Editing Chess opening (section)

===Top-level objectives===
At higher levels of competition, for many years the main objectives of opening play were to obtain a better position when playing as White and to equalize when playing as Black. The idea behind this is that playing first [[First-move advantage in chess|gives White a slight initial advantage]]; for example, White will be the first to attack if the game opens symmetrically (Black mirrors White's moves).<ref name="FineIdeasBehind">{{cite book|author=Fine, R.|title=Ideas Behind the Chess Openings|publisher=Random House|isbn=0-8129-1756-1|year=1990|orig-year=1st. Pub. 1943}}</ref>

Since about the 1950s another objective has gradually become more dominant. According to [[International Master|IM]] [[Jeremy Silman]], the purpose of the opening is to create dynamic imbalances between the two sides, which will determine the character of the middlegame and the strategic plans chosen by both sides.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jeremy Silman|title=The Complete Book of Chess Strategy|publisher=Silman-James Press|year=1998|isbn=1-890085-01-4|page=3|author-link=Jeremy Silman}}</ref> For example, in the main line of the [[French Defence#Winawer Variation: 3...Bb4|Winawer Variation]] of the [[French Defense]] (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3), White will try to use their {{chessgloss|bishop pair}} and {{chessgloss|space}} advantage to mount an attack on Black's {{chessgloss|kingside}}, while Black will seek simplifying [[Exchange (chess)|exchanges]] (in particular, trading off one of White's bishops to blunt this advantage) and counterattack against the weakened pawns on White's {{chessgloss|queenside}}; both players accept different combinations of advantages and disadvantages. This idea was a doctrine of the [[Mikhail Botvinnik#Influence on the game|Soviet school of chess]].

A third objective, which is complementary to the previous ones and has been common since the 19th century, is to lure the opponent into positions with which the player is more familiar and comfortable than the opponent. This is usually done by [[Transposition (chess)|transpositions]], in which a game that apparently starts with one opening can reach a position that is normally produced by a different opening.<ref name="SoltisTranspoTricks">{{cite book|title=Transpo Tricks in Chess|author=Soltis, A.|publisher=Batsford|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7134-9051-0|author-link=Andrew Soltis}} See review at {{cite web|url=http://www.chessville.com/reviews/TranspoTricks.htm|title=Transpo Tricks in Chess – review|publisher=chessville.com|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418115252/http://www.chessville.com/reviews/TranspoTricks.htm|archive-date=2008-04-18}}</ref>