Classification of Chess Openings

 


Here are some classifications of chess openings.

Open games are usually double king pawn games (1.e4 e5).

The most common response is 2.Nf3 (King's Knight Opening).  However, White can play:
2.a3 - Mengarini's Attack
2.Bb5 - Portuguese Opening
2.c3 - McCleod Opening
2.c4 - Whale Opening
2.Nc3 - Vienna Game
2.Bc4 - Bishop's Opening
2.Bd3 - Tortoise Opening
2.d3 - Clam Opening or Leonhardt Opening or Indian Opening
2.d4 - Center Game
2.Ne2 - Alapin's Opening
2.f3 - King's Head Opening
2.Qf3 - Napoleon Attack
2.f4 - King's Gambit
2.Qh5 - Parnham's Attack or Danvers Attack or Wayward Queen Opening

Opening games with 1.e4 e5 include:


Semi-Open games are 1.e4 without 1...e5

Black can play:
1...a6 - St. George Defense or Birmingham Defense
1...a5 - Ware Defense
1...b6 - Owen's Defense
1...c5 - Sicilian Defense
1...c6 - Caro Kann Defense
1...Nc6 - Nimzowitsch Defense
1...d5 - Scandinavian or Center Counter Defense
1...d6 - Pirc (or Modern) Defense
1...e6 - French Defense
1...Nf6 - Alekhine's Defense
1...g6 - Modern (or Pirc) Defense
1...g5 - Basman Defense or Macho Grob
1...f5 - Fred Defense or From Reversed or Duras Defense
1...f6 - Barnes Defense
1...h5 - Pickering Defense
1...h6 - Carr Defense
1...Na6 - Lemming Defense
1...Nh6 - Adams or Hippopotamus or Wild Bull Defense

Closed games are the Double Queen Pawn openings (1.d4 d5)

The most common reply is 2.c4 (Queen's Gambit).  Other moves are:
2.Nc3 - Chigorin or Veresov
2.e3 - Stonewall Attack
2.e4 - Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
2.Nf3 - Zukertort Variation
2.Bf4 - London System or Sarratt Attack
2.Bg5 - Bishop Attack or Zot or Levitsky Attack
2.f4 - Mason Attack
2.g4 - Zurich Gambit
2.Qd3 - Amazon Attack

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 - Queen's Gambit Accepted

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 - Queen's Gambit Decline

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 - Slav Defense

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 - Colle System

The Semi-Closed Game is 1.d4 without 1...d5.

Black can play:
1...b5 - Polish Defense
1...b6 - Queen Fianchetto Defense
1...c5 - Benoni Defense         
1...c6 - Anglo-Slav Defense
1...Nc6 - Lundin or Van Geet Defense
1...d6 - Pillsbury Defense or Rat Defense
1...e5 - Englund Defense                
1...e6 - Franco-Indian Defense
1...Nf6 - Indian Systems (the most common of the semi-closed openings)
1...f5 - Dutch Defense
1...g5 - Borg Gambit
1...g6 - Kotov-Robatsch Defense

Indian Systems Include:


Flank Openings are as follows:
1.b3 - Larsen's Opening
1.b4 - Sokolsky or Polish or Orangutan Opening
1.c4 - English Opening
1.Nf3 - Reti or King's Indian Attack or Zukertort's Opening
1.f4 - Bird's Opening;  1.f4 e5 (without 2.d4) - From Gambit

1.g3 - Benko Opening


Irregular Openings are as follows:
1.a3 - Anderssen's Opening
1.Nh3 - Amar or Paris Opening
1.f3 - Barnes or Gedult's Opening
1.h3 - Clemenz Opening
1.h4 - Despres or Kadas Opening
1.Nc3 - Dunst Opening or Van Geet Opening
1.Na3 - Durkin's Attack or the Sodium Attack
1.g4 - Grob's Attack or The Spike
1.d3 - Mieses Opening
1.c3 - Saragossa Opening
1.e3 - Van 't Kruijs Opening
1.a4 - Ware or Meadow Hay or Crab Opening

The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) was created by Chess Informant, a Serbian Company.  It breaks down openings into five volumes, A through E.

A

  • White first moves other than 1.e4, 1.d4 (A00–A39)
  • 1.d4 without 1...d5, 1...Nf6 or 1...f5: Atypical replies to 1.d4 (A40–A44)
  • 1.d4 Nf6 without 2.c4: Atypical replies to 1...Nf6 (A45–A49)
  • 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 without 2...e6, 2...g6: Atypical Indian systems (A50–A79)
  • 1.d4 f5: Dutch Defense (A80–A99)

B


C


D


E

  • 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6: Indian systems with ...e6 (E00–E59)
  • 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 without 3...d5: Indian systems with ...g6 (except Grünfeld) (E60–E99)


Tactical openings are usually gambits or sharp openings.

Positional openings are usually closed openings.

Don't play any opening you are not familiar with.  Study an opening book or play lots of games with your favorite openings.  Experiment with your openings after you have studied it a bit.  Watch out for opening traps. 

In the opening, get your pieces out in to the center quickly and control the center.  Control the center directly or with fianchettoed bishops (hypermodern opening).  Complete your development before moving a pieces twice or starting a premature attack.  Generally, you want to develop your knights before your bishops.  Don't bring out the queen too early.  Castle as soon as possible.  

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