Chess Encyclopedia
A growing reference for the royal game: the great openings by ECO code, the essential endgames every player must know, and the tactical motifs that decide games. Each page gives the key moves, the ideas behind them, and a board diagram — and every move is replayed through this site's own chess engine, so the theory you see is provably legal.
Openings
Open Games (1.e4 e5)
- C20 Open Game
- C21 Danish Gambit
- C22 Center Game
- C23 Bishop's Opening
- C24 Bishop's Opening, Urusov Gambit
- C25 Vienna Game
- C27 Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
- C29 Vienna Gambit
- C30 King's Gambit Declined
- C31 Falkbeer Countergambit
- C33 King's Gambit: Bishop's Gambit
- C33 King’s Gambit
- C34 King's Gambit Accepted
- C34 King’s Gambit, Fischer Defense
- C35 King's Gambit: Cunningham Defense
- C37 King's Gambit, Muzio Gambit
- C39 Kieseritzky Gambit
- C39 King’s Gambit, Allgaier Gambit
- C40 Elephant Gambit
- C40 Latvian Gambit
- C41 Philidor Defense
- C41 Philidor Defense, Hanham Variation
- C42 Cochrane Gambit
- C42 Petrov Defense: Classical Attack
- C42 Petrov Defense
- C43 Petrov Defense, Modern Attack
- C44 Göring Gambit
- C44 Ponziani Opening
- C44 Scotch Gambit
- C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation
- C45 Scotch Game
- C45 Scotch Game: Mieses Variation
- C46 Three Knights Game
- C47 Belgrade Gambit
- C47 Four Knights Game
- C47 Halloween Gambit
- C47 Scotch Four Knights
- C48 Four Knights Game, Spanish Variation
- C50 Giuoco Pianissimo
- C50 Hungarian Defense
- C50 Italian Game
- C51 Evans Gambit Declined
- C51 Evans Gambit
- C52 Evans Gambit Accepted
- C53 Giuoco Piano
- C54 Italian Game: Møller Attack
- C55 Max Lange Attack
- C55 Two Knights Defense
- C57 Fried Liver Attack
- C57 Traxler Counterattack
- C58 Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense
- C60 Ruy López Cozio Defense
- C60 Ruy López
- C61 Ruy López Bird Defense
- C62 Ruy López Steinitz Defense
- C63 Ruy López Schliemann Defense
- C64 Ruy López Classical Defense
- C65 Berlin Defense
- C67 Ruy López Berlin Endgame
- C68 Ruy López Exchange Variation
- C70 Ruy López Morphy Defense
- C78 Ruy López Archangelsk Variation
- C78 Ruy López Moller Defense
- C79 Ruy López Steinitz Defense Deferred
- C80 Ruy López Open Variation
- C84 Ruy López Center Attack
- C86 Ruy López Worrall Attack
- C88 Ruy López Anti-Marshall
- C88 Ruy López Closed Variation
- C89 Marshall Attack
- C92 Ruy López Zaitsev Variation
- C95 Ruy López Breyer Variation
- C97 Ruy López Chigorin Variation
Semi-Open Games (1.e4)
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense
- B00 Owen's Defense
- B01 Scandinavian, Icelandic Gambit
- B01 Scandinavian Defense
- B01 Scandinavian Defense, Modern Variation
- B02 Alekhine Defense
- B03 Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation
- B03 Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack
- B05 Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation
- B06 Modern Defense
- B07 Pirc Defense: 150 Attack
- B07 Pirc Defense
- B08 Pirc: Classical System
- B09 Pirc: Austrian Attack
- B10 Caro-Kann Defense
- B11 Caro-Kann: Two Knights
- B12 Caro-Kann Advance
- B12 Caro-Kann: Fantasy Variation
- B13 Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation
- B14 Caro-Kann Panov Attack
- B15 Caro-Kann, Gurgenidze System
- B16 Caro-Kann Defense: Bronstein-Larsen Variation
- B17 Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov Variation
- B18 Caro-Kann Classical
- B20 Sicilian Defense
- B20 Sicilian Defense, Wing Gambit
- B21 Smith-Morra Gambit
- B22 Sicilian Alapin
- B23 Sicilian Grand Prix Attack
- B25 Closed Sicilian
- B27 Sicilian: Hyperaccelerated Dragon
- B28 Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation
- B29 Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation
- B31 Sicilian Rossolimo
- B32 Kalashnikov Variation
- B32 Sicilian Defense: Löwenthal Variation
- B33 Sicilian Defense: Sveshnikov Variation
- B34 Accelerated Dragon
- B36 Sicilian: Maróczy Bind
- B40 Sicilian Defense, Pin Variation
- B42 Sicilian Kan Variation
- B45 Four Knights Sicilian
- B47 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
- B51 Sicilian Moscow Variation
- B53 Sicilian Defense: Chekhover Variation
- B58 Sicilian Defense, Boleslavsky Variation
- B58 Classical Sicilian
- B62 Richter-Rauzer Attack
- B70 Sicilian Dragon
- B71 Sicilian Dragon, Levenfish Variation
