Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual or rare first moves from White. Such openings include:
- 1.a3 (Anderssen's Opening)
- 1.a4 (Ware Opening)
- 1.b4 (Sokolsky Opening, also known as Polish or Orangutan Opening)
- 1.c3 (Saragossa Opening)
- 1.d3 (Mieses Opening)
- 1.e3 (Van 't Kruijs Opening)
- 1.f3 (Barnes Opening, also known as Gedult's Opening)
- 1.g4 (Grob's Attack)
- 1.h3 (Clemenz Opening, or Basman's Attack)
- 1.h4 (Desprez Opening, or Kadas Opening)
- 1.Na3 (Durkin Opening, also known as Durkin's Attack or the Sodium Attack)
- 1.Nc3 (Dunst Opening)
- 1.Nh3 (Amar Opening, also known as Paris Opening)
The above openings are all categorized under the ECO code A00. Openings that are not "irregular" comprise:
- 1.e4 (King's Pawn Game)
- 1.d4 (Queen's Pawn Game)
- 1.c4 (English Opening)
- 1.Nf3 (Réti Opening or Zukertort Opening)
- 1.f4 (Bird's Opening)
- 1.g3 (Benko's Opening) and
- 1.b3 (Larsen's Opening).
If White plays a regular opening and Black responds in an unconventional way, the opening is not categorized A00. For instance, 1.e4 a6 is classified as B00 (King's Pawn Opening).
Famous quotes containing the words irregular, chess and/or opening:
“I am one of those who hold that poetry is never so blithe as in a wanton and irregular subject.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“An actress reading a part for the first time tries many ways to say the same line before she settles into the one she believes suits the character and situation best. There’s an aspect of the rehearsing actress about the girl on the verge of her teens. Playfully, she is starting to try out ways to be a grown-up person.”
—Stella Chess (20th century)
““Who are you,” said the caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have changed several times since then.””
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)