Editing Irregular chess opening (section)

==Usage of the term==
While the term has frequently been used in chess literature, its meaning has never been precise and has varied between writers.

One of the earliest references to "irregular openings" in chess literature was made by [[William Lewis (chess player)|William Lewis]] in his 1832 work ''Second Series of Lessons on the Game of Chess''. Lewis classified openings under the headings "[[Bishop's Opening|King's Bishop's Game]]" (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4), "[[King's Knight Opening|King's Knight's Game]]" (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3), "[[Centre Pawn Opening|Queen's Bishop's Pawn Game]]" (1.e4 e5 2.c3), "[[King's Gambit]]" (1.e4 e5 2.f4), "[[Queen's Gambit]]" (1.d4 d5 2.c4) and "Irregular Openings" (all other openings). Lewis comments that the irregular openings are "seldom played, because they are generally dull and uninteresting". Among the openings he analyzes under this heading are the [[French Defence]] and [[English Opening]] (both now considered standard), [[Bird's Opening]] and a few [[Closed Game|1.d4 d5]] lines without the Queen's Gambit. Lewis assigns no names to these openings.<ref name=Lewis1834>[[William Lewis (chess player)|William Lewis]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=kFBiAAAAcAAJ ''Second Series of Lessons on the Game of Chess''], Simpkin & Marshall, London 1832</ref>

[[Carl Jaenisch]], who was an early advocate of the French and [[Sicilian Defence|Sicilian]] defences, rejected this use of the term "irregular", saying that openings should rather be classified as "correct", "incorrect" or "hazardous".<ref name=Jaenisch>[[Carl Jaenisch]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=tP1dAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA14 Jaenisch's Chess Preceptor: A New Analysis of the Openings of Game], Longman, Brown, Green & Longman, London, 1847 (original in French, St. Petersburg 1843)</ref> In ''The Chess-Player's Handbook'' (1847), for many years the standard English-language reference book on the game of chess, [[Howard Staunton]] accepted Lewis's overall classification system while tacitly acknowledging Jaenisch's objections. He wrote "Those methods of commencing the game, in which the first or second player moves other than (1.e4 e5 or 1.d4 d5) are usually designated "Irregular". Without assenting to the propriety of this distinction, I have thought it advisable, for the sake of perspicuity, to adopt a general and well known classification in preference to arranging these peculiar ''débuts'' under separate and less familiar heads." Under this heading, Staunton considers the French Defence, Sicilian Defence, [[Scandinavian Defence]], [[Owen's Defence]], [[Dutch Defence]], [[Benoni Defence]], Bird's Opening and English Opening.<ref name=Staunton>Howard Staunton, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Zu0IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA368 ''The Chess-Player's Handbook''], Henry G. Bohn, London 1847</ref>