All chess openings

Flexible chess openings

Openings that keep the options open and commit late. The pawn structure is decided by what the opponent does rather than by move four, so one set of plans covers many replies and a move-order slip is rarely punished.

13 openings

• Sicilian Defence — Closed (B25) — Refuse to open the centre and just attack on the kingside instead
• Philidor Defence (C41) — Cramped but genuinely tough — a fortress that takes real skill to crack
• Vienna Game (C27) — A quiet-looking developing move that hides a genuinely wild gambit
• Scotch Game — Schmid Variation (C45) — Flexible development, avoid early theory with Bc4
• Caro-Kann — Karpov Variation (B17) — Develop the knight to d7 first so the kingside never gets shattered
• Queen's Indian Defence (E15) — Fight for e4 with a fianchettoed bishop and give White absolutely nothing
• Scandinavian Defence (B01) — Trade the centre off on move one and always get the same position
• Pirc Defence (B08) — Let White have the centre and undermine it once the king is safe
• Modern Defence (B06) — Delay everything, commit to nothing, and let White overextend
• Alekhine's Defence (B04) — Offer the knight as bait and let White's centre chase it into overextension
• London System (D02) — Solid and reliable — same setup against anything
• King's Indian Attack (A07) — Reverse King's Indian — kingside attack with reversed colours
• English Opening (A10) — Flexible hypermodern control of the centre