This is a companion thread to a training game between HeyHomie and myself.
Comments, analysis etc are welcome here.
Please don’t post in the game thread which is at Chess: Glee v HeyHomie - The Game Room - Straight Dope Message Board
You already threw me with 1. …c6. With me being a beginner/intermediate player, I figured you’d put a pawn in the center.
The most popular opening moves for White are:
- e4
Possibly the oldest opening move (since the moves of the pieces last changed in the Middle Ages); often leads to open games and sometimes gambits.
Standard replies include 1. … e5, 1. … c5, 1. … e6, 1. … c6, 1. … Nf6, 1. … d6, 1. … d5 and 1. … g6.
- d4
Along with e4, probably the most popular opening move; can leads to semi-open and blocked games.
Standard replies include 1. … d5, 1. … Nf6, 1. … f5 and 1. … g6.
- c4
Came in about 100 years ago; often leads to manoeuvring positions.
Standard replies include 1. … e5, 1. … c5, 1. … e6, 1. … c6, 1. … Nf6 and 1. … g6.
- Nf3
Also came in about 100 years ago; and likewise often leads to manoeuvring positions.
Standard replies include 1. … d5, 1. … c5, 1. … e6, 1. … Nf6, 1. … d6 and 1. … g6.
Professional players will have prepared analysis for at least one opening (in which case it will be very detailed), or far more often two or three. (Having this choice makes it harder to predict what they will play* - and hence harder to prepare for them.) This analysis can easily go to move 15 (or even further in highly-analysed openings.)
Note that it is far more important to understand the ideas in the opening 
as opposed to learning variations. 
:
There is a continuing battle to find new moves and new ideas in existing openings.
*I remember preparing to face a Grandmaster in the British Championship. I looked up 50 of his recent games. He had four different openings in his repertoire. 
Well I intend to follow up with 2. … d5 and then if 3. exd5 cxd5.
So I am challenging for the centre. 
Note that if instead 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5, Black’s queen is rather exposed.
Indeed there could even be an early tactic, leading to a win:
- e4 d5
- exd5 Qxd5
- Nc3 Qc6?
- Bb5!
winning the Queen with a pin.
Position here: Chess Board Editor - Apronus.com
I’m assuming you want me to talk through my though process here? OK, so after
- e4 c6
- Nc3 d5
here’s what I’m thinking. Your pawn on d5 is protected by both your c-pawn and your Queen, while my e-pawn and Knight both attack it. If exd5, followed by cxd5, your Queen and my Knight are both eyeballing d5. You obviously won’t bring your Queen to d5 because I can capture her with my Knight. Still, I don’t like the exchange because that leaves you with a pawn in the center and me with none. I’m going to assume that you’re not interested in this, so I’m just going to continue my development.
- Nf3
Yes, I should have said it would be helpful to hear what you are thinking!
OK, it’s always good to check how many times something is attacked and defended.
It avoids mistakes and also a capture is called a ‘forcing’ move. Forcing moves (like checks) restrict your opponent’s replies, so make it easier to calculate ahead.
I agree you don’t want to exchange pawns, since (as you say) that leaves me with a pawn in the center and you with none.
A small but useful advantage.
I’ve played a few thousand competitive games and probably had the position after 3. …Bg4 10-15 times.
Your bishop on g4 pins my Knight to the Queen and also threatens to take, but he’s covered by my g2 pawn and I don’t think you’re keen to trade a Bishop for a Knight. I’m going to kick him with my h-pawn. h3
Yes, it’s good to spot the pin (and further tactics as they occur.)
In this case it’s pretty harmless, since you have the f3 knight defended by both pawn and queen and I have no quick way to put more pressure on the knight.
Nevertheless, it might become a problem later on. So you are right to attack the bishop!
There are three ways to deal with a pin:
- attack (or capture) the pinning piece (here h3)
- move a less valuable piece onto the line of the pin (here Be2 suffices)
- move the valuable piece off the pin line (unfortunately here the Queen has no suitable square)
After Bxf3, your recapture completes a simple exchange of equal value pieces (i.e. pawn = 1; knight + bishop = 3; rook = 5; queen = 9.)
N.B. 5. Qxf3 is correct here. Although bringing out the Queen too early can lose time if your opponent attacks it, here the Queen is pretty safe (and being useful as Queens always are!)
