All chess openings

Space-gaining chess openings

Openings that push pawns and take territory. More space means more squares for your pieces and fewer for the opponent, whose position can get cramped enough that a defensive piece runs out of useful moves.

11 openings

• Sicilian Defence — Alapin (B22) — Sidestep 10,000 pages of Sicilian theory and just build a big centre
• Sicilian Defence — Closed (B25) — Refuse to open the centre and just attack on the kingside instead
• Ruy López — Closed (C84) — Slow manoeuvring, long-term pressure on Black's position
• Evans Gambit (C52) — One pawn to deflect a bishop and build the biggest centre in chess
• French Defence (C00) — Closed centre, queenside counterplay, fight for e5
• French Defence — Advance (C02) — Lock the centre, take the space, and leave Black's bishop entombed
• Caro-Kann — Advance (B12) — The French Advance, except Black's bishop got out first
• Dutch Defence — Classical (A92) — Control e4, build on f5 — flexible and rich in ideas
• Dutch Defence — Stonewall (A90) — Rigid pawn chain, strong d5 outpost, attack on the kingside
• English Opening (A10) — Flexible hypermodern control of the centre
• Catalan Opening (E00) — Long-term bishop pressure down the g2 diagonal