Chess Openings
The 1.e4, 1.d4 and flank openings on a board you play them on: step through each main line move by move, then play it yourself against a scripted defence that punishes what the books only warn about.
The openings at a glance
| Italian Game | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 | C50 | White | Balanced | Light | Beginner |
| Ruy Lopez | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 | C60 | White | Positional | Heavy | Intermediate |
| Scotch Game | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 | C45 | White | Aggressive | Light | Beginner |
| Vienna Game | 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 | C25 | White | Tricky | Light | Beginner |
| Evans Gambit | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 | C51 | White | Aggressive | Moderate | Intermediate |
| King's Gambit | 1. e4 e5 2. f4 | C30 | White | Aggressive | Moderate | Intermediate |
| Caro-Kann Defence | 1. e4 c6 | B12 | Black | Solid | Light | Beginner |
| Scandinavian Defence | 1. e4 d5 | B01 | Black | Tricky | Light | Beginner |
| French Defence | 1. e4 e6 | C00 | Black | Solid | Moderate | Intermediate |
| Sicilian Defence | 1. e4 c5 | B20 | Black | Aggressive | Heavy | Intermediate |
| London System | 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 | D02 | White | Solid | Light | Beginner |
| Queen's Gambit | 1. d4 d5 2. c4 | D06 | White | Positional | Moderate | Beginner |
| Catalan Opening | 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 | E00 | White | Positional | Heavy | Advanced |
| King's Indian Defence | 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 | E61 | Black | Aggressive | Heavy | Advanced |
| Dutch Defence | 1. d4 f5 | A80 | Black | Aggressive | Moderate | Advanced |
| English Opening | 1. c4 | A10 | White | Positional | Moderate | Intermediate |
| Réti Opening | 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 | A09 | White | Positional | Moderate | Intermediate |
| Bird's Opening | 1. f4 | A02 | White | Aggressive | Light | Intermediate |
| The Cow Opening | 1. e3 e5 2. d3 d5 3. Ne2 | A00 | Either side | Tricky | Light | Beginner |
Openings for White after 1.e4
Italian Game
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4The classical first opening: three natural moves, and every plan visible from move four.
Ruy Lopez
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5Attack the defender, not the pawn - and build the whole game behind a question Black can never forget.
Scotch Game
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4Open the centre on move three and reach a real game of chess before the theory starts.
Vienna Game
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3Develop the other knight first, then push the f-pawn - a King's Gambit with a safety net.
Evans Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4One pawn on move four for two tempi and the biggest centre in the Italian Game.
King's Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. f4The romantic era in two moves: give the f-pawn, open the file, and never look back.
Defences to 1.e4
Caro-Kann Defence
1. e4 c6The French's structure with the bishop already outside it - one setup against everything.
Scandinavian Defence
1. e4 d5One line, forced from move one: challenge e4, recapture with the queen, settle her on a5.
French Defence
1. e4 e6Lock the centre, aim at the base of White's pawn chain, and never wonder what your plan is.
Sicilian Defence
1. e4 c5The most played answer to 1.e4: trade a wing pawn for a centre pawn and play for a win.
Openings for White after 1.d4
London System
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4One setup, every game: the bishop comes out early, then the same plan whatever Black builds.
Queen's Gambit
1. d4 d5 2. c4Offer a wing pawn for the centre - and win it back with interest if Black tries to keep it.
Catalan Opening
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3One bishop on the longest diagonal, pointed at the queenside until the game is over.
Defences to 1.d4
Flank and system openings
English Opening
1. c4A Sicilian a move up: hit the centre from the wing and choose the structure yourself.
Réti Opening
1. Nf3 d5 2. c4Never occupy the centre - surround it with pieces and a c-pawn, and take it later.
Bird's Opening
1. f41.f4 with the extra move Black never gets, and one gambit you must know how to meet.
The Cow Opening
1. e3 e5 2. d3 d5 3. Ne2Two pawns, four knight moves, either colour, and no theory at all.
Which openings should you actually play?
Best chess openings
Eight openings worth your time, in the order they repay it - each one with the reason it is on the list and a board you play it on.
8Openings for White
White moves first, so White chooses the game. Eight openings that make that choice concrete - five after 1.e4, two after 1.d4, one that ignores both.
8Openings for Black
Black answers rather than chooses, so the list is ordered by what White played: four replies to 1.e4, two to 1.d4, and one setup that does not care.
7Common questions
- What is the best chess opening?
- There is no single best opening - if one existed, every grandmaster would play it and the game would be solved. What exists is the best opening for you: one whose plans you understand, so that when your opponent leaves the book on move five you know what your pieces are for. For most improving players that means the Italian Game with White and something equally principled with Black. The comparison on this page weighs every opening by side, style, theory load and level.
- How many chess openings are there?
- The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings catalogues around 3,500 named variations under 500 codes, and databases recognise over a thousand named openings and sub-lines. Almost all of that is depth, not breadth: the openings people actually reach come from a few dozen families, and the ones on this page cover the overwhelming majority of games below master level.
- What is an ECO code?
- A reference label from the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, which files every opening under a code from A00 to E99. The letter groups openings by their first moves - B is mostly answers to 1.e4 like the Sicilian and the Caro-Kann, C is 1.e4 e5 and the French, D and E are the closed games after 1.d4. The code identifies a position exactly, which the names alone cannot: the same opening can have three names, and the same name can cover thirty variations.
- How many openings should I learn?
- Three answers one game each: one opening as White, one defence to 1.e4, and one defence to 1.d4. That already covers every game you will ever start. Depth beats breadth here - knowing one opening's plans, typical mistakes and traps is worth more than knowing the first three moves of ten.
- Do openings even matter for beginners?
- The principles matter more than the memorised moves: develop your pieces, fight for the centre, castle early. But an opening is exactly those principles turned into concrete moves, which is why learning one teaches you more than memorising it. That is also why every opening here is a board you play rather than a list to recite - the line only becomes yours when you have played it against an answer.
