All chess openings

Attacking chess openings

Openings that go straight for the enemy king. These lines aim pieces at f7 or h7 early, open files toward the castled king, and are happy to give up material for the initiative. Pick one if you would rather be the player asking the questions.

26 openings

• Sicilian Defence — Dragon (B70) — Opposite-side castling, all-out attacks on both wings
• Sicilian Defence — Closed (B25) — Refuse to open the centre and just attack on the kingside instead
• Smith-Morra Gambit (B21) — Give up a pawn to get every piece out and both open files for free
• Ruy López — Marshall Attack (C89) — Black sacrifices a pawn in the Spanish and attacks for the next thirty moves
• Italian Game (C50) — Classical development, long-term piece pressure
• Vienna Game (C27) — A quiet-looking developing move that hides a genuinely wild gambit
• Vienna Gambit (C29) — A King's Gambit with the knight already developed and the king safer
• Scotch Game — Mieses Variation (C45) — Aggressive queen sortie, pressure on f7 from the outset
• Scotch Gambit (C44) — Sacrifice a pawn for rapid development and open lines
• King's Gambit Accepted (C39) — The romantic era in one move — a pawn for the centre, the f-file and a fight
• Evans Gambit (C52) — One pawn to deflect a bishop and build the biggest centre in chess
• Danish Gambit (C21) — Two pawns for two monster bishops raking the whole board
• French Defence — Advance (C02) — Lock the centre, take the space, and leave Black's bishop entombed
• Caro-Kann — Panov Attack (B13) — Turn the solid Caro-Kann into a raging isolated-pawn attack
• Semi-Slav — Botvinnik Variation (D44) — Both sides give up material in the opening and neither king ever feels safe
• King's Indian Defence (E60) — Allow White the centre then attack it with pieces and pawns
• Modern Benoni (A70) — A ruined structure and a queenside majority — Tal's favourite kind of chess
• Dutch Defence — Stonewall (A90) — Rigid pawn chain, strong d5 outpost, attack on the kingside
• Dutch Defence — Leningrad (A87) — Fianchetto the bishop, build a powerful kingside presence
• King's Indian Attack (A07) — Reverse King's Indian — kingside attack with reversed colours
• Légal Trap (C41) — Hang the queen on purpose and mate with three minor pieces
• Fried Liver Attack (C57) — Sacrifice a knight on f7 and march the black king up the board
• Englund Gambit Trap (A40) — Throw a pawn away on move one and mate on c1 eight moves later
• Fishing Pole Trap (C65) — Dangle a knight on g4 and open the h-file when White bites
• Magnus Smith Trap (B57) — The Dragon fianchetto is one move too early and the queen falls
• Scholar's Mate (C20) — The four-move mate — worth knowing so it never happens to you