Many of the 1,327 named

chess opening The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established Chess_theory#Opening_theory, theory. The other phases are the chess middlegame, middlegame and the chess endgame, endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''op ...

s and variants listed by ''

The Oxford Companion to Chess ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' is a reference book on the game of chess written by David Vincent Hooper and Kenneth Whyld. The book is written in an encyclopedia format. The book belongs to the Oxford Companions series. Details The first ed ...

'' are named for geographic places.

A

*Aachen Gambit of the Nimzowitsch Defence – 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Nb4 *Aasum Gambit of the Dunst Opening - 1.Nc3 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Bc4 *Abbazia Defence of the

King's Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, White may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with domination, or direc ...

– 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d5 *Adelaide Countergambit of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 f5 *Agincourt Defense of the

English Opening The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move: : 1. c4 A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular and, according to various databases, one of the four most successful of White's twenty possible first moves. White begins ...

– 1.c4 e6 *Amazon Attack of the

Queen's Pawn Opening The Queen's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move: : b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, 1. d4 It is the second-most popular opening move after 1.e4 (King's Pawn Game). Terminology The term "Queen's Pawn Game" is usually used to des ...

– 1.d4 d5 2.Qd3 *American Attack of the

Dutch Defence The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: : 1. d4 f5 Black's 1...f5 stakes a claim to the e4-square and envisions an attack in the middlegame on White's ; however, it also weakens Black's kingside to some extent, espec ...

, variation of the Staunton Gambit – 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nd2 *Amsterdam Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f4 *Amsterdam Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Be2 Nc6 8.Qd2 *Arctic Defense of the Zukertort Opening - 1.Nf3 f6 *Argentine Gambit of the Baltic Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.cxd5 Bxb1 4.Qa4+ c6 5.dxc6 Nxc6 *Argentine Variation of the Cambridge Springs Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Qa5 7.Nd2 Bb4 8.Qc2 0-0 9.Bh4 *Arkhangelsk Defence (or Archangel Defence) of the

Ruy Lopez The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez remains one of the most popular chess openings, featuring many variations. In ...

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 *Armenian Variation of the

French Defence The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e6 This is most commonly followed by 2.d4 d5. Black usually plays ...c5 soon after, attacking White's and gaining on the . The French has a reputation for solidity ...

– 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 *Australian Defense – 1.d4 Na6 *Australian Gambit of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.h4 * Austrian Attack in the

Pirc Defence The Pirc Defence ( ) is a chess opening characterised by the response of Black to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish a with pawns on d4 and e4. It is named after the Slovenian grandmaste ...

– 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 *Austrian Defence of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5

B

*Baguio Variation of the

-1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2 Bf5 *Balkan Gambit – 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d3 dxe4 4.Ng5 * Baltic Defence of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 *Baltic Defense of the Polish Opening – 1.b4 d5 2.Bb2 Bf5 *Baltic Opening (or Dunst Opening) – 1.Nc3 *Basque Gambit of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d4 exd4 7.e5 Ne4 8.c3 *Basque Opening – 1.d4 Nf6 2.b3 *Batavo Gambit of the

Bird's Opening Bird's Opening (or the Dutch Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the move: : 1. f4 Named after 19th century English player Henry Bird, Bird's opening is a standard flank opening. White's strategic ideas involve control of the e5-squa ...

- 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.e4 dxe4 *Battambang Opening – 1.Nc3 e5 2.a3 *Bavarian Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.c4 d5 *Bayreuth Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 *Belgrade Gambit of the Four Knights – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5 *Benelux Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.0-0 0-0 6.d4 Bb6 (named for the Benelux countries) *Berlin Defense of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 *Beverwijk Variation of the

, Berlin Defense – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Bc5 *Birmingham Defence (more commonly as the St. George Defence): – 1.e4 a6 *Birmingham Gambit of the Polish Opening – 1.b4 c5 *Bled Variation of the

– 1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.b3 Nf6 4.Bb2 g6 *Bohemian Attack of the Caro–Kann Defence – 1.e4 c6 2.Ne2 * Brazilian Defence – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qe7 *Bremen Variation of the

– 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 *Breslau Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Be7 10.Re1 0-0 11.Nd4 Nxe5 *Brooklyn Defence of the Alekhine's Defence – 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Ng8 *Brussels Gambit of the

Sicilian Defence The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: :1. e4 c5 The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4. The opening 1.d4 is a statistically more successful opening for Whi ...

