The Worst Opening in Chess? 

that's valid advice if you're 800 online. If you're playing someone 2000 OTB in a classical game then it is kinda disrespectful to not resign. I agree with Zach, you're basically saying they're not good enough to convert it, that they might mess up

2000s blunder too; if they didn't, they'd be much higher rated. There's no reason to resign when there's plenty of play, tricks or chances to mess up left in a position. Additionally, playing against someone higher rated and experiencing the way they convert a winning advantage is incredibly valuable. Why would you ever take these valuable experiences away from yourself by resigning early?

@@nunyabusiness4606 Nope, valid across any elo range. Getting upset at your opponent for not giving up is silly. Like I said, if it was just to stall the game, then sure, but there's other valid reasons to play on. 1. blow off steam 2. sit with your mistakes 3. make your opponent work for it and get better at generating counter play/being tricky 4. Observing how your opponent converts the position etc etc. Nobody is "basically saying they're not good enough to convert", that's something you've added to the conversation by your own mindset, hence why you should avoid that way of thinking because it's not what every opponent is trying to convey.

@@TomVennix Absolutely agree with this, well said. There's more to be learned from a lost game and much more to be learned if you don't resign early.

British players generally like it

More so philodor defense

lol

Frrrr

Same here lol xD .... I play Czech pirc seldomly and I main mainline pirc so yeah xD ... It gave me quite a scare

But the black lion ain't that bad tbh ... He misplayed it a bit

I appreciate that!

Better thumbnail, you're right :)

@@thechessnerd hi, i have a doubt. i am from india and inorder to get a fide id, i created an account on AICF (all india chess federation) thhey gave me an AICF id. what do i do now?? i need a fide id

@@KSKDINGDONGCHESSKERELA I'm not entirely sure how it works in india but usually to get a fide ID you just need to have a national ID (Ie for me I need a CFC (Canadian chess federation ID) and then play in a fide rated tournament and score at least 1/2 points in your tournament). So if AICF is the equivalent of a national chess membership then all you should need to do is enter into a AICF and FIDE rated tournament to get a fide ID

Let me address this because it seems you have compiled many small things in this video as malicious when in fact they weren't. The full name: I put the full name of all my opponent's whether I get crushed or I crush them. The opponent's name can reveal their ancestry and sometimes their age (i.e. Gertrude may be an older person). It is never shown to embarrass the person and is public information anyways as all these games were live DGT boards of which this game can be easily found here: www.chess.com/events/2024-cambridge-international-open/04/Saine_Zachary-Wynarczyk_Raymond The Lion's Defense is Objectively unpopular at the GM and Super GM levels almost only played by Bortnyk in Blitz (Titled Tuesday). The engine on high depth (Stockfish 16 Cloud Analysis Depth 40) gives +0.81 from my computer as I am typing this. Saying it is a bad opening is the brutal and honest truth because it gives an advantage to the opponent after 6 moves, that is before the Be7 mistake you are referring to. I would never recommend this opening to anyone and especially not

​@@thechessnerd I agree with you on the idea that players under a certain level should first learn openings that take the centre, etc. I totally understand this stance. But to state that it is "the worst opening in chess" is something else and is very misleading. I would like to address this as well, just stating my opinion on the matter. You deem this opening to be outright bad. Would you also say that the King's Indian is a bad opening? Some lines played by GMs (e.g. the Mar Del Plata) can be +1.1 for white after 10+ moves of theory, and yet give good chances to black. The computer never likes when black gives space in the centre, hence its disapproval of openings such as King's Indian, Pirc, Tiger's Modern, Black Lion Philidor, etc. It is all a matter of style. For example, Simon Williams recommends this opening and has made a good course on it. Some other coaches think that teaching d6-Nf6 openings is a bad idea because it is risky and aggressive. But I assure you that at our level (≈2000 FIDE), few players go into the f4 line. Most players just play 4. Nf3 and get into the main line. And even when they do know the critical aggressive f4 line, most of them don't know the full variation to maintain this +1 computer advantage that you seem fond of. It often turns into a very complicated, two-sided, tactical position, which is what we seek because of our playing style. However, recommending or teaching this opening isn't "sugarcoating". It has been widely analysed and played. In addition to the courses and Chessbase files that have been made on it, there are GM games (e.g. by Bortnyk, as you mentioned, or MVL, or Bauer, Williams, etc.) to take inspiration from. Just like King's Indian players would learn from Rapport, Kasparov, Fischer, Nakamura, etc. That being said, you chose a great line as white, and you played very well to punish your opponent's early mistake. Kudos. This exemplary game shows that playing d6-Nf6 openings is very risky and can quickly turn into a nightmare if you forget one bit of theory or one specific move order (I don't know if you have seen the Praggnanandhaa vs Rapport game in Prague last week, in which Rapport was completely losing after messing up his King's Indian, but that is a good example of the risks we take!). Sorry about the long comment but I am just adding my perspective on this thing. I feel like your video title, thumbnail, and the way you talk about the opening in the video, is very misleading and untrue. Again, stating that you wouldn't recommend this opening because it doesn't fit your style as black is perfectly valid. But I don't agree with your saying that it is objectively bad and your quoting a computer eval in order to argue that it shouldn't be played "by anyone" (as you said)-in that case, everyone should stop playing the King's Indian, the Benoni, the Modern, etc. I simply find it weird to state such things as a chess content creator, given that your audience is wide and consists in players with diverse level and diverse playing styles.

