Opening Explorer FAQ

What does FAQ stand for?

Frequently Answered Questions. Because nobody ever actually asks these.

How does the Opening Explorer work?

You click on the opening move you want to explore in the list below the chessboard, then it takes you to that position.  It also recommends a move for you. The recommended move is based on an analysis by The King.

I don't understand the notation in the move column.

That is explained on the rules page.

What is the value in the score column?

That is the score calculated by The King, usually at a depth of approximately 16.  Higher numbers (more positive) are better for White, while lower numbers (more negative) are better for Black.  In positions where a forced mate is possible, the value is 100 minus (0.01 * the number of moves to mate) (times -1 if Black is the player who can force mate).  So, if you see a score value over 90 or under -90, it means there is a forced mate possible.

Is the recommended move always the best move?

No.  That is what I strive for, but there will always be mistakes.  In fact, if you spot a mistake, please tell me.

What types of mistakes in the Opening Explorer should I notify you of?

The following are some mistakes that I may have made.  If you spot any, that would be helpful.

• Not all legal moves are listed.  If one of the legal moves is checkmate, I do not feel the need to include moves that are not checkmate.
• A move is listed that is not actually legal.  It's quite possible that at some point while I was listing the moves I neglected to check to see if you were putting yourself into check.
• The recommended move is not actually the best move.  It might be that the recommended move was at one point considered to be the best move, but further analysis has shown that another move may be better.  However, it is also possible that I have not analyzed that position at all and was merely listing the moves without checking to see which one was best.  This would be the case if the Opening Explorer doesn't allow you to explore this opening further.
• A move is listed as check but it isn't, or is not listed as check but is.
• Moves are not listed in the order of their score values.  If it's White's turn, moves should be listed from highest to lowest value.  If it's Black's turn, moves should be listed in order from lowest to highest value.
• The opening name for a position is wrong.  If you believe this, please provide evidence in the form of links to credible sites.
• A legal move is listed more than once.
• When clicking on a rANdoM position, the resulting board does not have exactly 64 tiles.  We definitely want to get rid of those if they exist.

Are there other ways I can help improve the Opening Explorer?

Yes.  A financial contribution would be the best way.  Please donate.  For every $20 you donate, I will add an opening of your choosing to the Opening Explorer.  If you don't care which opening gets added, I will add an opening of my choosing.  Also, if you donate $20 or more, I will add your name to the donors hall of fame unless you request to remain anonymous.

How come the name field is blank for some moves?

The name field is only for book moves.  The less commonly played openings are "out of the book" and do not have a name.

The words "center" and "defense" are misspelled throughout your site.

I am Canadian, so I took the liberty of using the Canadian spellings of "centre" and "defence".

I can't drag the pieces on the board.

I don't have any immediate plans to add that functionality.  In the meantime, just click on the move in the move list instead.  If a move isn't clickable, it's because I haven't added that opening to the opening explorer yet.

What is this "rANdoM" link at the bottom?

That takes you to a random opening position in the opening explorer.  It searches my data file and chooses one position at random from the positions I have already added.