- B73 Sicilian Dragon: Classical Variation
- B77 Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack
- B80 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation
- B81 Sicilian Defense, Keres Attack
- B87 Sicilian: Fischer–Sozin Attack
- B90 Najdorf: English Attack
- B90 Sicilian Najdorf
- B92 Sicilian Najdorf: Opočenský Variation
- B97 Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn Variation
- C00 French Defense
- C01 French Exchange Variation
- C02 French Advance
- C03 French Tarrasch
- C10 French Defense: Fort Knox Variation
- C10 French Defense: Rubinstein Variation
- C11 French Classical Variation
- C11 French Defense, Steinitz Variation
- C12 French Defense, MacCutcheon Variation
- C13 French, Alekhine–Chatard Attack
- C18 French Winawer, Poisoned Pawn
- C18 French Winawer
Closed & Flank Openings
- A00 Grob Opening
- A00 Polish Opening
- A01 Nimzo-Larsen Attack
- A03 Bird's Opening
- A07 King's Indian Attack
- A09 Réti Opening
- A10 English Opening
- A18 English Opening, Mikenas-Carls Variation
- A22 English: Reversed Sicilian
- A26 English Opening: Botvinnik System
- A28 English Opening: Four Knights Variation
- A30 English Opening, Hedgehog System
- A30 English: Symmetrical
- A45 Trompowsky Attack
- A46 Torre Attack
- A51 Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation
- A52 Budapest Gambit
- A53 Old Indian Defense
- A56 Czech Benoni
- A57 Benko Gambit
- A60 Modern Benoni
- A62 Modern Benoni, Fianchetto Variation
- A67 Benoni Defense, Taimanov Variation
- A80 Dutch Defense
- A82 Dutch Defense: Staunton Gambit
- A88 Dutch Defense: Leningrad Variation
- A90 Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variation
- A96 Dutch Defense, Classical Variation
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
- D00 Jobava London System
- D00 Stonewall Attack
- D01 Richter-Veresov Attack
- D02 London System
- D05 Colle System
- D05 Colle-Zukertort System
- D06 Baltic Defense
- D06 Marshall Defense
- D06 Queen’s Gambit
- D07 Chigorin Defense
- D08 Albin Countergambit
- D10 Slav Defense
- D13 Slav Defense: Exchange
- D15 Slav Defense: Chebanenko
- D15 Slav Defense: Geller Gambit
- D17 Slav: Czech Variation
- D20 Queen's Gambit Accepted
- D27 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical
- D30 Queen’s Gambit Declined
- D31 Queen's Gambit Declined: Alatortsev
- D32 Tarrasch Defense
- D35 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange
- D37 Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack
- D38 Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin
- D39 Queen's Gambit Declined: Vienna
- D41 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch
- D43 Semi-Slav: Anti-Moscow Gambit
- D43 Semi-Slav Defense
- D43 Semi-Slav: Moscow Variation
- D44 Semi-Slav: Botvinnik System
- D47 Semi-Slav: Meran
- D52 Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs
- D56 Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker
- D58 Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower
- D63 Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox
- D70 Neo-Grünfeld Defense
- D78 Grünfeld Defense: Fianchetto Variation
- D80 Grünfeld Defense
- D85 Grünfeld: Exchange Variation
- D85 Grünfeld Defense: Modern Exchange
- D90 Grünfeld Defense, Three Knights
- D94 Slav Defense, Schlechter Variation
- D97 Grünfeld Defense: Russian System
- E00 Catalan Opening
- E04 Catalan Opening: Open Variation
- E06 Catalan Opening: Closed Variation
- E11 Bogo-Indian Defense
- E12 Queen's Indian Defense
- E12 Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation
- E15 Queen's Indian, Nimzowitsch Variation
- E17 Queen's Indian Defense, Classical Variation
- E20 Nimzo-Indian Defense
- E25 Nimzo-Indian: Sämisch
- E30 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation
- E32 Nimzo-Indian: Classical
- E33 Nimzo-Indian Defense, Zurich Variation
- E41 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation
- E41 Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein
- E60 King’s Indian Defense
- E62 King's Indian: Fianchetto
- E71 King's Indian, Makogonov Variation
- E73 King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation
- E76 King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack
- E81 King's Indian: Sämisch
- E92 King's Indian: Classical
- E92 King's Indian Defense: Petrosian System
- E97 King's Indian Defense: Bayonet Attack
- E97 King's Indian Defense: Mar del Plata Variation