Openings
Ideas first, moves second. Read the plan, then go spar it.
Coached in depth32
A setup to follow with the plan tracked move by move, the order rules that decide the opening, and the traps worth knowing.
WAlapin Sicilian (2.c3)The Alapin turns the Sicilian into a normal game: c3 supports d4, a pawn takes back, and you get the big centre you wanted all along.WEnglish OpeningOne pawn, one knight and one bishop all point at d5, and you play the same five moves against almost everything Black tries.WFour Knights GameKnights out, bishop to b5, castle, d3: the same sound moves every game and nothing to memorise.WItalian GameThree natural moves put a knight in the centre and a bishop on the one square Black's king has to defend alone.WKing's GambitYou offer a pawn on move two and get the f-file, a big centre and a head start at their king in return.WLarsen's OpeningOne bishop decides this opening: from b2 it stares down the long diagonal at e5 and g7.WLondon SystemThe same eight moves against almost anything: bishop to f4, then e3, c3, Nbd2, Bd3, castle.WQueen's GambitA gambit in name only: c4 leans on d5 and you always get the pawn back with a lead in development.WRéti OpeningDevelop the knight, hit d5 from the side with c4, fianchetto and castle by move five: the same five moves against nearly everything, and no early tactics to fall into.WRuy LopezThe Spanish is a slow squeeze: the bishop on b5 leans on the knight that guards e5, and you build up behind it instead of grabbing anything.WScotch GameThe Scotch opens the centre on move three, so you play with pieces on open lines instead of shuffling pawns.WVienna GameLike the Italian, but the queen's knight comes out first — and that keeps f4 in your pocket.BAlekhine DefencePoke the e4-pawn with your knight on move one and let White chase it: every pawn they push forward is a pawn they have to defend later.BBenko GambitGive one wing pawn on move three and get two open files and a monster bishop that press White's queenside for the whole game.BBenoni DefenceLet White have the big centre and fight it with pieces: a bishop on g7, a rook on e8 and a queenside pawn majority that rolls with ...a6 and ...b5.BBogo-Indian DefenceCheck on move three, trade the bishop, castle, and play ...d6 and ...e5: a solid Black opening with almost nothing to memorise.BCaro-Kann DefenceSolid without being passive: ...c6 supports ...d5 so you challenge e4 at once and your light bishop still gets out.BDutch DefenceOne pawn move takes the e4-square away from White for the whole game and tells them the fight is on the kingside.BFrench DefenceA pawn chain, not a pawn race: ...e6 and ...d5 build a wall, then you hit the base of White's chain with ...c5 while their attack is still forming.BGrünfeld DefenceYou let White build a huge pawn centre on purpose, then hit it with the g7-bishop and ...c5 until it cracks.BKing's Indian DefenceLet White build the big centre, then hit it.BNimzo-Indian DefenceOne pin on move three stops White's centre in its tracks: the bishop on b4 ties down the knight that was going to support e4.BOpen Games as BlackMeet 1.e4 with 1...e5 and know exactly what to do next: defend e5 with the knight, develop the bishop to c5, castle.BPetroff DefenceInstead of defending your e-pawn you attack theirs, and the game becomes symmetrical, solid and hard to lose.BPirc DefencePlay the same six moves against anything: ...d6, ...Nf6, ...g6, ...Bg7, castle, and only then hit the centre with ...e5.BQueen's Gambit AcceptedTake the pawn on move two, give it back later, and get a free, open game where your pieces come out faster than White's.BQueen's Gambit DeclinedKeep the pawn on d5, put a pawn behind it, and build a position that nothing White does in the first ten moves can break.BQueen's Indian DefencePut a bishop on b7 and fight for e4 from a distance: White never gets the two centre pawns side by side, and your position has no weak points to attack.BScandinavian DefenceThe simplest answer to 1.e4: trade the centre pawn at once, take back with the queen, tuck her on a5, and play the same setup every game.BSemi-Slav DefenceHold d5 with two pawns, ...c6 and ...e6, so nothing White does in the centre ever quite works.BSicilian DefenceYou trade a wing pawn for White's centre pawn on move three and spend the rest of the game using the half-open c-file it leaves behind.BSlav DefenceThe Queen's Gambit answered with ...c6 instead of ...e6: d5 is supported and your light bishop is still free to come out.