Can You Win With The Polish Opening?
White has the first move in chess. Therefore, it is up to the player with the White pieces to set the tone for the battle to follow. Will they begin the game with something tried and tested, such as the King’s Pawn Opening (1. e4)? Or will they venture off the beaten path, with something surprising and unusual? If you like to shock your opponents right from move one, then the Polish Opening (1. b4) is definitely worth checking out.
In this article we introduce the Polish Opening, why you might want to play it, and provide some ideas to help you get started with this interesting chess opening for White.
Let’s begin with the name. 1. b4 is an opening which the chess-playing community has struggled to settle on a single name for.
Depending on who you ask, it may be referred to as:
- The Sokolsky Opening
- The Orangutan
- The Polish Opening
- …and there are several more alternatives.
For the rest of this article we will stick with the “Polish Opening”, for the sake of consistency.
Why Play This Opening?
According to the chess.com opening explorer, 1. b4 is the 9th-most played first move by White at master level.
Statistically, at master level, White wins 38% of games beginning with the Polish Opening, draws 20%, and loses 42%. With numbers like these, we can begin to see why players with the White pieces don’t play the Polish Opening more often.
White begins the game with the advantage of moving first - so any opening where Black’s outscores White can be cause for concern! If you are looking for some options which have more favorable results for White, then check out our article on the 5 best chess openings for White.
So then, why would you play the Polish Opening?
Though the numbers slightly tilt in favor of Black, the difference isn’t huge. The Polish Opening is definitely still playable.
Let’s say that Black makes the most common reply to the Polish Opening: 1. …e5 - taking space in the center, and opening up their dark-squared bishop to threaten the White pawn on b4.
After the natural fianchetto 2. Bb2, White creates a threat of their own: attacking the Black pawn on e5.
If Black decides to capture with 2. …Bxb4, then White can capture as well, with 3. Bxe5. White has lost their b-pawn, but gained Black’s e-pawn. As a general rule, it is usually a good idea to trade a flank pawn for one of the opponent’s central pawns - and in this line, White has already achieved it: on move three!
Another reason to play the Polish Opening is for surprise value. Perhaps you do not have the time or inclination to study the voluminous opening lines in a theoretically dense opening such as the Ruy Lopez. In that case, the Polish Opening offers the prospect of starting the game in a way where your opponent will be unable to recite a dozen moves of memorized opening moves before the “real” game begins.
If you need one more reason to give the Polish Opening a chance - former world chess champion Magnus Carlsen has been known to play and win with the Polish Opening - such as in this game against the Chilean grandmaster Mauricio Flores Rios from 2018. If it’s good enough for the highest-rated chess player of all time, then it should be good enough for us!
Related: The Magnus Carlsen Signature Series Chess Set, Bag And Board Combination.
Getting Started With The Polish Opening
Because the Polish Opening is rather uncommon, there has not been nearly as much published about it as mainstream openings such as the French Defense or the Closed Sicilian.
However, there are still a couple of excellent options for those who want to further their education in this provocative opening choice for White.
The best book on the market about the Polish Opening is Play the Orangutan: 1. b4 by Carsten Hansen, available from the USCF store.
At 181 pages, you can be certain that after studying this book, you will know far more about the Polish Opening than any opponent you are likely to face! Click here to check it out.
If you prefer learning in video format, we recommend Andrew Martin’s e-DVD The Sokolsky Opening - 1. b4.
With a runtime of 132 minutes, you can be playing the Polish Opening in next to no time. As the author says: by playing 1. b4, White gets a very playable position, while steering Black into unchartered territory - where you will know what is going on, but your opponent will not! Click here to check it out.
Summary: Is The Polish Opening Right For You?
The Polish Opening can be a fun way to start the game with White if you:
- Prefer to avoid deep opening theory: Being an uncommon opening, there has not been a great deal of opening theory developed around The Polish Opening. This means that neither player will be able to heavily rely on memorized opening preparation. Instead, both you and your opponent will be “on your own” a lot sooner than in the more mainstream openings.
- Enjoy flank openings: By beginning the game with 1. b4, and following up with a quick fianchetto of the dark-squared bishop on b2, White is exerting pressure on the center from the flanks, rather than occupying the center with pawns. You should be comfortable with this way of playing.
- Are not overly concerned about which openings are “objectively best”: Results in the Polish Opening slightly favor Black. So, if you are going to play it, this fact should not bother you. Instead, you should be the type of chess player who enjoys the challenge of starting the game with something relatively unusual and unexplored.
Does that sound like the kind of chess opening for White you would enjoy?
If so, then try the Polish Opening today!