Chess openings
1,831 named openings in 115 families, each reached in at least 50 games between strong players (over-the-board broadcasts and the Lichess Elite Database). Each page has the moves, how the opening scores, what is played next and where it leads. Names from the Lichess opening catalogue.
King's Pawn Game
Queen's Pawn Game
- Symmetrical Variation
- Zukertort Variation
- Modern Defense
- Chigorin Variation
- London System
- Accelerated London System
- Colle System
- London System, with e6
Indian Defense
- Normal Variation
- Knights Variation
- Anti-Nimzo-Indian
- West Indian Defense
- Accelerated London System
- Wade-Tartakower Defense
- Spielmann-Indian
- London System
Sicilian Defense
- Modern Variations
- Modern Variations, Main Line
- Old Sicilian
- Najdorf Variation
- French Variation
- French Variation, Open
- Closed
- Open
King's Knight Opening
Zukertort Opening
- Sicilian Invitation
- Kingside Fianchetto
- Pirc Invitation
- Queen's Gambit Invitation
- Nimzo-Larsen Variation
- Dutch Variation
- Slav Invitation
- Black Mustang Defense
Ruy Lopez
- Berlin Defense
- Morphy Defense
- Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation
- Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted
- Closed
- Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation
- Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense
- Marshall Attack
English Opening
- King's English Variation
- Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation
- Anglo-Indian Defense
- Agincourt Defense
- King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian
- Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation
- Symmetrical Variation
- Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Indian Formation
French Defense
- Normal Variation
- Paulsen Variation
- Classical Variation
- Tarrasch Variation
- Advance Variation
- Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation
- Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack
- Winawer Variation
Caro-Kann Defense
- Advance Variation
- Main Line
- Exchange Variation
- Two Knights Attack
- Advance Variation, Botvinnik-Carls Defense
- Advance Variation, Tal Variation
- Tartakower Variation
- Advance Variation, Short Variation
Queen's Gambit
Queen's Gambit Declined
- Three Knights Variation
- Queen's Knight Variation
- Normal Defense
- Exchange Variation
- Exchange Variation, Positional Variation
- Ragozin Defense
- Modern Variation
- Harrwitz Attack
Italian Game
- Two Knights Defense
- Giuoco Piano
- Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening
- Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal
- Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
- Classical Variation
- Giuoco Pianissimo
- Two Knights Defense, Knight Attack
King's Indian Defense
- Normal Variation
- Orthodox Variation
- Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation
- Normal Variation, Rare Defenses
- Normal Variation, Standard Development
- Fianchetto Variation
- Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense
- Sämisch Variation
Nimzo-Indian Defense
- Rubinstein System
- Normal Variation
- Classical Variation
- Three Knights Variation
- Kmoch Variation
- Normal Variation, Classical Defense
- Sämisch Variation
- St. Petersburg Variation
Pirc Defense
- Classical Variation
- Austrian Attack
- Classical Variation, Quiet System
- Byrne Variation
- Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation
- Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation
- Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack
- Classical Variation, Quiet System, Chigorin Line
Slav Defense
- Modern Line
- Three Knights Variation
- Quiet Variation
- Exchange Variation
- Two Knights Attack
- Alapin Variation
- Czech Variation
- Chebanenko Variation
Nimzo-Larsen Attack
Scandinavian Defense
- Mieses-Kotroc Variation
- Modern Variation
- Main Line
- Gubinsky-Melts Defense
- Main Line, Mieses Variation
- Valencian Variation
- Marshall Variation
- Portuguese Gambit
East Indian Defense
King's Indian Attack
- Symmetrical Defense
- Sicilian Variation
- Double Fianchetto
- Yugoslav Variation
- French Variation
- Spassky Variation
- Keres Variation
- Wahls Defense
Horwitz Defense
Modern Defense
- Standard Line
- Standard Defense
- Averbakh System
- Two Knights Variation
- Pseudo-Austrian Attack
- Modern Pterodactyl
- Geller's System
- Kotov Variation
Benoni Defense
- Old Benoni
- Modern Variation
- Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order
- King's Pawn Line
- Benoni-Indian Defense
- Fianchetto Variation
- Hromádka System
- Czech Benoni Defense
Petrov's Defense
- Three Knights Game
- Classical Attack
- Modern Attack
- Classical Attack, Marshall Variation
- Classical Attack, Staunton Variation
- Modern Attack, Center Variation
- Nimzowitsch Attack
- Damiano Variation
Alekhine Defense
- Normal Variation
- Modern Variation
- Two Pawns Attack
- Four Pawns Attack
- Scandinavian Variation
- Exchange Variation
- Modern Variation, Main Line
- Sämisch Attack
Trompowsky Attack
Hungarian Opening
- Indian Defense
- Symmetrical Variation
- Slav Formation
- Sicilian Invitation
- Catalan Formation
- Reversed Modern Defense
- Dutch Defense
- Reversed Alekhine
Four Knights Game
- Spanish Variation
- Scotch Variation
- Scotch Variation Accepted
- Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation
- Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line
- Gunsberg Variation
- Spanish Variation, Double Spanish
- Italian Variation
