Opening Library
Every opening worth knowing — from the Italian Game and Caro-Kann to the Stafford Gambit and the Grob. Each one has its own page with video lessons, key ideas, and common mistakes.
Alekhine Defense
1.e4 Nf6 — provoke White's pawns forward, then attack them. Pure hypermodernism.
Benko Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5!? — sacrifice a pawn for long-term queenside pressure. Easy to play, hard to refute.
Bird Opening
1.f4 — the From-the-side opening. Aims for kingside attack but weakens White's king slightly.
Center Game
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 — old-fashioned but playable. Recapture with the queen and develop quickly.
Dutch Defense
1.d4 f5 — fight for the e4 square and prepare a kingside attack. Three main systems: Stonewall, Leningrad, Classical.
Fantasy Variation
White's tricky 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 against the Caro-Kann. Builds a big center and avoids mainline theory.
Jobava London
The aggressive London cousin: 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4. Sacrifices solidity for kingside attacking chances.
Modern Defense
1.e4 g6 — fianchetto first, decide the central setup later. Flexible and offbeat.
Nimzo-Larsen Attack
1.b3 — fianchetto the queen's bishop and attack the center from the flank. Played by Larsen and Carlsen.
Nimzowitsch Defense
1.e4 Nc6 — develop a knight first and stay flexible. Often transposes into Pirc-like setups.
Owen's Defense
1.e4 b6 — fianchetto the queen's bishop, surprise weapon. Rare but tricky.
Ponziani Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 — old-school surprise weapon that prepares d4 and sets several tactical traps.
Rousseau Gambit
Italian Game with 3...f5 — Black sacrifices a pawn for active play and to avoid Italian theory.
Tarrasch Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 — Black accepts an isolated queen's pawn for active piece play and open lines.
Trompowsky Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 — immediate pressure on the f6 knight. Avoids tons of Black's d4 theory.
Veresov Attack
1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 — the queenside cousin of the Trompowsky. Aggressive but theoretically dubious.