4. exd5 cxd5 5. Bb5+ Bd7

The pawns are traded in the center, and the White Bishop gains time from the check, but so does Black’s blocking of the check.
6. Bxd7+ Nxd7
Black is now up a piece in development.
7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Ne2

White can now castle short, and Black can castle long. Both sides have open centers, and the game can now go either way. Its difficult to prove beyond doubt who has the advantage, and development is nearly the same for both sides. White has the better of the castling options [theoretically], but Black has a Knight in the center that can be supported by other pieces unless White chases it away with the f-pawn, which weakens the White King against the remaining Black Bishop.

Let us now explore the remaining branches of the Bishop’s Opening.
The Wing Gambit [2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4] sees White offering up a pawn to lure away the Bishop. This allows for the MacDonnell Double Gambit [3... Bxb4 4. f4] and the subsequent Four Pawns’ Gambit [4... exf4 5. Nf3 Be7 6. d4 Bh4+ 7. g3 fxg3]. I personally think that giving up four pawns is risky, but the development allowed by that can be crucial in the hands of a Master.

The Philidor Variation [2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3] is aimed at White playing 4. d4, chasing away Black’s Bc5 and hogging the center. The Philidor itself branches out into three more variations.

The Lewis Countergambit [3... d5] takes advantage of the fact that White can longer immediately play Nc3, so the Queen may be there for a little while longer after the exchange.

The Pratt Variation [3... Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5 6. exf6 dxc4 7. Qh5 0-0] is a little long winded, but it is an example of the excellent counter-attacking play that developed during that period. However, the castled position looks a little risky. The Del Rio Variation of the Philidor [3... Qg5] sees an aggressive Black Queen come out to threaten the unprotected g2 which must be protected for fear of losing the Rook under heavy attack.
The final branch of the Bishop’s Opening is the Berlin Defense [2. Bc4 Nf6] where Black attacks e4 first while also shielding the targeted f7 pawn. The Berlin Defense goes into either of the following two variations:

The Greco Gambit [3.f4] sees White playing the Russian style we discussed earlier, using the f-pawn to sidetrack e5 and gain control of the center. The Ponziani Gambit [3.d4] does the same thing on the other side of the e5 pawn.

The Berlin Defense’s Ponziani Gambit can develop into the Urusov Gambit [3... exd4 4. Nf3] where White offers two pawns to go 3-1 up in minor piece development. The Urusov then becomes the Panov Variation [4... d5 5. exd5 Bb4+ 6. c3 Qe7+]. In the Panov Variation, 4… d5 5. exd5 Bb4+ is a countergambit that lets Black make the first check of the game. The continuation of 6. c3 Qe7+ further harasses White’s defensive structure.

In conclusion, The Bishop’s Opening is a relatively simple alternative to the usual Ruy Lopez move of 2. Bb5. It immediately places a crimp on …d5 and attacks the relatively weak f7 pawn.
It is similar to the Ruy in that a piece on the Kingside is developed as the second move. This is one of the safest places for the Bishop to be at during the opening, as opposing pieces cannot threaten it as yet.

Clearing the Bishop early also allows White to move the d-pawn and release the other Bishop. The downside is that g2 is now unprotected to a Qg5, which forces White to move something that is better left alone.

When playing the Bishop’s Opening, both White and Black need 6 moves each to develop all the minor pieces, depending on the variation played. There is very little to complain about this traditional opening, except that d4 usually becomes a staging point for Black’s attacks.

Related posts:

  1. Benoni Defense
  2. The Bird System
  3. Opening Rules
  4. Choosing A Perfect Opening Theory
  5. Chess – An Introduction

Filed under: Chess Opening

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