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 f5 *

Budapest Gambit The Budapest Gambit (or Budapest Defence) is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, d4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6, Nf6 :2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4, c4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d ...

– 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 *Bulgarian Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a5

C

*Calabrese Countergambit of the

Bishop's Opening The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Bc4 White attacks Black's f7-square and prevents Black from advancing the d-pawn to d5. By ignoring the beginner's maxim "develop knights before bishops", White ...

– 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 f5 *Cambridge Gambit of the Alekhine's Defence – 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 g5 * Cambridge Springs Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5 *Canadian Opening of the Indian Game - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 **Canadian Gambit of the Indian Game - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 c5 3.e4 *Carlsbad Variation of the Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 *Carlsbad Variation of the Sicilian Defense, Wing Gambit – 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 bxa3 * Catalan Opening – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 *Chelyabinsk Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 *Chicago Defense of the

Smith–Morra Gambit In chess, the Smith–Morra Gambit (or simply Morra Gambit) is an Chess opening, opening gambit against the Sicilian Defence distinguished by the moves: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5, c5 :2. b:Chess Open ...

– 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 d6 5.Bc4 a6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.O-O a6 * Chicago Gambit of the Irish Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5? 4.d4 *Chinese Variation of the

– 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4!? *Chinese Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 *Clarendon Court Variation of the

Benoni Defence The Benoni Defense, or simply the Benoni, is a chess opening characterized by an early reply of ...c5 against White's opening move 1.d4. The original form of the Benoni, now known as the Old Benoni, is characterized by : 1. b:Chess Opening Theor ...

– 1.d4 c5 2.d5 f5 *Cocquio Countergambit of the QGD - 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 3.cxd5 c6 *Cologne Gambit of the Ware Opening – 1.a4 b6 2.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nd7 *Colorado Gambit of the Nimzowitsch Defence – 1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 f5 *Copenhagen Defence of the Danish Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 Bb4+ *Cracow Variation of the

Italian Game The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5 :2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3 ...

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Kf1?! *Czech Defence, the term used by

Siegbert Tarrasch Siegbert Tarrasch (; 5 March 1862 – 17 February 1934) was a German chess player, considered to have been among the strongest players and most influential theoreticians of the late 19th and early 20th century. Life Tarrasch was born in Bresla ...

for the Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 *Czech Defence (Pribyl System) of the

– 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 *Czech Defence of the Polish opening – 1.b4 e5 2.Bb2 d6 *Czech-Indian Variation of the Indian Game – 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c6 *Czech Variation of the

– 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 *Czech Variation of the Old Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 c6 *Czech Variation of the Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 Slav Defence: Modern, Alapin Variation, Czech Variation

D

* Danish Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 *Danube Gambit – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 c6 *Dresden Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c4 *Duisburg Gambit of the QGD – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4 *Düsseldorf Gambit of the Van Geet Opening - 1. Nc3 c5 2. b4 *

– 1.d4 f5 *Dutch Variation of the Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3

E

East Indian Defence The East Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: : 1. d4 Nf6 : 2. Nf3 g6 Description This opening has a close kinship to the more-common King's Indian Defence and is often considered a variant thereof. The difference is ...

– 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 *Edinburgh Variation of the Caro–Kann Defence – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Qb6 *English Attack of the Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 and 7.f3 * English Defence – 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 *

– 1.c4

F

*Finnish Variation of the Caro–Kann Defence – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 h6 *Florentine Gambit of the King's Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Be2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.e5 *Folkestone Variation (or Swedish Variation) of the QGD - 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 c4 *Fort Knox Variation of the

– 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 *Frankfurt Variation of the

– 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Ng8 6.Be3 b6 *

– 1.e4 e6

G

*Genoa Opening (known as the Grob Attack) – 1.g4 *Gent Gambit of the

Amar Opening The Amar Opening (also known as the Paris Opening, or the Drunken Knight Opening) is a chess opening defined by the move: : 1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. Nh3, Nh3 Analogous to calling the Durkin Opening the "Sodium Attack," this opening could be ca ...

