Chess Opening Theory/1. h4

1. h4?! · Desprez Opening
The Desprez Opening (or Kádas Opening) is a rare kingside flank opening. It does little for development, does not fight for control of the center, and weakens White's kingside. It frees the rook, but the rook normally does not go to h3. It could be said that White has made their position worse, as castling kingside is now less attractive. Due to the near-uselessness of this opening, it is rarely seen among serious chess players. However, it could be used to throw off the opponent.

No top masters have ever used this opening in professional play, although some, most notably Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, play it during blitz. Magnus Carlsen played it in the November 2023 "Titled Tuesday" online tournament, where he successfully defeated strong grandmasters, including Alireza Firouzja.

Black's responses
Black has many decent replies.
 *  1...d5, staking a claim to the centre and simultaneously making 2. Rh3?? impossible.
 * 1... e5, also staking a claim in the center and freeing Black's queen and dark-squared bishop.
 * 1... g6 is rarely played, as it justifies the move 1. h4. White can play 2. h5 to attack Black's kingside.

Statistics
No statistics as 1. h4 is rarely played.