Chess openings, learned for keeps
Free opening guides with a trainer attached. Every line is sourced from master practice and engine-checked before it is taught; every guide shows what opponents at your level actually play, from the same Lichess data the trainer studies. Fewer lines, learned properly, beat an encyclopedia — the method is covered here.
Openings for White
Vienna Gambit (C29)
White aims for a quick f4 push with attacking chances.
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5… · 2 lines
Evans Gambit (C51)
Sacrifices a pawn to gain a strong center and rapid piece development.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5… · 3 lines
Danish Gambit (C21)
White sacrifices two pawns for a huge lead in development and attacking chances.
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3… · 1 line
Smith-Morra Gambit (B21)
White sacrifices a pawn against the Sicilian for rapid development and open lines.
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3… · 3 lines
King's Gambit (C30)
Sacrifices a pawn for rapid development and attacking chances on the f-file.
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5… · 3 lines
London System (D00)
A universal system for White with consistent piece placement. Safe and strategic.
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6… · 3 lines
Italian Game (C50)
A classical opening with natural piece development. Clear plans for both sides.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5… · 5 lines
Vienna Game (C25)
2.Nc3 keeps the f-pawn’s options open — quiet fianchetto systems or the f4 thrust, chosen after Black commits.
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 Bc5… · 3 lines
Openings for Black
Budapest Gambit (A52)
A surprise weapon against 1.d4. Black sacrifices a pawn for active piece play.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4… · 3 lines
Caro-Kann Defense (B10)
A solid defense with a strong pawn structure. Favors strategic, endgame-oriented players.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4… · 5 lines
Scandinavian Defense (B01)
Black immediately challenges the e4 pawn. Simple and direct.
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5… · 3 lines
French Defense (C00)
Black builds a solid pawn chain and aims for a counterattack on the queenside.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5… · 5 lines
Sicilian Najdorf (B90)
The most aggressive and complex of all Sicilian variations. Bobby Fischer's weapon of choice.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4… · 5 lines
Nimzo-Indian Defense (E20)
Black pins the knight and fights for the center. Rich strategic play.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4… · 5 lines
Frequently asked questions
One answer to 1.e4, one answer to 1.d4, and one setup you trust as White — chosen from lines you can commit to reviewing. Solid, plan-driven openings like the Caro-Kann, the Italian Game or the London System carry beginners further than sharp theory, because their ideas repeat game after game.
Every study line is sourced from master practice via the Lichess opening explorer and checked move-by-move against Stockfish before it is taught — nothing is hand-invented. The reply tables come from the same Lichess data, split by rating band, so you prepare for what your own level actually plays.
From Lichess games split by rating band: for every opening, the share of opponents who reach it and then play a move Stockfish grades as a Mistake or Blunder on the lines we teach, using the same labels as the game review. Each figure is a lower bound, and the close calls are re-checked at depth 30. The full method is on the how-we-measure page linked below.
No account is needed to analyze your games or read any of these guides. The trainer keys its drills to a Chess.com or Lichess username so it can match lines against the openings you actually reach in your own games — that connection is what turns a catalog into a study plan.
Every guide shows how often opponents at each level go wrong against it — how we measure that.
The fastest way to pick an opening to study: see which ones your games already reach — and where they go wrong.
Analyze your games free