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The opening is the most important phase of the game. In what follows you are offered an 'instant openings repertoire' which should get you into playable positions and also give you a good foundation from which to build a more complete and unique repertoire of your own. An overload of concrete variations has been avoided as the sort of person looking for a quick fix openings repertoire will not want to spend ages memorising intricate webs of complex variations. You are advised to play the lines given on your own board and try to be creative with your own ideas. Try to explore what would happen if ... so that you can gain a good understanding of why some things work and others don't. Just for fun there are a few ideas from which you might try to construct a second set of systems for white and a second set of systems for black and these ideas can be found by clicking the appropriate links below.
For those of you interested in the Hedgehog, click here.
As White:
With White we are recommending 1. e4 since it is, as Fischer put it "best by test" (who am we to argue with him?).
Click here for some other ideas.
1. e4 e5
The Ruy Lopez
Certainly Whites best theoretical chance for an enduring advantage after 1.e4 e5. The main line of the Ruy Lopez is the classic battleground for the worlds strongest players. It is one of the very oldest openings and one of the most deeply analysed and studied. A thorough understanding of the Ruy Lopez will undoubtedly give you a deep understanding of chess. Obviously, we can't give you a deep understanding of the Ruy Lopez in a few sentences, paragraphs or even pages but we can offer you a line which will expose you to Black's alternatives to 3. ... a6, while not requiring you to spend hours getting to know the strategic depths of 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. Bb5 a6, 4. Ba4 Nf6, 5. O-O Be7, 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6, 8. c3 O-O, etc, (in which, incidentally, white will break on the queenside with a4 and try to build a big centre with d4 while black will generally try either to strong-point e5 and play c5 (after Na5) or else capture on d4 and follow up with a quick d5 himself).
This is our recommendation which although marginally inferior to the main line is far easier to play and therefore a good practical try for non-masters. White has a superior pawn formation and can consider simply exchanging off into an endgame. Black's bishop pair only just constitutes sufficient compensation for the damage done to his pawns. There is a range of alternatives to 3. ... a6, all of which are generally thought to be marginally inferior. 3. ... f5, is the Schliemann defence which can be met with the odd but interesting 4. Qe2. 3. ... Nf6 is the Berlin defence which Kramnik used to great effect against a bemused Kasparov. It can be met with the unusual 4. BxN as this leads to positions closely allied with the delayed exchange variation which is quite good. After 4. ... dc, white should consider the simple 5. d3. Finally there is the classical 3. ... Bc5, which should be met with immediate action in the centre with 4. c3 to be quickly followed by d4.
1. e4 c5,
The Sicilian defence
This is probably Black's most popular response to 1.e4 . The open sicilian is an extremely complex and very heavily analysed ocean of variations with the assessments of key variations sometimes swinging radically overnight. An example of a main line is the Najdorf which runs as follows; 1. e4 c5, 2. Nf3 d6, 3. d4 cd, 4. NxP Nf6, 5. Nc3 a6, 6. Be2 e5. (Incidentally, in this position we quite like the tricky 7. Nf5 d5, 8. Bg5 d4, 9. BxN QxB, 10. Nd5 Qd8, 11. c4! with the plan of c5 and Nb6.) Playing the open sicilian commits you to taking on one of the most heavily analysed labyrinths of chess theory. You must not go into the main line unprepared! To avoid having to worry about all that we recommend this slightly eccentric line:
White has adopted a kind of pseudo-quasi-genuine-imitation-hedgehog formation. (Note that the genuine hedgehog is a system for black against the English which runs 1. c4 c5, 2. Nc3 Nf6, 3. Nf3 b6, 4. g3 Bb7, 5. Bg2 e6, 6. O-O d6, 7. d4 cd, 8. Qxd4 a6, 9. e4 Be7, usually with a different move order [there are many to consider] when black's position has 'spikes' on a6, b6, d6, and e6, and is very difficult to break down. If you are interested in that then there is an excellent book by Mihai Suba called "The Hedgehog".) In this system (against the Sicilian, remember [!]) the knight on e2 does not hinder the advance of whites f pawn, and the d2 knight will come round to f3 and possibly h4 after the f pawn has reached f4 to enforce the thrust f5! Once the g pawn has advanced to g4 and possibly g5 the e2 knight will be reasonably placed on g3. Needless to say, white is launching an assault on Black's king!
