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ECO C23Open game

Bishop's Opening

The bishop eyes f7 and the f-pawn stays free

  • Open centre
  • Classical

White puts the bishop on its most active diagonal at once and aims it at f7. The f3 knight is left at home, so f2-f4 and Nc3 both stay possible, and the game can slip into the Italian, the Vienna or the Two Knights. People play it to sidestep heavy theory, the Petroff for one. It is sound, but it puts no sharp pressure on Black, and today it is seen only now and then.

Interactive Opening Board

5.Bb3

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Black
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White
5.Bb3
Speed:

Moves

(9 plies • 5 moves)
5.Bb3Tabiya
  1. 1–5moves
  2. 1.
  3. 2.
  4. 3.
  5. 4.
  6. 5.

Defining move

2.Bc4 — the bishop goes straight to the diagonal

The move that separates the Bishop's Opening from the Italian

The bishop hits f7 while the knight stays on g1. That leaves White a choice: f2-f4 as in the King's Gambit, a knight to c3, or the knight to f3. The flip side is simple: the bishop on c4 can become a target for …d5 or …Na5.

Tabiya

The Paulsen set-up: Black in the centre, the bishop on b3

Black has built pawns on c6 and d5 and taken the centre with a blow at the bishop. White's bishop has retreated to b3 but kept its diagonal. White has no edge and knows it. The game will be long: White prepares Nbd2 and a trade on d5, while Black develops the bishop and castles.

White’s plan

  • Develop: Nbd2, 0-0, Re1.
  • Prepare e4 and a trade on d5 to break up Black's centre.
  • Keep f2-f4 in reserve if Black relaxes.

Black’s plan

  • Hold the centre with the d5 and e5 pawns.
  • Bring the bishop to d6 and castle.
  • Use any slip by White for …e4 or …Bg4.

History

It is one of the oldest openings on record: Lucena wrote about it, and Philidor made it popular. Bent Larsen brought it back to tournament play in the 1960s.

Notable players

Bent Larsen

Games in the Atlas

No games in the Atlas yet

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