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Centre Pawn Opening
Chess opening
Chess opening
| Field | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| openingname | Centre Pawn Opening | ||
| image | {{Chess diagram | ||
| moves | 1.e4 e5 2.c3 | ||
| ECO | C20 | ||
| parentopening | Open Game | ||
| AKA | MacLeod Attack |
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd |pd|pd|pd|pd| |pd|pd|pd | | | | | | | | | | | | |pd| | | | | | | |pl| | | | | |pl| | | | | |pl|pl| |pl| |pl|pl|pl |rl|nl|bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl The Centre Pawn Opening (or the MacLeod Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
:1. e4 e5 :2. c3
The opening was analyzed by Ruy López in his 1561 book, but has never been popular. It was played 17 times in the New York 1889 tournament by the Canadian 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 . Play can potentially transpose to other openings, most likely the Ponziani Opening or the Göring Gambit in the Scotch Game. Eric Schiller states, however, that the opening is too slow, that Black can respond vigorously with 2...d5 to eliminate transpositional possibilities and solve all his opening problems, as after 3.exd5 Qxd5, the move 4.Nc3 is not available to chase the queen away and gain a tempo.
After 2...d5, MacLeod played 3.Nf3 in MacLeod–Gossip, New York 1889, which continued 3...dxe4 (3...Nc6 is the Ponziani) 4.Nxe5 Qd5 (4...Bd6 5.Nc4 Be6 6.d4 exd3) 5.d4 exd3 6.Nd3 with an equal game after move 10 (Keres).
After 2...Nf6 3.d4, Rusakov–Verlinsky, USSR 1947, continued 3...Nc6 (3...Nxe4 was tried in Morphy–Bottin, Paris 1858) 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 g5 6.Bg3 exd4 7.e5 dxc3, where 8.Nxc3! would have given White the upper hand with more (Keres).
References
Bibliography
- {{cite book |author-link1=David Vincent Hooper |author-link2=Kenneth Whyld
- {{cite book |editor-last=Matanović |editor-first=Aleksandar |editor-link=Aleksandar Matanović
- {{cite book
References
- Hooper & Whyld (1992), p. 72. ''Centre Pawn Opening''.
- Matanović 1981, p. 122, n. 7
- "Paul Morphy vs. A Bottin, Paris 1858".
- Matanović 1981, p. 122, n. 2
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