Chess opening guides

Short, clear guides to 70 chess openings, each with its main line explained move by move. Every one can be practised against a bot in the free ChessPeak app.

Openings for White

• Italian Game
  Develop quickly and aim the bishop at f7, the weakest square in Black's camp.
• Ruy Lopez (Spanish)
  Pressure the knight defending e5 and fight for the center from the flank.
• Scotch Game
  Open the center immediately for quick piece activity and a sharp fight.
• King's Gambit
  Sacrifice a pawn to open the f-file and attack before Black finishes developing.
• London System
  A solid, low-theory setup you can play against almost anything Black tries.
• Queen's Gambit
  Offer a flank pawn to lure Black's d-pawn away and claim the center.
• Catalan
  Fianchetto the bishop for long-term pressure on the long diagonal and d5.
• English Opening
  A flexible flank opening that can transpose into many different pawn structures.
• Reti Opening
  Control the center with pieces first, delaying committing the central pawns.
• Evans Gambit
  White offers a pawn on move 4 to build a big center and attack quickly.
• Danish Gambit
  White gives two pawns for fast development and open lines toward the black king.
• Scotch Gambit
  Instead of recapturing at once, White develops with tempo and gets a lead in activity.
• Vienna Gambit
  White fights for the center with f4, like a King's Gambit with the knight already out.
• Smith-Morra Gambit
  White gives a pawn against the Sicilian for quick development and pressure on the open lines.
• Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
  A pawn for open lines and a quick attack against the king.
• Fried Liver Attack
  A sharp piece sacrifice on f7 to drag the black king into the open.
• Staunton Gambit
  White offers a pawn against the Dutch for quick development and the e4 square.
• Sicilian Alapin
  White builds a big pawn center with c3 and d4, avoiding the main Sicilian theory.
• Closed Sicilian
  A quiet set-up where White keeps the position closed and attacks on the kingside later.
• Sicilian Rossolimo
  White pins the knight and tries to ruin Black's pawn structure.
• Four Knights Game
  A sensible, symmetrical opening where both sides develop naturally.
• Ruy Lopez Exchange
  White doubles Black's pawns and heads for a simple, favourable endgame.
• Vienna Game
  White develops the queen's knight first and keeps the choice between quiet and sharp plans.
• Colle System
  A simple, solid set-up that is easy to learn: develop, castle, then strike with e4.
• Trompowsky Attack
  White attacks the knight at once and avoids the usual theory.
• Bird's Opening
  White fights for the e5 square from the flank with the f-pawn.
• Caro-Kann Panov Attack
  White gets an active game against the Caro-Kann with an open center.
• French Advance
  White gains space with e5 and attacks the base of Black's pawn chain.
• Pirc Austrian Attack
  White builds a huge center with f4 and plays for a kingside attack.

Openings for Black

• Sicilian Defense (Najdorf)
  Fight for the center asymmetrically and create real winning chances with Black.
• French Defense
  A solid pawn chain in exchange for a temporarily passive light-squared bishop.
• Caro-Kann Defense
  Support d5 without blocking in the light-squared bishop - very solid and hard to crack.
• Scandinavian Defense
  Strike the center immediately and trade queens early for a simple, comfortable game.
• Pirc Defense
  Let White build a big center, then strike back at it with pieces from the flank.
• King's Indian Defense
  Fianchetto and castle quickly, then launch a kingside pawn storm.
• Nimzo-Indian Defense
  Pin the knight and fight for control of e4 rather than occupying the center with pawns.
• Queen's Gambit Declined
  Keep the center solid and decline the offered pawn for a rock-steady structure.
• Slav Defense
  Support d5 while keeping the light-squared bishop free to develop outside the pawn chain.
• Grunfeld Defense
  Let White take the center, then attack it immediately with pieces and the c-pawn.
• Dutch Defense
  Stake a claim on e4 and aim for an aggressive kingside attack as Black.
• Marshall Attack
  Black gives a pawn in the Ruy Lopez for a strong attack on the white king.
• Albin Counter-Gambit
  Black pushes a pawn to d4 and cramps White, in return for the pawn.
• Budapest Gambit
  Black gives a pawn early and wins it back with active pieces.
• Latvian Gambit
  A bold counter-attack on e4 that leads to sharp, tactical games.
• Englund Gambit
  Black gambles a pawn at once to confuse White and win it back with tricks.
• Elephant Gambit
  Black strikes in the center at once and gets open lines for a pawn.
• Falkbeer Counter-Gambit
  Black answers the King's Gambit with a counter-punch in the center.
• Benko Gambit
  Black gives a pawn for lasting pressure down the a and b files.
• Petrov Defence
  Black mirrors White's attack and aims for a solid, equal game.
• Philidor Defence
  Black supports e5 with a pawn and builds a solid, flexible position.
• Two Knights Defence
  Black counter-attacks at once and meets the sharp Ng5 with ...d5.
• Berlin Defence
  A famous solid defence to the Ruy Lopez that heads for a safe endgame.
• Alekhine Defence
  Black invites White to push pawns forward, then attacks them.
• Modern Defence
  Black lets White take the center and then undermines it from the flanks.
• Nimzowitsch Defence
  A flexible reply that develops the queen's knight first.
• Sicilian Dragon
  Black fianchettos the bishop on the long diagonal; both sides attack on opposite wings.
• Accelerated Dragon
  Black plays ...g6 early, aiming to meet the Maroczy bind with active pieces.
• Sicilian Sveshnikov
  Black accepts a weak d5 square for active pieces and a space advantage.
• Sicilian Taimanov
  A flexible Sicilian where Black keeps many options open.
• Sicilian Scheveningen
  Black builds a small, solid pawn center and waits for the right moment to strike.
• French Winawer
  Black pins the knight and fights for the dark squares, giving up the bishop pair.
• French Tarrasch
  A calmer way for White to meet the French; Black aims for an active game with isolated-pawn play.
• Caro-Kann Advance
  Black gets the light-squared bishop out before closing the pawn chain.
• Caro-Kann Classical
  A solid, sound structure with a healthy bishop outside the pawn chain.
• Queen's Gambit Accepted
  Black takes the pawn, then hands it back to free the position.
• Semi-Slav Defence
  A rich, double-edged system that mixes ideas of the Slav and the Queen's Gambit Declined.
• Modern Benoni
  Black accepts an unbalanced pawn structure and plays for counter-attack on the queenside.
• Old Indian Defence
  A solid set-up where Black keeps a strong pawn on e5.
• Queen's Indian Defence
  Black controls e4 and develops the bishop on the long diagonal.
• Bogo-Indian Defence
  Black checks first, then trades the bishop for a knight to ease the position.

Chess tactics guides