user12792: Does the Rookside opening have a name? It is not very popular, I believe so I'm wondering what the best defense could be.

user-1: I would occupy the centre. When I was a beginner, I played a game that started like this:
[FEN ""]
[White ""]
[Black "Bad_Bishop"]

1. a4 e5 2. Ra3 {White looks to develop a rook towards the centre, but this just loses material} Bxa3 {Winning the exchange. I forget how the game ended, but white was lost from the start} 3. bxa3 {If I had white in this position, I would play 3. Nxa3, so that I don't have doubled, isolated a pawns} d5 {Black should take the centre, seeing as it is totally untested. Black has an easy game}

In terms of naming:


a3 is Anderssen's Opening


a4 is the Ware Opening


h3 is the Clemenz Opening


h4 is the Desprez Opening



user-1: Control the centre. White, or Black, has wasted a tempo, and you should take advantage of that.
Another problem with a/h-pawn openings is that this will leave a weakness on b/g4. Attempt to goad the c/f-pawns forward so that you can place a bishop on g4.
The only exception to the Rookside openings is the Andersson opening, Creepy Crawly   Formation(a3 and h3), which is quite playable for White.

user12873: One of the foremost principles of chess is to control the center squares.  Side pawn openings do not do this, which is why they are unpopular.  My recommendation would be to simply control the center with your pawns and develop normally.
An old chess saying goes like so: "When your opponent attacks on the side, strike in the center".  The logic behind this is when your opponent is occupied on an insignificant region of the side, they will be unprepared for a direct assault in the most important section of the board - the center.
There is no need to treat these kinds of openings differently - just develop your pieces and control the center like you normally would against a normal opening.  Then once you reach the middlegame, you will be far better prepared for the inevitable struggle due to having more pieces out and in much better outposts.
If you would like to read a further discussion on this topic, here is a link to a chess.com forum on it, where various chess players throw in their two cents:
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/the-rook-pawn-opening
If you want a cheap book on this, here is a link to Chess Grandmaster Kontronias' book on "Beating the Flank Openings".  It only costs about $9:
https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Flank-Openings-Vassilios-Kotronias/dp/0713477814

12792: <p>Does the Rookside opening have a name? It is not very popular, I believe so I'm wondering what the best defense could be.</p>
 -1: <p>I would occupy the centre. When I was a beginner, I played a game that started like this:</p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
[White ""]
[Black "Bad_Bishop"]

1. a4 e5 2. Ra3 {White looks to develop a rook towards the centre, but this just loses material} Bxa3 {Winning the exchange. I forget how the game ended, but white was lost from the start} 3. bxa3 {If I had white in this position, I would play 3. Nxa3, so that I don't have doubled, isolated a pawns} d5 {Black should take the centre, seeing as it is totally untested. Black has an easy game}
</code></pre>

<p>In terms of naming:</p>

<ul>
<li><ol>
<li>a3 is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderssen&#39;s_Opening" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Anderssen's Opening</a></li>
</ol></li>
<li><ol>
<li>a4 is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_Opening" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ware Opening</a></li>
</ol></li>
<li><ol>
<li>h3 is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemenz_Opening" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Clemenz Opening</a></li>
</ol></li>
<li><ol>
<li>h4 is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desprez_Opening" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Desprez Opening</a></li>
</ol></li>
</ul>
 -1: <p>Control the centre. White, or Black, has wasted a tempo, and you should take advantage of that.</p>
<p>Another problem with a/h-pawn openings is that this will leave a weakness on b/g4. Attempt to goad the c/f-pawns forward so that you can place a bishop on g4.</p>
<p>The only exception to the Rookside openings is the Andersson opening, Creepy Crawly   Formation(a3 and h3), which is quite playable for White.</p>
 12873: <p>One of the foremost principles of chess is to control the center squares.  Side pawn openings do not do this, which is why they are unpopular.  My recommendation would be to simply control the center with your pawns and develop normally.</p>

<p>An old chess saying goes like so: "When your opponent attacks on the side, strike in the center".  The logic behind this is when your opponent is occupied on an insignificant region of the side, they will be unprepared for a direct assault in the most important section of the board - the center.</p>

<p>There is no need to treat these kinds of openings differently - just develop your pieces and control the center like you normally would against a normal opening.  Then once you reach the middlegame, you will be far better prepared for the inevitable struggle due to having more pieces out and in much better outposts.</p>

<p>If you would like to read a further discussion on this topic, here is a link to a chess.com forum on it, where various chess players throw in their two cents:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/the-rook-pawn-opening" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/the-rook-pawn-opening</a></p>

<p>If you want a cheap book on this, here is a link to Chess Grandmaster Kontronias' book on "Beating the Flank Openings".  It only costs about $9:</p>

<p><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0713477814" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Flank-Openings-Vassilios-Kotronias/dp/0713477814</a></p>
