Lopez Opening
The Lopez Opening (or MacLeod Attack) is a chess opening characterized by the moves:
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| Moves | 1.e4 e5 2.c3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | C20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Open Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | MacLeod Attack | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The opening was played frequently by 19th century Scottish–Canadian chess master Nicholas MacLeod but has otherwise arisen rarely in tournament play.
Discussion
White's second move prepares to push a pawn to d4, establishing a strong center. Play can potentially transpose to other openings, most likely the Ponziani Opening or the Göring Gambit in the Scotch Game. However, Eric Schiller states in Unorthodox Chess Openings that the opening is too slow; that Black can respond vigorously with 2...d5! to eliminate transpositional possibilities and solve all of his opening problems, as after 1.e4 e5 2.c3 d5! 3.exd5 Qxd5, 4.Nc3 is not available to chase the queen away and gain a tempo.
See also
- Ruy Lopez—a very popular opening with a similar name
References
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The Wikibook Chess Opening Theory has a page on the topic of: Lopez Opening |
- Schiller, Eric (2003). Unorthodox Chess Openings. Cardoza Publishing. ISBN 1-58042-072-9.