Chess Opening Guides
Plain-English guides to popular chess openings — key plans, main lines, common traps and how each opening performs by rating. Pick one to study, then train the first chapter free.
London SystemA solid, low-theory opening for White: the d4 + Bf4 setup with clear plans from club level to grandmaster play.For White · ECO D02 · A45
French DefenseA solid, strategically rich answer to 1.e4 for Black: stake the centre with …d5 and outplay White in the middlegame.For Black · ECO C00–C19
English OpeningA flexible, strategically deep way for White to open with 1.c4 — control the centre from the flank and outplay your opponent in rich middlegames.For White · ECO A10–A39
Benko GambitA respected pawn sacrifice for Black: give up the b-pawn for long-lasting, easy-to-play pressure on the queenside.For Black · ECO A57–A59
Sicilian NajdorfThe most ambitious answer to 1.e4: Black plays for the full point in the sharpest, most deeply studied mainline Sicilian.For Black · ECO B90–B99
Grünfeld DefenseHypermodern chess at its purest: let White build a big pawn centre, then tear it down with pieces.For Black · ECO D80–D99
Modern BenoniA sharp, unbalancing answer to 1.d4 where Black plays for the win from the very start.For Black · ECO A60–A79
Queen's Gambit AcceptedA sound, classical way for Black to meet 1.d4 — give back the gambit pawn for an open, easy-to-develop position.For Black · ECO D20–D29
Englund GambitA tricky pawn sacrifice against 1.d4 — and how White accepts it, dodges the …Qb4+ traps and keeps a clean extra pawn.Beat it · For White · ECO A40
Budapest GambitBlack’s enterprising …e5 gambit against 1.d4 — and how White meets it with 4.Bf4, keeps the bishop pair and sidesteps the traps.Beat it · For White · ECO A51–A52
Nimzo-Indian DefenseBlack’s soundest answer to 1.d4 — and the four reliable systems White can use to meet it, led by the structurally clean 4.Qc2.Meet it · For White · ECO E20–E59
Anti-BenoniBlack’s sharpest counter to 1.d4 — and the four White systems against the Modern Benoni, with a complete plan for the Benko Gambit and the Czech.Meet it · For White · ECO A56–A79
Scotch GameWhite strikes the centre with 3.d4 — easy development, open lines and a lasting pull, with far less theory than the Ruy Lopez.For White · ECO C45
Albin Counter-GambitAn aggressive gambit for Black against the Queen’s Gambit: sacrifice a pawn for a cramping d4 wedge and fast, tactical piece play.For Black · ECO D08–D09
Anti-LondonBlack’s repertoire against the London System: active piece play and the …c5/…Qb6 plan to take the comfort out of White’s quiet 2.Bf4 setup.Beat it · For Black · ECO D02 · A45
Czech BenoniThe most solid Benoni: lock the centre with …e5 and play a closed, manoeuvring game built around the thematic …f5 break.For Black · ECO A56
Sicilian DefenseThe most popular opening in chess: fight 1.e4 for the win with 1…c5 — unbalanced positions, real winning chances, endless riches.For Black · ECO B20–B99
Queen's GambitWhite’s classical main weapon: offer the c-pawn to dominate the centre — the opening behind a century of world championships.For White · ECO D06–D69
Caro-Kann DefenseA rock-solid answer to 1.e4: support …d5 with …c6, develop the light-squared bishop outside the chain, and outlast White.For Black · ECO B10–B19
Ruy LopezThe Spanish Opening: White’s most principled try for an edge after 1.e4 e5 — slow pressure that has led top-level chess for 500 years.For White · ECO C60–C99
Italian GameThe classical 3.Bc4: rapid development aimed at f7 — the most natural opening for White and a modern weapon at every level.For White · ECO C50–C59
Queen's Gambit DeclinedThe classical answer to the Queen’s Gambit: hold the centre with …e6, develop soundly, and free your game with …c5 or …dxc4 at the right moment.For Black · ECO D30–D69
King's GambitThe romantic gambit: sacrifice the f-pawn on move two for a lead in development, an open f-file and a direct attack on the king.For White · ECO C30–C39
Scandinavian DefenseChallenge 1.e4 on move one: trade off White’s centre immediately and play one clear, low-theory setup for the whole game.For Black · ECO B01
Vienna GameThe King’s Gambit with insurance: 2.Nc3 first, then f4 — a dangerous attacking system that club players rarely meet prepared.For White · ECO C25–C29
Fried Liver AttackThe knight sacrifice on f7: drag the king into the centre and hunt it — plus the defences every player must know against it.For White · ECO C57
King's Indian DefenseThe ultimate counterattacking defence to 1.d4: give White the centre, then bury the king under the …f5–f4–g5 pawn storm.For Black · ECO E60–E99
Réti OpeningA hypermodern weapon for White: 1.Nf3 and 2.c4 attack the centre from the flank, keep every structure flexible and steer the game into your preparation.For White · ECO A09
King's Indian AttackOne setup against everything: Nf3, g3, Bg2, d3 and e4 — then the e5 wedge and a kingside attack that follows a script.For White · ECO A07–A08
Catalan OpeningThe Queen’s Gambit with a fianchetto: White’s g2-bishop presses the long diagonal for the whole game — quiet moves, lasting squeeze.For White · ECO E00–E09
Slav DefenseThe classical answer to the Queen’s Gambit that keeps the c8-bishop free: support …d5 with …c6 and build a defence without weaknesses.For Black · ECO D10–D19
Pirc DefenseA counterattacking answer to 1.e4: hand White the big centre, fianchetto on g7, then tear the centre down with …c5 and …e5.For Black · ECO B07–B09
Alekhine DefenseProvocation as strategy: 1…Nf6 dares White to chase the knight and overextend — then Black dismantles the advanced pawns.For Black · ECO B02–B05
Dutch DefenseAsymmetry from move one: 1…f5 stakes out e4, unbalances the game immediately and gives Black three distinct fighting systems.For Black · ECO A80–A99
Petrov DefenseSymmetry as a weapon: 2…Nf6 counterattacks e4 instead of defending e5 — the defence attackers hate to face.For Black · ECO C42–C43
Philidor DefenseThe compact defence to 1.e4: guard e5 with 2…d6, absorb White’s first wave, and counter in the centre when the moment comes.For Black · ECO C41
Four Knights GameClassical development done right: all four knights out by move three, then White chooses between the Spanish squeeze and the Scotch strike.For White · ECO C46–C49
Ponziani OpeningThe old-school surprise weapon: 3.c3 prepares a full pawn centre and drags opponents out of their preparation by move three.For White · ECO C44
Evans GambitThe romantic gambit that never died: 4.b4 buys the big centre and open lines with a wing pawn — and Kasparov proved it still bites.For White · ECO C51–C52