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Learn the names and variations of chess openings and book moves. Explore more than 3,000 opening lines and master chess games to study.
- Bird's Opening
Starting Position. The Bird's Opening starts after 1.f4,...
- Opening Lessons
Learn Every Chess Opening. Learn the key ideas and...
- Grünfeld Defense
The Grunfeld Defense appears after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4...
- King's Fianchetto Opening
Sometimes called the Hungarian Opening, 1.g3 prepares to...
- Alekhine's Defense
White has two main fourth moves in Alekhine's Defense:...
- Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit starts after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4....
- Sicilian Defense - Chess Openings
- Caro-Kann Defense - Chess Openings
- French Defense - Chess Openings
- Italian Game - Chess Openings
- Ruy López Opening - Chess Openings
- King's Pawn Opening - Chess Openings
- London System - Chess Openings
- Scandinavian Defense - Chess Openings
- King's Gambit - Chess Openings
- English Opening - Chess Openings
- Bird's Opening
- The Pawn. When a game begins, each side starts with eight pawns. White's pawns are located on the second rank, while Black's pawns are located on the seventh rank.
- The Bishop. Each side starts with two bishops, one on a light square and one on a dark square. When a game begins, White's bishops are located on c1 and f1, while Black's bishops are located on c8 and f8.
- The Knight. Each side starts with two knights—a king's knight and a queen's knight. When a game starts, White's knights are located on b1 and g1, while Black's knights are located on b8 and g8.
- The Rook. Each side starts with two rooks, one on the queenside and one on the kingside. All four rooks are located in the corners of the board. White's rooks start the game on a1 and h1, while Black's rooks are located on a8 and h8.
- List of 42 Popular Chess Openings
- Benoni Defense
- Bogo-Indian Defense
- Budapest Gambit
- Catalan Opening
- Caro-Kann Defense
- Colle System
- Dutch Defense
- English Opening
- Evans Gambit
For easy reference, the chess openings below are listed in alphabetical order. Many of them are named after places, famous chess players or a chess piece that features prominently in the opening. 1. Alekhine’s Defense 2. Benko Gambit 3. Benoni Defense 4. Bird’s Opening 5. Bogo-Indian Defense 6. Budapest Gambit 7. Catalan Opening 8. Caro-Kann Defens...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 The name of this opening is linked to a book published in 1825, by Aaron Reinganum, who apparently studied chess to alleviate depression. He referred to his writings as Ben-Oni (an ancient Hebrew name, meaning “son of my sorrow”). The Benoni Defense is an aggressive opening, from black’s perspective, characterized by the initial mo...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ The Bogo-Indian Defense is named after the Russian grandmaster Efim Bogoljubow. He famously said: “When I am White I win because I am White. When I am Black I win because I am Bogoljubov.”
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 The Budapest Gambit is an opening for black, named after the location of the first know game featuring the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5. It was the game Adler–Maróczy (played in Budapest in 1896).
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 The Catalan Opening is an opening for white, named after Catalonia, the location of a tournament in Barcelona, 1929, where the organizers asked Polish-French Grandmaster Savielly Tartakower to create a new variation in honor of the area’s chess history.
1.e4 c6 The Caro-Kann Defense is an opening for black, named after English player Horatio Caro and Austrian player Marcus Kann. These two analyzed the opening and published their analysis in the German chess magazine in 1886.
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 The Colle System is an opening system for white, named after a Belgian chess master, Edgard Colle, who popularized this opening in the 1920’s. The setup is similar to the London System and the Torre Attack, but in the case of the Colle System the white dark-square bishop remains inside the pawn-chain.
1.d4 f5 The Dutch Defense is an opening for black, named after Elias Stein, born in 1748. He became a Dutch chess master who recommended 1… f5 as the best reply to 1.d4.
1.c4 The opening is named after Howard Staunton, the famous English chess master who was widely recognized as an unofficial world champion from 1843-1851. In those years (1840’s-1850’s) his contemporaries believed the opening to be inferior, partly due to the pawn on c4 restricting the white light-square bishop.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 The Evans Gambit is an opening for white, named after Captain William Davies Evans. He was a seafarer and inventor of the tri-colored lighting system–to prevent naval collisions at night. He played this opening against Alexander McDonnell, whilst on shore leave in London in 1825/1826.
This is a list of chess openings, organised by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings ( ECO) code classification system. The chess openings are categorised into five broad areas ("A" through "E"), with each of those broken up into one hundred subcategories ("00" through "99").
Learn what the opening is, why it's important, and how to study it. Find out the names and characteristics of popular chess openings, such as the Queen's Gambit, the Sicilian Defense, and more.
Jun 19, 2023 · As a beginner, understanding your chess pieces – their names, their moves, and their values – is your first step towards mastering this age-old game. Each piece, from the humble pawn to the mighty queen, has its own set of rules and strategic importance.
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Jan 23, 2024 · Rooks, knights, bishops, pawns, queens and kings, each of these pieces serves a different role in a chess game. We will look at what makes each piece unique from the other pieces and, also, specific situations where they are at their peak when attacking. Some pieces even have special moves!