Nimzowitsch Defense
- Declined Variation
- Scandinavian Variation
- Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation
- Williams Variation
- Kennedy Variation
- Scandinavian Variation, Exchange Variation
- Kennedy Variation, Linksspringer Variation
- Colorado Countergambit
Semi-Slav Defense
- Main Line
- Normal Variation
- Accelerated Move Order
- Stoltz Variation
- Marshall Gambit
- Semi-Meran Variation
- Meran Variation
- Anti-Moscow Gambit
Queen's Indian Defense
- Fianchetto Variation
- Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation
- Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line
- Classical Variation
- Petrosian Variation
- Kasparov-Petrosian Variation
- Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line
- Traditional Variation
Scotch Game
- Schmidt Variation
- Scotch Gambit, Dubois Réti Defense
- Scotch Gambit
- Classical Variation
- Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation
- Mieses Variation
- Potter Variation
- Haxo Gambit
Three Knights Opening
Catalan Opening
Queen's Gambit Accepted
- Normal Variation
- Normal Variation, Traditional System
- Classical Defense, Main Line
- Classical Defense
- Classical Defense, Normal Line
- Old Variation
- Saduleto Variation
- Central Variation, McDonnell Defense
Rapport-Jobava System
Réti Opening
- Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3
- Advance Variation
- Anglo-Slav Variation, Gurevich System
- Réti Accepted
- Advance Variation, Michel Gambit
- Anglo-Slav Variation, Bogoljubow Variation
- Anglo-Slav Variation, Bogoljubow Variation, Stonewall Line
- Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit
Grünfeld Defense
- Three Knights Variation
- Exchange Variation
- Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation
- Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System
- Exchange Variation, Classical Variation
- Russian Variation
- Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation
- Stockholm Variation
Vienna Game
- Falkbeer Variation
- Max Lange Defense
- Stanley Variation
- Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation
- Vienna Gambit
- Mieses Variation
- Vienna Gambit, Main Line
- Paulsen Variation
Dutch Defense
- Classical Variation
- Normal Variation
- Fianchetto Attack
- Raphael Variation
- Queen's Knight Variation
- Hopton Attack
- Leningrad Variation, Warsaw Variation
- Semi-Leningrad Variation
Bird Opening
Benko Gambit
Bogo-Indian Defense
Philidor Defense
- Lion Variation
- Exchange Variation
- Hanham Variation
- Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit
- Nimzowitsch Variation
- Larsen Variation
- Albin-Blackburne Gambit
- Lion Variation, Lion's Claw, with Bc4 and h6
King's Indian Attack, with e6
French Defense, Classical, 4. Bg5
Benko Gambit Accepted
Van't Kruijs Opening
Old Indian Defense
- Normal Variation
- Ukrainian Variation
- Two Knights Variation
- Janowski Variation
- Czech Variation, with Nf3
- Janowski Variation, Main Line
- Tartakower-Indian
- Czech Variation, with Nc3
Van Geet Opening
- Reversed Nimzowitsch
- Berlin Gambit
- Napoleon Attack
- Nowokunski Gambit
- Novosibirsk Variation
- Dunst-Perrenet Gambit
- Grünfeld Defense
- Battambang Variation
Mieses Opening
Bishop's Opening
- Berlin Defense
- Vienna Hybrid
- Paulsen Defense
- Vienna Hybrid, Spielmann Attack
- Vienna Hybrid, Hromádka Variation
- Urusov Gambit
- Ponziani Gambit
- Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit
Torre Attack
London System
King's Gambit
Saragossa Opening
Richter-Veresov Attack
Center Game
Yusupov-Rubinstein System
Owen Defense
St. George Defense
Tarrasch Defense
- Two Knights Variation
- Classical Variation
- Prague Variation
- Rubinstein System
- Symmetrical Variation
- Schara Gambit
- Prague Variation, Main Line
- Dubov Tarrasch
Center Game Accepted
Neo-Grünfeld Defense
Anderssen's Opening
Englund Gambit
Mikenas Defense
Slav Indian
Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense
Rat Defense
Czech Defense
English Defense
Lion Defense
Elephant Gambit
King's Indian Attack, with Bf5
King's Gambit Accepted
- King's Knight's Gambit
- Modern Defense
- Abbazia Defense
- Schallopp Defense
- Fischer Defense
- Bishop's Gambit
- Bonsch-Osmolovsky Variation
- MacLeod Defense
Queen's Indian Accelerated
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
Wade Defense
Mexican Defense
Latvian Gambit
Semi-Slav Defense Accepted
Rapport-Jobava System, with e6
King's Gambit Declined
Benko Gambit Declined
Kangaroo Defense
Lasker Simul Special
Ponziani Opening
Blumenfeld Countergambit
Paleface Attack
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted
London System, with Be2
Pterodactyl Defense
- Eastern, Benoni
- Western, Rhamphorhynchus
- Eastern, Anhanguera
- Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus
- Queen Pterodactyl, Quiet Line
- Eastern, Pteranodon
- Sicilian, Rhamphorhynchus
- Sicilian, Pteranodon
Danish Gambit
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense
Rubinstein Opening
Englund Gambit Declined
English Orangutan
Blumenfeld Countergambit Accepted
Queen's Indian Defense, with e3
Danish Gambit Declined
Danish Gambit Accepted
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined
Latvian Gambit Accepted
Polish Opening
Robatsch Defense
Marienbad System
Montevideo Defense
Polish Opening, with d5
Queen's Indian Defense, with e3, Bb4+ Line
Creepy Crawly Formation
Vulture Defense
Valencia Opening
Global Opening
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