Instead 5. gxf3? weakens your pawn structure. This is a bit advanced, but in general two pawns side by side (e.g. f2+g2) can guard squares in front of them and easily defend each other. ‘Doubled’ pawns (e.g. f2+f3) don’t guard the square in front (f4) and can’t defend each other. So they are a permanent weakness. 
Let me explain my thinking behind my moves.
As always, I want to compete for the centre, get developed and castle…
So c6 and d5 got me a share of the centre.
Now how to develop my bishops? (you always have to move pawns to let them out (unlike the jumping knights!)
I could play 3. …e6 to get the f8 bishop some room - but then the e6 pawn would block my bishop on c8.
Therefore I played Bg4 first and once I’ve sorted out a response to your h3, I can play e6. This bolsters my centre and prepares to develop my f8 bishop.
I’m already thinking where my pieces can go, now I’ve seen where the pawns are placed in the centre:
- Bf8 to e7 or b4
- Ng8 to f6 or e7
- Nb8 to d7 (or c6 if the moves exd5 cxd5 are played
Mobilizing my dark-squared Bishop and getting another pawn onto an unprotected square in the center. d4
Yes, we are both playing sensibly!
Note that there are some potential tactics already…
a) When you played d4, I could have done a discovered attack by playing dxe4. This ‘discovers’ an attack by my Q on your pawn at d4.
You can meet it by recapturing on e4 with your Q, thus defending d4.
b) Bb4 sets up a pin on your knight at c3. Pins involving the King are the best, because the pinned piece is not allowed to move (no matter what pressure is brought to bear on it.
Keen to lose your Bishops in exchange for my Knights, are we? 
I can see that my Knight is pinned to my King. I could kick your Bishop with a3, but I can accomplish a bit more with Bd2, which protects my King and Knight and sets me up for queenside castling.
I was always taught that it’s a horrible sin to waste a tempo and weaken your pawn structure by playing P-R3 to repel a pinning Bishop that isn’t actually posing any active threat.
I certinly wouldn’t say that exchanging bishop for knight was a loss in any sense of the word!
It is true that if you have 1 (or 2) bishops and the opponent has 1 (or 2) knights, then the pawn position matters.
Bishops are long-ranging pieces, so like open positions (where some pawns have been exchanged etc.)
Knights can cover squares of both colours and like to sit on an outpost square. (An outpost square is one that cannot be attacked by an enemy pawn (and preferably ins defended by one of your own pawns.
So after this slightly odd sequence:
- e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 c4 5. f4
… position here: Chess Board Editor - Apronus.com ,
the position is blocked, which favours the Knights.
Also e4 and d3 are outpost squares for the Black Knights (hard to get to though!)
It’s certainly not a sin (let alone a terrible one!), because the pin may become significant later on.
However it is often poor play to spend a move on a3 or h3 (the algebraic equivalent of your P-R3) just to prevent a future pin.
Time (sometimes called tempo in chess) is important, especially early on.
In the game itself I considered 5. … Nf6, putting pressure on the e4 pawn, whilst keeping the position relatively blocked.
However after:
White Black
5. … Nf6
6. e5 Nfd7
7. Qg3
position here: Chess Board Editor - Apronus.com
it’s difficult to defend my g7 pawn.
Now 7. … OO loses material to 8. Bh6;
or 7… Kf8 means I can’t castle;
or 7. … g6 leaves weaknesses on f6 and h6 (this last is harder to understand, but is part of positional chess.
HeyHomie,
as this is a training game, I can offer to let you take a move back. 
White Black
- e4 c6
- Nc3 d5
- Nf3 Bg4
- h3 Bxf3
- Qxf3 e6
- d4 Bb4
- Bd2 dxe4
Now 8. Nxe4? loses a pawn (for little compensation, because of
- … Bxd2+
- Nxd2 Qxd4
position here: Chess Board Editor - Apronus.com
Feel free to change your move 8 if you want.
Already there are one or two tactics.
If I had played 8. Qe3 f5, White can play 9. Nxe4! (discovered attack) and now either 9. … fxe4 10. Bxb4 or 9. … Bxd2+ 10. Nxd2 are fine for White.
It’s quite an interesting position.
Black has equalised in control of the centre and is not far behind in development.
However this came about because Black exchanged first one bishop for a knight (and now the other.)
So (as I mentioned earlier), the pawn structure comes into play.
Whilst still devleoping and castling, White should take opportunities to open up the position (by exchanging pawns) as this will suit his bishops.
Black will try to keep the position closed (and park his knights in the centre where they are best placed to control squares.