List of chess openings named after animals

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

The Oxford Companion to Chess lists 1,327 named openings and variants.^[1] Some openings have been given fanciful names, often names of animals. The Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence was named in 1901 after its resemblance of Black's kingside pawn structure to the constellation Draco,^[2][3] It is one of the sharpest of all chess openings,^[4] with ten named sub-variations analysed in Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.^[5]

The Orang-Utan Opening was an occasional novelty named by the witty Polish master Savielly Tartakower in 1924.^[6] Nevertheless the Orang-Utan's wide range of options have attracted from analysts.^[7] Some animal variations have development from novelties into serious competition weapons, for example the Hippopotamus Defence looks passive but offers opportunities for well-timed counter-attacks.^[8] The similar Hedgehog Opening may leave the White pieces with an impressive position but little prospect of making progress,^[9] and Black may threaten a breakthrough at the right time.^[10]

Analysts continued to devise new variations, some named after animals. For example Stefan Bücker introduced the Vulture and Hawk variations,^[11] which chess journalist and correspondence chess expert Tim Harding included in his collection of unorthodox openings, "Dynamic Black Defenses". In 2007 Anthea Carson and Brian Wall published "How to Play Chess Like an Animal",^[12] to bring fun and creativity to chess lessons for young players.^[13]

Below is a list of chess openings named after animals.

• Black Lion Defense 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7;^[14]
• Black Mustang Defense 1.Nf3 Nc6;^[15]
• Bullfrog Gambit 1.d4 Nf6 2.g4;^[16]
• Canard Opening 1.d4 Nf6 2.f4;^[17]
• Chameleon variation of the Sicilian Defence 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2^[18]
• Chameleon variation of the Slav Defense 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 ^[19]
• Clam Variation 1.e4 e5 2.d3;^[20]
• Crab Opening 1.a4 e5 2.h4;^[21]
• Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6;^[22]
• Double Duck Formation 1.f4 f5 2.d4 d5;^[23]
• Elephant Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5;^[24]
• English Orangutan 1.c4 Nf6 2.b4;^[25]
• English Rat 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5;^[26]
• Fried Fox Variation 1.e4 f6 2.d4 Kf7;^[27]
• Giraffe Attack of the Vienna Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Qg4;^[28]
• Great Snake 1.c4 g6;^[29]
• Halibut Gambit of the English Opening 1.c4 b5;^[30]
• Hawk Defense 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 3.Nf3 c4;^[31]
• Hedgehog a pawn formation adopted usually by Black that can arise from several openings;^[32]
• Hippopotamus Defence a name for various chess opening systems in which Black moves a number of his pawns to the third rank (usually a6, b6, d6, e6, g6, h6);^[33]
• Kangaroo Defense 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+;^[34]
• Kingfisher Gambit of the Dutch Defense 1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4;^[35]
• Lizard Attack of the Dunst Opening 1.Nc3 d5 2.e4 d4 3.Nce2;^[36]
• Lobster Gambit of the Latvian Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.g4;^[37]
• Mad Dog Attack of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 g6 6.Bg5 Bg7 7.h4;^[38]
• Medusa Gambit 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g5;^[39]
• Mongoose variation of the Sicilian defence 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Qa5; ^[40]
• Monkey's Bum of the Modern Defense 1.e4 g6 2.Bc4 Bg7 3.Qf3 e6 4.d4 Bxd4 5.Ne2 Bg7 6.Nbc3;^[41]
• Mosquito Gambit of the Englund Gambit 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Qh4;^[42]
• Orangutan Opening 1.b4;^[43]
• Polar bear system in Bird's Opening (1.f4), a system devised by grandmaster Henrik Danielsen;^[44]
• Porcupine Variation, 1.c4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g4;^[45]
• Pterodactyl Variation, Modern, 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 c5 5.Nf3 Qa5;^[46]
• Raptor Attack of the Trompowsky Attack 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4;^[47]
• Rat Defence 1.d4 d6;^[26]
• Scorpion-Horus Gambit of the Caro-Kann Defence 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d3 dxe4 4.Bg5;^[48]
• Sicilian Pterodactyl 1.e4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 c5;^[49]
• Snail Variation of the Old Benoni Defense 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Na6;^[50]
• Snake Variation of the Benoni Defense 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 Bd6;^[51]
• Tortoise Opening 1.e4 e5 2.Bd3;^[52]
• Vulture Defense 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 3.c4 Ne4;^[11]
• Wasp Variation of the Elephant Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nxe5 dxe4 4.Bc4 Qg5;^[53]
• Whale Opening 1.e4 e5 2.c4;^[54]
• Wild Bull Defense 1.e4 Nh6;^[55]
• Wolf Variation of the Ruy Lopez 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.Nc3 exd4;^[56]
• Wolf Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Qc2 Ne4;^[57]

See also

• Chess opening
• List of chess openings
• List of chess openings named after people
• List of chess openings named after places
• List of U.S. counties named after animals

References

External links

• Unorthodox Chess Openings by Eric Schiller
• Bill Wall's list of chess openings
• ECO Information and Index
• Chess Archaeology