(Paris) – 1.Nh3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.f4 Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4 5.0-0 fxg3 6.hxg3 *German Defence of the Polish Opening (Orangutan or Sokolsky Opening) – 1.b4 d5 2.Bb2 Qd6 *Glasgow Kiss Variation of the Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 Nc6 *Goteborg (Gothenburg) System of the Scandinavian Defence - 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 e5 5.Nf3 *Gothenburg Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 *Granada Gambit of the

, Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 cxb5 9.Qxa8 *Graz Variation of the

– 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 Bc5 *Graz Attack of the Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack – 1.b3 d5 2.Ba3 *Greek Defence (or

Owen's Defence Owen's Defence (also known as the Queen's Fianchetto Defence) is an uncommon chess opening defined by the moves: :1. e4 b6 By playing 1...b6, Black prepares to fianchetto the where it will participate in the battle for the . The downside of t ...

) – 1.e4 b6 *Guatemalan Defence of the Greek Defence or

– 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Ba6

H

*Hastings Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nc3 c6 7.Qb3 *Hollywood Variation of the King's Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e3 d6 6.Be2 Nc6 *Hungarian Attack of the

– 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Rb1 * Hungarian Defence – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 *Hungarian Gambit (or Breyer Gambit) of the KGA - 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Qf3 *Hungarian Gambit of the Catalan Opening – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 e5 *Hungarian Opening (or Benko's Opening) – 1.g3 *Hungarian Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4

I

* Icelandic Gambit of the

Scandinavian Defense The Scandinavian Defense (or Center Counter Defense, or Center Counter Game) is a chess opening characterized by the moves: :1. e4 d5 This opening is classified under code B01 in the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings''. The Scandinavian Def ...

– 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6 * Indian Defences: a complex of chess openings beginning – 1.d4 Nf6, including the Nimzo-Indian Defence,

Queen's Indian Defence The Queen's Indian Defense (QID) is a chess opening defined by the moves: : 1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, d4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6, Nf6 : 2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4, c4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c ...

, King's Indian Defence,

Bogo-Indian Defence The Bogo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 e6 :3. Nf3 Bb4+ The position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 is common. The traditional move for White here is 3.Nc3, threatening to set up a big pawn centre wi ...

, Old Indian Defence, Janowski Indian Defence, etc. * Inverted Hungarian Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2 * Irish Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5 *Israeli Gambit (or Halasz Gambit) – 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.f4 * Italian Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 *

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 (Bc5)

J

*Jalalabad Defence – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 c5 or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e5

K

*Kahiko-Hula Gambit of the

– 1.c4 e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 *Karlsruhe Variation of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit - 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3 g6 *Kazakh Variation of the King's Indian – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 Na6 *Kecskemet Variation of the

–1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 0-0 8.d4 Bd7 9.Nbd2 Be8 *Kemeri Variation of the King's Indian Defence - 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 d5 * Kentucky Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+? Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 *Keoni-Hiva Gambit of the Van't Kruijs Opening – 1.e3 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 (Akahi Variation), 1.e3 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 (Alua Variation), 1.e3 e5 2.Nc3 d5 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 (Ekolu Variation) *Kiel Variation of the Scandinavian Defence – 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Nxd5 4.c4 Nb4

L

Latvian Gambit The Latvian Gambit (or Greco Countergambit) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 f5 It is one of the oldest chess openings, having been analysed in the 16th century by Giulio Cesare Polerio and then the 17th cent ...

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 *Leipzig Gambit (or Müller-Schulze Gambit) – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5?! *Lemberg Gambit (Lviv Gambit) – 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.e4 or 1.Nf3 d5 2.e4 *Lemberg Countergambit - 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 e5 *Leningrad Variation of the

– 1.d4 f5 2.g3 g6 *Lisbon Gambit of the Dutch Defense – 1.d4 f5 2.g4 fxg4 3.h3 *Lisbon Gambit of the

, English Rat – 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Nc6 *Lithuanian Variation of the Mikėnas Defence – 1.d4 Nc6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 Nce7 *Lodz Variation of the Tarrasch Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 *

London System The London System is an in chess where White opens with 1.d4 and develops the to f4, then supports the d4-pawn with pawns on e3 and c3. The other bishop is developed to d3 (or occasionally e2) and the knights typically to f3 and d2. This set-u ...

