Opening Cheat Sheets

Classical development targeting f7 — ideal for beginners.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4

The king of openings — deep strategic play with long-term pressure.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

Immediate central confrontation — active and straightforward.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4

The romantic sacrifice — gambit the f-pawn for a swashbuckling attack.

1.e4 e5 2.f4

A flexible delayed King's Gambit with Nc3 — less committal, many options.

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3

Solid and symmetrical — Black mirrors White and aims for equality.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

The most popular and sharpest response to 1.e4 — asymmetric and combative.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4

The sharpest Sicilian — Fischer and Kasparov's weapon of choice.

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

The fianchetto Sicilian — Black's dark-squared bishop breathes fire.

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

Solid and strategic — the French wall holds and counterattacks.

1.e4 e6

Rock-solid — support …d5 without blocking the light bishop.

1.e4 c6

Hypermodern — let White build a center, then strike it down.

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

Strike the center immediately — simple, direct, and underestimated.

1.e4 d5

Provocative — lure White's pawns forward then attack them.

1.e4 Nf6

The queen of openings — classical central control and strategic depth.

1.d4 d5 2.c4

The solid system opening — same setup against everything.

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4

Classical and rock-solid — Black maintains the d5 pawn.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

Defend d5 with …c6 — keeps the bishop free to develop.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

The ultimate fighting defense — Black concedes space then counterattacks violently.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7

Pin the knight, control e4 — one of Black's best openings.

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

Fianchetto the queen-side bishop — flexible and solid.

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

Destroy the center! — Black hits d4 immediately with a fianchetto.

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

A fighting response to d4 — Black aims to control e4 aggressively.

1.d4 f5

Asymmetric pawn structure — Black sacrifices the center for dynamic play.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6

Control the center from the flank — flexible and positional.

1.c4

Hypermodern flexibility — develop knights before pawns.

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4

Fianchetto the bishop and squeeze — a modern grandmaster favorite.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3

A system for White — the same setup works against almost anything.

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2

An aggressive flank opener — seize e5 and attack the kingside.

1.f4

Pin the knight immediately — avoid mainstream theory.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5

A quiet system with Bg5 — solid and hard to prepare against.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5

Sacrifice a pawn for lasting queenside pressure — practical and effective.

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