1. e4 e6,
The French defence
This is a solid defence so as white, rather than trying to overrun it you must try to gain from blacks's lack of mobility (cf the c8 bishop and the g8 knight). One of the most critical lines of the french is the Winawer variation. This runs 1. e4 e6, 2. d4 d5, 3. Nc3 Bb4, and often continues 4. e5 c5, 5. a3 BxN+ 6. bc Ne7, 7. Qg4. Both players really need to know their stuff here and the stuff they need to know is both complex and extensive. As a short cut we suggest this line:
The advantage of this system is that black has fewer targets than in most lines, for example, there is no white pawn on d4 for black to attack. Here after c3 (which you might want to throw in a bit earlier) you can adequately defend e5 with queen rook knight and if the worst comes to the worst Bf4, and you are ready to prepare f4 f5 etc with good play. Watch your queenside though and be ready to prevent black form playing d4 when you are not ready. Also, you might want to bring your b1 knight round to d4 via d2 and b3 as from here it supports f5 and attacks e6 (a weakness if black plays f6).
1. e4 c6,
The Caro Kann
This opening has a reputation for being rather dull and it is, at least to some extent, deserved. The easiest way to play against this opening is to swap off on d5 and develop your bishops to d3 and f4 in that order before you do anything else.
White will probably be trying to make use of the 'e' file while black will be trying to generate pressure down the 'c' file. White should try to double rooks on the 'e' file and dominate the e5 square, possibly occupying it with a knight. If Black castles kingside then White can launch an immediate attack - his pieces are all well placed for joining the attack. If black castles queenside then white can open the 'c' file with the c4 break. Black on the other hand will be trying to engineer queenside pressure with b7-b5-b4 or e6-e5. White can sometimes delay the former with a2-a3 and the latter with f2-f4, thought both of these moves can be weakening too. If Black tries e6-e5 White should also seriously consider capturing the pawn and playing against the now isolated d5 pawn.
1. e4 ... miscellaneous
The Petrov
1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nf6, 3. NxP d6, 4. Nf3 NxP, 5. Nc3!? NxN, 6. dc.
White has free lines for his pieces. Assuming Black castles Kingside you can castle Queenside unbalancing the position and allowing you to storm blacks defences. This is very different from the line we recommended in the Ruy Lopez as here the queens are still on the board and it is not the case that black has a pawn majority on either side of the board.
The Centre Counter
1. e4 d5, 2. ed QxP, 3. Nc3 Qa5, 4. Nf3 Nf6, 5. Bc4!? Bg4, 6. d3 e6, 7. Bd2.
White develops calmly and sets up a discovered attack on blacks queen.
The Pirc
1. e4 d6, 2. d4 Nf6, 3. Nc3 g6, 4. Nf3 Bg7, 5. Be2 O-O, 6. e5!.
This gives black all sorts of problems.
The Modern
1. e4 g6, 2. d4 Bg7, 3. Nf3 d6, 4. Bc4 (which sets the trap Nd7 Bxf7+!) c6, 5. O-O Nd7, 6. c3.
White blunts blacks black squared bishop and will prepare e5 with Bf4 Re1 etc. If black plays e5 first then build up on the d file with heavy pieces. An alternative plan is not to castle and to throw your h-pawn up the board which is very off putting for your opponent!
As Black:
For Black we are recommending the French defence and the Nimzo Indian defence.
Click here for some other ideas.
1. e4 e6,
The French defence (as black).
This is a very logical response to 1. e4. It blocks attacks against f7 and prepares for a powerful attack on white's centre. The key breaks are c5 and f6 and if you are stuck for an idea when playing the French you should seriously consider flicking in one of these two breaks. Black can often emerge from the middlegame with the better pawn structure and sometimes an outpost on e4 or c4.
The move 3. e5 commits white to a very demanding continuation and if he doesn't swap off on c5 then Black can have lots of fun sniping at White's centre with c5 and f6 and Nf5 and Nc6 and Qb6! The play is very thematic and Black's plans are fairly easy to learn. Black should remember that his position is a little cramped so the key is to break down the cramping pawn chain b2-c3-d4-e5. Black's play should focus on achieving this goal (unless more tempting tactical opportunities present themselves).
The pawn on h5 secures the f5 knight by preventing g4. Black has some pressure against White's centre. As long as black doesn't do anything foolish like castling or playing f6 he should be fine. The main problem with this system tends to be the weakness of the dark squares. Black should never ever exchange off his dark squared bishop as this would leave the dark squares chronically weak. However, Black's domination of the light squares can make White's task, that of breaking down black's position, very difficult indeed.
