1.d4 f5
A fighting response to d4 — Black aims to control e4 aggressively.
Famous practitioners: Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, Simon Williams
Starting position
0 / 2 moves
Staunton Gambit
White gambits the e-pawn early and develops the knight to c3 — creating dangerous attacks against the weakened king.
Dutch Defense
…f5 is aggressive and committal. White must choose how to exploit the weakened kingside.
rnbqkbnr/ppppp1pp/8/5p2/3P4/8/PPP1PPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq f6 0 2Scan your Lichess or Chess.com games and see exactly where you lose in this opening — powered by Stockfish 18, free.
King's Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7
The ultimate fighting defense — Black concedes space then counterattacks violently.
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4
Pin the knight, control e4 — one of Black's best openings.
Queen's Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
Fianchetto the queen-side bishop — flexible and solid.
Grünfeld Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5
Destroy the center! — Black hits d4 immediately with a fianchetto.