Nikolaos Ntirlis Eröffnungsideen

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A well-known position from the Catalan Opening, White to move, what would you do?

Black threatens to exchange on f3 (with check!), then take the queen on d3, and after exd3 White would be left with a backward, isolated pawn on the d-file - a weakness that Black could besiege splendidly.

White would therefore like to exchange on d4 and use this opportunity to get rid of the intruder planted there. But that's not possible. The Nf3 is pinned to the Bg2 on the long diagonal.

The obvious move 1.0-0 to cover the Bg2 is not particularly good: 1...Nxf3+ (check!) 2.Bxf3 Qxd3 3.exd3 Rd8 and there it is again, the problem pawn on d3. Black has good play.

The best move for White is anything but obvious: 1.Kf1!

Wait, what? Make a move with the king on a full board, give up castling without being forced to? Yes! Chess is such a great game because (among many other reasons) under specific circumstances the right move may be one that breaks all the rules.

After the surprising 1.Kf1! Black can no longer exchange with a check on f3. 1...Nxf3 2.Qxd8+! (check!) Rxd8 3.Bxf3 and now Black would be the one with a problem pawn on c5. White would have the better structure and the better game.

On the other hand, White is now ready to take on d4 on the next move because the Nf3 is no longer pinned.

You can find such positions with surprising solutions, but above all new ideas in well-known openings, every few days on the X/Twitter account of the Greek chess coach Nikos Ntirlis. The account is one of the best sources of opening inspiration on the internet.

Don't know what to play against the Sicilian?

Here you go:

https://twitter.com/NikolaosNtirlis/status/1787784978136224075

The Caro-Kann?

Niko has you covered:

https://twitter.com/NikolaosNtirlis/status/1656727005512040449

Need a weapon against French?

Here's the X/Twitter thread for it:

https://twitter.com/NikolaosNtirlis/status/1732577081932792007

Ntirlis shows ideas that you can apply immediately in your next blitz tournament - or study more deeply.

The great thing about it: What Nikos shows may sometimes look off or harmless, but it always has substance and is often highly dangerous. With an Elo rating of 1942, Ntirlis is not even a hugely strong player, but an experienced coach and correspondence chess player who helps a number of grandmasters with opening ideas.

His opening books are published by renowned companies. And it's not unusual for opening ideas Ntirlis published on Twitter a few days ago to appear in grandmaster practice a little later. Why not in yours too? There's a good chance that your opponents aren't familiar with the new ideas from Greece.

Matthew Sadler vergibt fünf Sterne für „Reimagining 1.e4“ von Nikolaos Ntirlis

Der britische Großmeister und Schachbuchkritiker Matthew Sadler hat dem neuen Werk von Nikolaos Ntirlis, Reimagining 1.e4, die Höchstwertung von fünf Sternen verliehen. In seiner Rezension lobt Sadler das Buch als „wirklich beeindruckend“ – sowohl inhaltlich als auch in der didaktischen Umsetzung.

Das Repertoirebuch, erschienen bei Quality Chess, liefert auf rund 300 Seiten ein vollständiges 1.e4-Repertoire gegen alle gängigen Verteidigungen – darunter 120 Seiten zu 1.e4 e5, 100 zur Sizilianischen Verteidigung, gut 20 zur Französischen und über 10 zur Caro-Kann-Verteidigung. Auch seltenere Varianten wie Skandinavisch oder Alekhine werden behandelt.

Nikos Ntirlis is a correspondence player who qualified for the world championship final.He is best known for his fresh opening ideas on X, which Carlsen, Nakamura Giri and many others have used. This book is a goldmine of opening ideas and novelties for stronger players.youtu.be/jXd_BKFUngw

— Han Schut (@hanschut.bsky.social) 2025-01-09T22:34:40.826Z

Sadler hebt hervor, dass Ntirlis konsequent auf Hauptvarianten setzt und mutige, ideenreiche Vorschläge macht. Es gebe „keinen geschlossenen Sizilianer und keinen feigen 3.Lb5+, um der Najdorf-Variante auszuweichen“, schreibt Sadler anerkennend. Stattdessen finde sich ein Mix aus neuen Ideen, modernen Engine-Linien und alten, frisch belebten Konzepten.

Besonders beeindruckt zeigt sich Sadler vom didaktischen Aufbau: In strategischen Varianten wie dem Ruy Lopez mit 11...Dxc7 sei weniger konkrete Theorie, sondern eher Inspiration gefragt – und genau diese liefere Ntirlis, unter anderem mit Modellpartien von Topalov und einer Engine-Partie zwischen Stockfish und Komodo. Gleichzeitig sei das Buch in taktisch schärferen Varianten wie der Scheveninger Sizilianisch detailliert genug, um unterschiedliche Zugfolgen abzudecken – inklusive Varianten über Taimanov- und Kan-Zugfolgen.

Für Sadler gelingt Ntirlis die Balance, die viele Repertoirebücher verfehlen: genug Inhalt, um dem Spieler Sicherheit zu geben, aber nicht so viel, dass man sich vor der Partie überfordert fühlt. Sein Fazit: „Ein wirklich hervorragendes Eröffnungsbuch – erneut – von diesem Autor. Und eine absolut verdiente 5-Sterne-Bewertung!“

Amazon-Klappentext:

Every chess player faces an opening dilemma: big main lines are complicated and time-consuming to learn, while easy-to-learn sidelines usually suffer from other defects. Finding the best of both worlds has been an impossible dream - until now! Reimagining 1.e4 offers the Holy Grail of a simple, easy-to-learn White repertoire, which packs a punch against all of Black's main defences. In some lines, White unleashes a surprise as early as move 3. In others, White follows the known paths for a little longer, but only when there are big rewards to justify a modest effort.