Opening Category: Irregular Opening
Played With: White Pieces
ECO: A46
1. h4
The Kadas opening, also known as the Desprez opening, is one of the rarest chess openings in the game of Chess. In fact, there aren’t any statistics recorded on how often it is played because the Kadas opening is never played in professional chess. You won’t see Super Grandmasters or Grandmasters play this opening in a tournament and is strongly recommended that you don’t play this opening in a serious game, unless you’re Hikaru Nakamura and can play any opening including the Bongcloud attack and still win.
The Kadas is never played in serious matches due to being classified as a weak opening after being thoroughly analyzed over the past century like most other openings and has been declared a complete and utter useless opening. Meaning there is no real advantage for white to play it in any serious match. 1. h4 accomplishes nothing in terms of the opening principles and is essentially a wasted first move.
Theory
For Kadas theory, this section is going to be made up entirely of details explaining why 1. h4 is a bad first move.
The first move of the Kadas, pawn to h4. Right off the bat, we know that this is a bad opening. This move completely ignores all of the opening principles. In the opening, the objective is to:
- Control the center of the board.
- Activate minor pieces.
- Castle to remove your king out of the center of the board into safety.
And this first move neglects all of those. Castling in Chess is crucial for getting your king to safety and this move actually weakens the King side of the board which will make it easier for Black to run a checkmating pattern and win.
1. h4 doesn’t take control over the center at all and gives black the opportunity to take control over the center. It doesn’t allow you to activate the light squared bishop.
Origins
The Kadas Opening, also know as the Desprez Opening, Anti-Borg Opening, and Samurai Opening, is an irregular Chess opening played with the white pieces that refers to 1. h4.
Named after a Hungarian player, Gabor Kadas, the Kadas is one of the chess openings named after people, which are commonly named after the player that was first recorded playing it in a game.
How To Play Against The Kadas Opening
There are several good responses to the Kadas opening, or 1. h4. Here’s how to respond to as Black.
Keep in mind the opening principles and middlegame principles. This is why learning the principles of chess is more important than memorizing opening lines. If you understand the fundamentals, you’ll just know how to respond against any thing your opponent plays.
The bottom line: Take the center. You can likely take e5 and d5 since White essentially wasted the advantage of the first move.
Examples
Even though this opening is rare and never seen played in professional chess, there is an example of this opening being played in a match.
Example #1: Robert Fabry vs Zoran Radojevic
Prievidza (1978)
This example is of a game from 1978 between Robert Fabry and Zoran Radojevic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Kadas Opening good?
The Kadas opening is not a good opening and is recommended to never be played in professional chess.
How do you counter kadas opening?
You counter the Kadas opening by following the opening principles. Take control over the center.
How do I punish an h4 open?
You punish an 1. h4 opening by simply winning the game. Not by checkmating White within a few moves, but by gaining a massive advantage in the opening. Since White wasted the first move, Black can quickly take control over the center of the board.
