White Opening Repertoire
11 openings for White: 1.e4 classics like the Italian Game and Ruy Lopez, the London System for 1.d4 players, plus gambits like the Evans and King's Gambit. Every line is drillable with spaced repetition.
Want a ranked shortlist by rating? Read our guide to the best chess openings for white.
Italian Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
The fastest-developing 1.e4 opening. Aim the bishop at f7 and play for the attack.
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
The king of 1.e4 openings. Deep theory, long-term pressure, grandmaster-tested.
Scotch Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4
The center-breaking alternative to the Italian. Kasparov's weapon against Karpov.
Fried Liver Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5
The most famous attacking line in chess. A knight sacrifice for a devastating king hunt.
Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3
A flexible, aggressive alternative to the Italian and Ruy Lopez with the Vienna Gambit attack.
King's Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.f4
The romantic gambit. Sacrifice a pawn for the ultimate attacking chess.
Evans Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
Kasparov's revived gambit. Sacrifice a pawn for development and a crushing center.
Ponziani Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3
The surprise weapon. Prepare d4 and catch Black off-guard.
Bishop's Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
Aim the bishop at f7 from move 2. Bypass Nf3 and dictate the middlegame structure.
Danish Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3
Sacrifice two pawns for lightning-fast development and an open e-file attack.
London System
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4
The ultimate low-maintenance opening. One setup against everything.