, a set of related chess openings characterised by 1.d4 followed by an early Bf4, e.g. 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4; 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4; and 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4

M

*Macedonian Variation of the

– 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 *Maltese Falcon Attack (or Gibbins-Wiedehagen Gambit) – 1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 Nxg4 3.f3 Nf6 4.e4 *Manhattan Gambit of the

– 1.d4 f5 2.Qd3 Nf6 3.g4 *Manhattan Variation of the QGD (also called the Westphalia Defence) – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 Bb4 or 5.e3 Bb4 *Mannheim Variation of the QGA – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qa4+ *Mar del Plata Variation of the King's Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 *Margate Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Bb5 *Marienbad Variation of the

, Wing Gambit – 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Bb2 *Massachusetts Defence of the Caro–Kann Defence – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 f5 * Mediterranean Defence – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 Nf6 *Meran Variation of the Semi-Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 * Mexican Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 *Miami Variation of the Italian Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 Bxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Be3 *Modern Archangel Defence of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 *Monte Carlo Variation of the French Defense – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 *Montevideo Defence – 1.d4 Nc6 2.d5 Nb8 *Moscow Variation of the Semi-Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 *Moscow Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ *Mujannah Formation of the Old Benoni Defence - 1. d4 c5 2. d5 f5 *Mujannah Opening (or Arabian Opening) of the

- 1.f4 d5 2.c4

N

*New Castle Gambit of the

, Tarrasch Variation – 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 e5 *New York Variation of the Benoni Defense – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.h3 * Nordic Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 (alternative name for the Danish Gambit) *Nordwalde Variation of the King's Gambit Declined - 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Qf6 *Norfolk Gambit of the Zukertort Opening - 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 c5 3.e4 or 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 Nf6 3.Bb2 c5 4.e4 *North Sea Variation (or Norwegian Defense) of the

Modern Defence The Modern Defense (also known as the Robatsch Defence after Karl Robatsch) is a Hypermodern chess, hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" c ...

– 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.e5 Nh5 *Norwegian Gambit of the

– 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.e5 Nh5 4.Be2 d6 * Norwegian Defense of the

Modern Defense The Modern Defense (also known as the Robatsch Defence after Karl Robatsch) is a hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" center without att ...

– 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 *Norwegian Defence of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5 *Nottingham Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Be2 Nc6 8.Nb3 *Novosibirsk Variation of the Dunst Opening – 1.Nc3 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qh4 *Novosibirsk Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 Bg7 *Nuremberg Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f6

O

*Odessa Variation of the King's Indian – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Bg5 *Omaha Gambit of the Vienna Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 *Oxford Variation of the Vienna Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.d3 *Oxford Gambit of the Four Knights Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.d5 Nd4

P

*Paris Defence (or Semi-Italian Opening) – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 * Paris Gambit – 1.Nh3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.f4 (intending 3...Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4 5.0-0) * Paris Opening (or

) – 1.Nh3 *Persian Opening - 1.c3 c5 2.Qa4 Nf6 3.g4 *Peruvian Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5 *Philippine Attack of the

Pirc Defense The Pirc Defence ( ) is a chess opening characterised by the response of Black to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish a with pawns on d4 and e4. It is named after the Slovenian grandmaste ...

- 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bg5 Bg7 5.f4 *Pittsburgh Variation of the QGD - 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Nf3 b6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bb5 *Podebrady Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Nb3 * Polish Opening (or Orangutan) – 1.b4 * Polish Defence – 1.d4 b5 or 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b5 *Polish Attack – 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b4 *Polish Gambit – 1.e4 b5 2.Bxb5 c6 *Polish Gambit of the Anderssen Opening – 1.a3 a5 2.b4 *Polish Spike - 1.b4 Nf6 2.Bb2 g6 3.g4 *Polish Variation of the Indian Game – 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 b5 *Portuguese Gambit of the Scandinavian Defence – 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 4.f3 Bf5 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 * Portuguese Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Bb5 *Portuguese Variation of the KGA - 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.Kf1 Nc6 *Prague Variation of the Tarrasch Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 Nf6 *Prussian Game (or Two Knights Defence against the

) – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 *Pyrenees Gambit – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b5

R

*Riga Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 exd4 *Rio de Janeiro Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Be7 * Romanian Opening (or Dunst Opening) – 1.Nc3 *Romanian Defense of the Wing Gambit – 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 e5 6.Bb2 Nc6 7.c4 Qe6 *Rotterdam Variation of the Slav Defence - 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 *Russian Defence of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6 * Russian Game (or Petrov's Defence) – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

