Hypermodern facts for kids
The hypermoderns were a group of chess players who came up with new ways to start a chess game. They wanted to challenge the old ideas about how to control the middle of the board. The name "hypermodern" was given to them by a Polish-French grandmaster named Tartakower.
These players believed that you didn't always have to put your pawns right in the center of the board at the very beginning. Instead, they focused on attacking the opponent's center from a distance. This was a big change from the older style of play.
A New Way to Play Chess Openings
In the past, many chess players thought the best way to start was to immediately place two or three pawns in the middle of the board. This was like building a fortress in the center.
But the hypermoderns had a different idea. They preferred to control the center using their knights and bishops, often from the sides of the board. They would let their opponent put pawns in the center, and then they would try to attack those pawns.
For example, if White started with the move 1.d4, a hypermodern player might respond with 1...Nf6. If White started with 1.e4, they might play 1...e6 or 1...c5. These moves are called "asymmetric" because they don't directly mirror White's moves.
Famous Hypermodern Chess Players
The person who started these new ideas was Aaron Nimzovich. Other famous chess players who joined this group included Alexander Alekhine, Tartakower, Réti, Grünfeld, and Efim Bogolyubov. All of these players were top grandmasters in the 1920s and 1930s. Their ideas helped shape how chess is played even today.
Popular Openings They Created
Thanks to the hypermoderns, several popular chess openings are still used by players around the world. These include:
- Alekhine's Defence (which starts with 1.e4 Nf6)
- Réti's Opening (which starts with 1.Nf3)
- The King's Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7)
- The Grünfeld Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5)
- The Modern Defence (which often starts with 1...g6)
These openings show how the hypermoderns changed the game by focusing on flexible and surprising ways to control the board.
