The name Saragossa Opening is derived from the Spanish city of Zaragoza. In 1922 a theme tournament requiring the players to open with 1.c3 was arranged in <Mannheim> with <three> participants, Siegbert Tarrasch, Paul Leonhardt and Jacques Mieses, which Tarrasch won. (Wikipedia article: Saragossa Opening)

Im Juni 1922 lesen wir im "Deutschen Wochenschach", daß mit diesem Zug ein Turnier mit <vier>* Meistern stattfand. Kein geringerer als Tarrasch war damals dabei... Randspringer #66, S.148 * must be <three>

Tarrasch....... xx | 1,= | 1,1
Leonhardt.... 0,= | x,x | 0,1
Mieses......... 0,0 | 1,0 | x,x

6 games

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Opening Explorer

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From Cyrus Lakdawala page:

Mar-10-09 blacksburg: i've seen a few of this guy's games that aren't in the database. in a lot of those games, Lakdawala opens with <1.c3!?> as white, and seems to aim for some kind of reversed caro kann/slav setup, like a delayed colle system or something. it's weird. i've also heard <1.c3> referred to as the <Lakdawala Variation>. i have some experience in caro kann, pure slav, and scandinavian defences, so i might give it a try in blitz games. it can't be that bad, right?

none of his games in the database start with <1.c3>, though, so maybe i'm wrong, but i swear i've heard about this guy and his silly <1.c3> move, and there's no other Lakdawala. anyone else here know what i'm talking about? or did i just have a weird dream about a bad opening move and a guy with a funny name?

Mar-10-09 blacksburg: yeah, this must have been a weird chess dream. no respectable chess player would play this stuff right? <1.c3 e5 2.d4> - reversed caro-kann <1.c3 c5 2.d4 d5> - reversed slav

Jun-03-09 blacksburg: <VERY> entertaining interview with Watson on ICC this week. much better than Watson's usual interviews, which i usually stop listening to half way through. in addition to making me laugh out loud several times, he clears up the 1.c3 question i had!

apparently, someone named 1.c3 the <lakdawala accelerated> because after 1.Nf3 c5, instead of 2.e4?? <his question marks> trying to sucker him into a sicilian, lakdawala would play 2.c3, and try to play a reversed slav, since he plays the slav as black.

♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3 ♙c3

Check the comments on http://www.chess.com/opening/eco/A0... for LOLs :D

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA5F...

GM database: http://www.redhotpawn.com/chess/gra...