Chess openings, with numbers from real games

Each guide gives the main line, what each side is trying to do, the traps that really happen in club games, and how often every reply is played at four rating levels.

1.e4 e5: open games

• King’s Pawn Game: 1.e4 e5

  1.e4 e5

  4.6M games

• King’s Knight Opening: 2.Nf3

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3

  2.8M games

• Italian Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4

  825k games

• Bishop’s Opening

  1.e4 e5 2.Bc4

  503k games

• Philidor Defense

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6

  426k games

• Scotch Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4

  383k games

• Ruy Lopez

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

  372k games

• Vienna Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nc3

  322k games

• Two Knights Defense

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

  309k games

• Petrov’s Defense

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

  287k games

• King’s Gambit

  1.e4 e5 2.f4

  252k games

• Four Knights Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6

  204k games

• Center Game and Danish Gambit

  1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4

  190k games

• Wayward Queen Attack

  1.e4 e5 2.Qh5

  108k games

• Berlin Defense

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6

  75k games

• Ponziani Opening

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3

  73k games

• Elephant Gambit

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5

  66k games

• Damiano Defense

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6

  34k games

• Latvian Gambit

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5

  22k games

• Evans Gambit

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

  15k games

1.e4 c5: the Sicilian

• Sicilian Defense

  1.e4 c5

  1.7M games

• Closed Sicilian

  1.e4 c5 2.Nc3

  158k games

• Alapin Sicilian

  1.e4 c5 2.c3

  112k games

• Smith-Morra Gambit

  1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3

  58k games

• Rossolimo Attack

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

  56k games

• Sicilian Najdorf

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6

  47k games

• Sicilian Taimanov

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6

  37k games

• Sicilian Kan

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6

  22k games

• Sicilian Moscow Variation

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+

  17k games

• Sicilian Dragon

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6

  16k games

• Sicilian Classical

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6

  14k games

• Sicilian Sveshnikov

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5

  10k games

• Sicilian Scheveningen

  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6

  3,991 games

Other answers to 1.e4

• Scandinavian Defense

  1.e4 d5

  1.1M games

• Caro-Kann Defense

  1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5

  425k games

• French Defense

  1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5

  376k games

• Owen Defense

  1.e4 b6

  187k games

• Nimzowitsch Defense

  1.e4 Nc6

  161k games

• Alekhine Defense

  1.e4 Nf6

  159k games

• Modern Defense

  1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7

  141k games

• Pirc Defense

  1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6

  61k games

• St. George Defense

  1.e4 a6

  28k games

• Rare Defenses to 1.e4

  1.e4 f5

  18k games

1.d4 d5: closed games

• Queen’s Pawn Game: 1.d4 d5

  1.d4 d5

  2M games

• Queen’s Gambit

  1.d4 d5 2.c4

  661k games

• London System

  1.d4 d5 2.Bf4

  427k games

• Queen’s Gambit Declined

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

  233k games

• Slav and Semi-Slav

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

  177k games

• Queen’s Gambit Accepted

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4

  160k games

• Colle System

  1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3

  61k games

• Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

  1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3

  23k games

• Richter-Veresov Attack

  1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5

  15k games

• Tarrasch Defense

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5

  9,629 games

1.d4 Nf6: Indian defenses

• Indian Defense: 1.d4 Nf6

  1.d4 Nf6

  810k games

• King’s Indian Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6

  47k games

• Nimzo-Indian Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4

  43k games

• Old Indian Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6

  36k games

• Trompowsky Attack

  1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5

  33k games

• Budapest Gambit

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5

  22k games

• Grünfeld Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5

  19k games

• Benko Gambit

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5

  13k games

• Queen’s Indian Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6

  7,493 games

• Benoni Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6

  7,221 games

• Bogo-Indian Defense

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+

  7,116 games

• Catalan Opening

  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3

  5,187 games

Other answers to 1.d4

• Horwitz Defense

  1.d4 e6

  402k games

• Englund Gambit

  1.d4 e5

  286k games

• Dutch Defense

  1.d4 f5

  89k games

• Mikenas Defense (1...Nc6)

  1.d4 Nc6

  46k games

Flank openings

• Réti Opening (1.Nf3)

  1.Nf3

  544k games

• English Opening

  1.c4

  504k games

• Hungarian Opening (1.g3)

  1.g3

  192k games

• Bird Opening

  1.f4

  180k games

• Nimzo-Larsen Attack

  1.b3

  175k games

• Polish Opening (1.b4)

  1.b4

  78k games

• King’s Indian Attack

  1.Nf3 d5 2.g3

  43k games

Rare first moves

• Van’t Kruijs Opening (1.e3)

  1.e3

  274k games

• Mieses Opening (1.d3)

  1.d3

  95k games

• Van Geet Opening (1.Nc3)

  1.Nc3

  77k games

• Grob Opening (1.g4)

  1.g4

  51k games

• Rare First Moves

  1.c3

  38k games