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Two Weekly Chess Openings - 13th October 2026

Published about 17 hours ago • 1 min read

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Hey Reader,

Welcome back to Chess Openings Tueday.

First, a thank you to everyone for supporting the launch of the Opening Mastery Trainer. Any thoughts and feedback on it, feel free to send it over! It's always my goal to make these products as good as they can be.

One other thing - give me a quick email reply. What's one thing you'd like to see changed or improved about this weekly email? Anything you'd like adding (or removing)?

Here are this week's openings.

Lasker Simul Special

Chess Notation:

1. g3 h5

Win Rate:

  • Black: 50%
  • White: 46%
  • Draw: 4%

Themes:

Positional, Solid, Tricky/Unorthodox

Pros

  1. Complete surprise value against unprepared opponents
  2. Prevents White’s standard kingside fianchetto plans
  3. Creates unusual positions outside mainstream theory
  4. May discourage White’s kingside castling

Cons

  1. Weakens Black’s kingside structure
  2. Does nothing for development or central control
  3. Creates potential weaknesses along the h-file
  4. Generally considered dubious against accurate play

Old Indian Defense

Chess Notation:

1. d4 d6 2. c4

Win Rate:

  • Black: 47%
  • White: 49%
  • Draw: 4%

Themes:

Closed, Defensive, Positional, Slow Buildup, Solid

Pros

  1. Solid position with few immediate weaknesses
  2. Flexible development options behind defensive pawn structure
  3. Avoids extensive theoretical preparation
  4. Provides stable platform for later counterattack

Cons

  1. Concedes significant central space to White
  2. Can lead to cramped positions if counterplay isn’t found
  3. Generally considered less dynamic than modern alternatives
  4. White often maintains small positional advantage

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That's it for today!

As always, feel free to reply with your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, etc.

Have a good week :)

Cheers,
James
Chess Cheat Sheets
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