If white plays 3. Nd2 Black can still play 3. ... Be7. See my Romanishin page for some material on this line.
1. d4 e6
The Nimzo-Indian defence.
The idea of this opening is to castle quickly and gain the better pawn structure to win a pawn for a decisive endgame advantage. As long as black does not succumb to a king's side attack he will have good chances.
Black can follow up with Na5, Ba6, Qd7 - a4, and Rc8, winning the c4 pawn. White is really not doing particularly well here. In fact, White's opening play is really a kind of gambit as ultimately, the c4 pawn always seems to drop off. Usually black adopts a dark square blockade in these kinds of positions but a light square blockade is also sometimes called for and the crucial f7-f5 move must be played before white plays f2-f4, because if black allows the white pawn to advance to f5 his kingside can come under intolerable pressure.
White's centre is gone so he can have little hope of an advantage. Black has the option of breaking in the centre with d7-d5, he can adopt a queenside fianchetto with b7-b6 and Bb7, and he can even think about playing f7-f5 to "Dutch it up", though this last plan can be extremely dangerous for Black, and is sometimes just bad. Black has plenty of options though as his position is fluid and dynamic.
There are a few other lines white can try.
1. miscellaneous
The English
Play the hedgehog. Basically this involves a queenside fianchetto and pawns on a6 b6 c5 d6 and e6 with your queens knight on d7 and your kings knight on f6. Bishops should be on e7 and b7. Queen can go to c7, c8, b8, or a8 (after Ra7) depending on whites set up. Move order will depend on white but you should play c5 after c4 and get in b6 before white plays g3. The only case where you can be foiled in this plan is after c4 c5 g3. In this case we recommend Nc6 and then b6 and Bb7 not fearing BxN on c6, dc as you could then build an iron grip on the d4 square with e5 g6 Bg7 Nh6 Nf5 Nd4.
The Reti
Hedgehog as above. DON'T play 1. Nf3 c5 because white can then play 2. e4 and you will have been conned into playing the sicilian defence!. So, Nf3 Nf6 g3 b6 Bg2 Bb7 O-O e6 and if d3 threatening e4 then d5. If c4 then c5 with a typical hedgehog set up.
The KIA
This depends on the move order. As we have said Nf3 should be met with Nf6. If 1. e4 e6, 2. d3 d5, 3. Nd2 then you have a choice. The simple option is to capture on e4 and play the rather odd positions which result from e5 or b6. The other is to play c5 Nc6 Bd6 Qc7 f6 and whatever else it takes to prevent White from playing e5.
Have a look at my
Rubbish page for some rubbish openings (and, if you have a sense of humour exactly like mine, a few laughs).
How to Study Chess Openings
Contrary to what is said on the back cover of many books on chess openings it is not enough only to know the ideas behind the openings. The ideas are very very important, don't take the previous sentence out of context! However, the fact is that you are unlikely, even with a strong grasp of the ideas behind your opening, to be able to find the most accurate moves over the board. If you are just starting out as a chess player this will not matter very much. However, regular tournament players soon realise that finding the most accurate moves early on can make an enormous difference. Learning variations by heart may be dull and may not improve your chess overall but it will save you time on the clock at the beginning of the game and it will allow you to avoid drifting into a slightly worse position through a series of slight inaccuracies.
Choose your openings according to your style. We have offered a suggested repertoire above but you should remember that everyone is different and that what suits one person may not suit another. Once you have chosen a coherent set of openings (i.e. such that you cannot be 'move-ordered' out of your knowledge) you should choose a Grandmaster who plays each of your openings regularly and play through his games. If you can download the games and have your database create an opening tree for you, so much the better. For example, you might choose to play the French defence, in which case you may well pick Uhlmann as your model player, if you find that his way of playing French defence positions makes sense to you. It is probably wise not to pick a super GM because their analysis is so opponent oriented that it will be difficult for you to decide which lines they consider best. Once you have about ten games in each variation of each of your openings played by your GM against other GMs you should learn the first ten or so moves (depending on the complexity of the position; in a Botvinnik English eight moves would be fine, in the sharpest lines of the Sicilian or the Botvinnik semi-slav less than twenty could be fatal) of each game and try to grasp the plans which the player tried to follow after those moves. Once you have done this, you will be ready to play your openings with confidence.
