Anderssen's Opening
ECO A00 ยท Anderssen's Opening
The Anderssen's Opening (A00) is a chess opening in the Anderssen's Opening family, played by White. It arises after the moves 1. a3.
Moves: 1. a3
About this opening
With 1.a3 White plays a waiting move that develops nothing: Anderssen's Opening effectively gives back the advantage of the first move. The pawn on a3 does deny Black's pieces the b4-square, sometimes allowing a reversed Sicilian or English setup with a useful extra tempo. Adolf Anderssen tried it three times against Paul Morphy in their 1858 match, without success. A purely psychological surprise weapon.