Italian Game for White
For White1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
The bishop on c4 aims at f7, the pieces come out fast and the king castles.
30 lines
Chess openings: ready lines for practice
A ready opening is a set of lines with an explanation for the moves: main continuations, traps, and what to do if the opponent plays accurately. Play a line with prompts, then reinforce it in practice.
Openings for White
Which to choose. The Italian Game has clear ideas from the first moves: quick development, castling and pressure on the f7 pawn. In the Ruy Lopez the pressure on the c6 knight and Black's center builds up gradually; it covers the Marshall Attack and the Chigorin, Breyer and Zaitsev variations. The Danish Gambit is the sharp choice: White gives up one or two pawns to develop faster and attack.
Ruy Lopez for White
For White1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
The bishop on b5 puts pressure on the knight on c6, the defender of the pawn on e5.
29 lines
Danish Gambit for White
For White1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3
White gives up one or two pawns to develop faster and aim the pieces at the pawn on f7 and Black's king.
25 lines
Queen's Gambit for White
For White1.d4 d5 2.c4
The pawn on c4 challenges the central pawn on d5, and if Black takes it, keeping the pawn is hard.
30 lines
Openings for Black
Which to choose. In the French Defense White often gains space in the center, and Black undermines the pawn chain with c5. The Scandinavian trades in the center from the first move and has a simple piece setup, but the queen comes out early. Both are answers to 1.e4.
Scandinavian Defense for Black
For Black1.e4 d5
From the very first move, the pawn on d5 challenges the pawn on e4.
28 lines
French Defense for Black
For Black1.e4 e6
The pawn on d5 fights for the center, and the c5 break undermines White's pawn chain.
18 lines
What is a chess opening
The opening is the start of the game: the first moves in which both sides develop their pieces, fight for the center and castle the king to safety. The opening decides what positions follow: a closed center or open lines, quiet maneuvering or an attack on the king.
Openings are told apart by their first moves and named after countries and players. An opening chosen by White is usually called a game (the Italian Game, the Spanish Game), Black's answer a defense (the French, the Scandinavian), and a gambit is a start where one side gives up a pawn for quick development, as in the Danish Gambit.
How to choose an opening
You choose an opening for each color separately. With White you start the game and decide where it goes. With Black you answer your opponent's first move: against 1.e4 the French or the Scandinavian will do, and other first moves need an opening of their own.
Choose by style. If you like calm development and clear plans, start with the Italian Game: it is often recommended to beginners. Ready for a long fight for the center — the Ruy Lopez or the French. If you enjoy sharp play with pawn sacrifices — the Danish Gambit. To begin, one opening for White and one answer to 1.e4 for Black are enough.
How ready-made openings work
A ready opening is a set of checked lines explained move by move. Each opening is for one side: you know in advance what you play and prepare for real replies — the most common ones by game statistics and the most treacherous.
Every line has move explanations, a summary and a walk-through of what to do if the opponent plays differently. Open an opening and press “Start”: the most common replies and their traps come first.
1. Learn
Play the line yourself: before every move there is an explanation and a prompt on what to play, and the opponent replies on its own. At the end — a summary and a look at the opponent's other moves.
2. Reinforce
Practice has no prompts: play the line and the replies to the opponent's other moves. Without mistakes or hints they count as mastered.
3. Start without paying
In every opening a few lines are fully open — learning, practice and the replies to the opponent's other moves. The rest are in PRO.