@@Shap6 Valid and interesting! First off I want to make it clear that the title is not a statement. It is a question which gives the audience the chance to answer whether or not it is the worst opening chess. Thus, My opinion is not 100% that this is the worst opening in chess. The damiano defense is (2...f6??) which loses on the spot. That being said, If an opening is so bad that someone 2000 FIDE like me can learn the moves, analyze it and crush it in the space of 24 hours of learning about it I think that says someone about playing it at this strength. All games of Simon Williams I'm seeing this being played are in unserious events in which there is nothing to lose like FIDE elo. i.e. Williams and Bortnyk use this opening in blitz and Titled Tuesday. Would you main an opening that the person suggests you does not play it in their own serious events? I wouldn't. There is a reason why an opening like this is not even mentioned in Hikaru's tier list for example...he must not have faced it over the board! Last point you make an interesting point about this vs the King's Indian where the engine can sometimes says +1.1. This (Lion's) opening is advantageous for white 5 moves in. 5. Most likely after 5 moves a player will still be in prep in 3 variations and know exactly what to do. However, in a King's Indian, going 11/12 moves deep into theory in a lesser known line where the plans are harder to find for the opponent I am 100% fine with. Same goes for the Benoni and Modern. They are objectively tougher nuts to crack in which the opponent needs to lay well on demand. I think the original suggestion (top message) was that black needed to sac a pawn instead of playing Be7. Any opening that demands a pawn sac first in order for black to develop (we're not talking about a respectable gambit here) is not a serious opening (imo). Lastly, I sent the title to my editor and my thumbnail editor put those three words in the title, it was not my idea but I welcome it and am fully accountable for it. All to say, to put that in a thumbnail was not my original thought or idea but tit made it interesting I think!

@@thechessnerd Thanks for your answer. I just have one more thing to say, regarding your point about coaches recommending openings that they don't play in FIDE-rated games themselves. In the case of Simon Williams, he has played it in important tournaments, such as the London Classic (v. Jude Lenier), the British National League (v. Sam Collins), the French National League (v. Alberto David), in the Bournemouth open (v. David Howell), only to cite a few that he analyses in his course. He is quite transparent about the way he missplayed a variation in one of those important FIDE-rated games, which cost him a bad position, and thoroughly explains how to not make such mistakes when we play the Lion's Defense OTB. Also, it is a good weapon for GMs to use to avoid prep in shorter time controls: MVL used it OTB in the European Blitz Championship against Zaven Andriasian; Christian Bauer used it against none other than Judit Polgar in the 2011 World Rapid Championship; Teimur Radjabov used it against Magnus Carlsen in the 2008 Cap d'Agde open; Baadur Jobava used it against Oskar Wieczorek in the 2013 European Rapid Championship. My point is, GMs have used it in serious events where they needed to win with black, in time controls where black didn't have much time to figure out plans OTB and needed to have studied it a bit beforehand. So I believe that it is most definitely playable in longer time controls for us amateurs, all the more so as we have plenty of time to figure out the plans on the board. Lastly, some GMs have played it in OTB long games: Alexander Morozevich in the 2013 FIDE Grand Prix (v. Veselin Topalov), Victor Bologan on many occasions (e.g. 2001 Pamplona open). There are also plenty of inspiring games by Viktor Láznička with the Black Lion: I invite you to watch his game against Muhammad Batuhan Dastan in the 2014 European Championship. It is a perfect example of why the f4 line, which you prepped before your game, is extremely sharp and can lead to a tactical battlefront on the chess board. Also, Richard Rapport has created great ideas with the Black Lion, one of which can be found in his masterpiece game against Benjamin Bok in the 2014 Riga Technical University Open (it's a perfect game according to the engine, and a dream position for any Lion's Defense player). Those are really fun games that were played by grandmasters in serious OTB FIDE-rated games, I hope you check them out. :) I do agree, however, with your point about the thumbnail and the title being up to interpretation from the viewer. You're right, those are not statements. I guess it's part of a bigger trend in online chess content which is genuinely good for viewers to train their critical thinking skills and make their own opinions about opening (and it also participates in the building of their own playstyle!). Have a good day and thanks for being receptive to criticism. Much love.

@@thechessnerd And also, the opening does appear in Hikaru's tier list video. He even says himself that he has played it in a game he won against Daniil Dubov. So yeah, clearly a known opening. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3vzDjlu-96s.htmlsi=A7K9hmkF18CmIT-c

I'd argue that's for lower levels and shorter time controls if at a higher level. A 2000 rated could easily convert against a 2600 up two whole pieces

@@strek45 I agree I'm not saying what he did was the right thing, it's many youtubers that say you shouldn't resign, I'm not one of em

@@lyricalplays5872 oh misunderstood you a bit.

@@strek45 Don’t really agree with that. Kinda depends on the position (how sharp the position is). But in this case, the opponent should have resigned (also keeping in mind the time situation)

@@strek45 no worries

I wonder the same thing!

There's multiple websites that offer databases of their otb chess games. search Raymond Wynarczyk Chess Tempo and that website has their games. Finding online accounts can be harder or impossible.

This was known from the previous games in the tournament and the historical record of my elder opponent's career (via ChessBase)

Forgot to mention it: 2650 and 97.5 :)

he reccomends the hilly billy

Yeah Be7 is a big mistake. His opponent had to sack a pawn with c6-d5-Bc5 and then there are crazy lines to know by heart.

Stockfish 16 Cloud Analysis on chess.com. I think it's members only though (If you happen to want to become a member I highly recommend it: www.chess.com/membership?ref_id=8789880)

he types the moves into a score board at the chess tournament

@@brotherheroes9194 i didnt understand ,how to access such database?

I'm trying to post one a day! 4 for 4!

shut up

W's in the schaaaat

@@thechessnerd wwww

shut up

shut up