S

*San Francisco Gambit of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Na5 4.b4 *San Remo Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 Nc6 8.e3 e5 *San Sebastian Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Qa5 * Saragossa Opening – 1.c3 * Scandinavian Defence – 1.e4 d5 * Scheveningen Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 * Scotch Four Knights Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 * Scotch Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 * Scotch Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 *Seattle Gambit of the

– 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dx5 Ng4 4.e4 h5 * Semi-Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 (or 3.Nf3) e6 *Semmering Variation of the Semi-Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 c6 5.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.Bd3 c5 *Seville Variation of the Grünfeld Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.0-0 Bg4 11.f3 Na5 12.Bxf7+ *Siberian Attack of the

Indian Defence In the game of chess, Indian Defence or Indian Game is a broad term for a group of chess opening, openings characterised by the moves: : 1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, d4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6, Nf6 They are all to varying degrees ...

– 1.d4 Nf6 2.Qd3 d5 3.Nc3 * Siberian Trap in the

– 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Qc7 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qe2 Ng4! 9.h3?? (or 9.Bb3??) Nd4! *

– 1.e4 c5 *Sicilian Gambit (or Sicilian Wing Gambit) - 1.e4 c5 2.b4 * Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 * Spanish Game (or

) – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 *Stockholm Variation of the Englund Gambit – 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Qd5 *Stockholm Variation of the Grünfeld Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 *St. Petersburg Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 *St. Petersburg Variation of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 *Swedish Variation of the QGD, Tarrasch Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 c4 * Swiss Gambit of the

– 1.f4 f5 2.e4 *Swiss Variation of the

– 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bd3

T

*Tashkent Attack of the

– 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Nh5 5.g4 *Transylvania Variation of the Vienna Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 *Trencianske-Teplice Gambit of the

, Two Knights Defense – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.d4 *Tuebingen Variation of the Polish Opening – 1.b4 Nh6 *Tuebingen Gambit of the Dunst Opening – 1.Nc3 Nf6 2.g4 *Turkish Gambit (or the Elephant Gambit) – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5

U

*Ueberlinger Gambit of the

- 1.d4 Nf6 2.g3 e5 *Ukrainian Variation of the Old Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5

V

*Valencia Opening (or Mieses Opening) – 1.d3 e5 2.Nd2 *Venezolana Variation of the Mieses Opening – 1.d3 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 *Venice Attack of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.f3 e5 6.Bb5+ or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Bb5+ *Venice Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5 5.cxd5 Qb6 * Vienna Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 *Vienna Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 * Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 *Vietnamese Gambit – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 b5 *Vinohrady Variation of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g4 named after a district in Prague * Volga Gambit – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 (named for the

Volga River The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

, the national river of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

) *Voronezh Variation of the Alekhine's Defence – 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Rc1 0-0 9.b3

W

*Warsaw Variation of the

– 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 c6 *Westphalia Defence in the Queen's Gambit Declined: An alternative name for the Manhattan Variation – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 Bb4 or 5.e3 c5 *Wiesbaden Variation of the Slav Defence – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 *Wilkes-Barre Variation of the

, Two Knights Defence – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5!?

Y

*Yerevan System of the

– 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.Nc3 *Yugoslav Attack in the Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 * Yugoslav Defence (or

) – 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 *Yugoslav Variation of the

Benko Gambit The Benko Gambit (or Volga Gambit) is a chess opening characterised by the move 3...b5 in the Benoni Defence arising after: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, d4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6, Nf6 :2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. ...

– 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.e4 Bxf1 8.Kxf1 d6 9.Nge2 *Yugoslav Variation of the King's Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 c5

Z

*Zagreb Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation – 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 *Zaire Defence of the Queen's Knight Defence – 1.d4 Nc6 2.d5 Nb8 3.e4 Nf6 4.e5 Ng8 *Zurich Gambit – 1.d4 d5 2.g4 *Zurich Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defence – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nc6 A number of less well-accepted ethnic chess opening names (including such gems as the "Anglo-Polish Dutch" – 1.c4 f5 2.b4) can be found i
this list of chess opening names

References

External links

Bill Wall's list of chess openingsChess Archaeology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chess openings named after places +List of chess openings named after places Openings named after places

Chess openings The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory. The other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''openings'', have standard names such as " Sicilian Defense". ' ...

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References

External links