Nowadays, the Sicilian is one of the most common chess openings being widely used across various levels of tournaments play. This defensive stance was considered as a terrible opening when it was discovered initially and was not used in many games originally. The c5 is a much more effective response to e4 than any other move and can be used to black’s advantage if the next moves are played right. This method perhaps can neutralize any aggressive opening of the White player, which is precisely the reason behind its popularity today. The reason is because this opening gives the Black player an opportunity to retort very powerfully to White’s opening. This opening is a favorite among the Black players when White moves the king pawn to e4. Recommended book: Italian Game and Evans Gambit by Jan Pinski 3.
Nevertheless, this is a powerful opening by itself and should be considered if you want to start the game on an offensive note. This is generally because of the conviction that the Bb5 move in the Ruy Lopez opening puts the Black at a better disadvantage than the Bc4 move in this opening. Nevertheless, with the Ruy Lopez opening hogging the limelight over the years, this opening has lost its charm. This opening was fairly prominent at that point of time since people overlooked the Ruy Lopez opening.
The Italian Game is another old chess opening like the Ruy Lopez and was discovered in the 1600s. Recommended course: The Open Ruy Lopez by Andrew Martin 2.
A major plus of this opening is that it gives the white player enough opportunity to develop a complex offensive strategy and also slows down Black’s pawn formation. It is used as White’s best attempt in gaining an advantage after double king pawn formations. Only over the years, this has become a favorite among pros (grandmaster levels as well) and is regarded as one of the most powerful chess openings. This opening was however not appreciated or used much at that point of time. This opening is popularly known as the Spanish gameand was named after a Spanish priest, Ruy Lopez, who discovered this opening in the year of 1561. Top 13 Best Chess Openings For Beginners 1.
Your opening can give away your style to your opponent and vice versa, thus, it gives you ample opportunity to play according to your opponent’s style. Having an effective opening can help you set the pace and tone for the game.