Who wouldn’t want to open their game with flair and excitement? A beautiful and exciting game demands an equally strategic opening game that may have an effect on your game as you move forward. And for that you will have to be acquainted with a handful of opening games you can bring to your rescue.
Top 10 Chess Openings for White are :
- Vienna Game
- Queen’s Gambit
- Bird’s Opening
- Ruy Lopez
- Smith Morra Gambit
- The Scotch Game
- English Opening
- King’s Gambit
- Italian Game
- Alapin Variation Opening
Well, we have got you covered as we have compiled a list of the best opening games you can dive into:
1. Vienna Game
Vienna Game is notoriously noted for forcing a win for White. Considered an improvement for the King’s Gambit, it is a fairly aggressive opening. How? Because it plans an attack without giving Black an opportunity to become deadly. It is defined by:-
1 e4 e5
2 Nc3
Now, here with the knight on c3, the White will be able to take the centre, support the pawn on e4 and prepare for an attack on Black. Every move Black makes, White can counter with the variety of variations available at its disposal.
2. Queen’s Gambit
Consisting of three moves, Queen’s Gambit is one of the most famous chess opening ever, with one in eight games opening with it. White chooses to play it because it helps White gain control of the centre, though at the cost of its wing pawn. But on the brighter side, it allows White the opportunity to put pressure on the opponent. So much that the Black will have no choice but to lose control or play from a limited space. The moves are: –
1 d4 d5
2 c4
3. Bird’s Opening
This move has been 6th most popular opening because of its peculiar opening. Henry Bird, after which the opening is named, introduced it in 1855 and continued to so do for the rest of the time he played. It is kickstarted with the following move:
1 f4
The opening gives White the control of dark coloured squares, allowing it to plan a kingside attack. However, one should be careful of employing e4 or d4 without thinking. The pawn on e3 is a defender of f4, and if it falls, there could be trouble in your King’s palace.
4. Ruy Lopez
Named after the Spanish priest, Ruy Lopez de Segura, who wrote one of the first books on chess in Europe. The goal of the game is to weaken the pawn structure of the Black. As you go into the game, as Black plays against your moves, try to pull bishop to c4 or a4. This will keep your bishop safe from Black’s attack as well as help you target the Black’s knight.
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5
By the time White completes its opening, the White will get close to castling the kingside and put strong pressure on black.
5. Smith Morra Gambit
Smith-Morra can confuse the Black and play that to the advantage of the White. Just like any other gambits, this one is for you if you are on the aggressive side. White seeks to not just attack Black from its Sicilian lines but also use it to bring the Black’s King to his knees.
The opening is: –
1 e4 c5
2 d4
After the opening moves, the White have lots of options at disposal and the Black player will have no option but to play very, very carefully.
6. The Scotch Game
Garry Kasparov called the Scotch Game his secret weapon. Here the White is seen pushing d2 d4 instead of developing King’s Bishop as normally played. This catapults White into the Centre. The moves that bring White the control is: –
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 d4
The Scotch Game is full of surprises that the Black can only succeed if it knows the game well. Why? Because with it White can lay a lot of little traps for Black to fall into.
7. The English Opening
The English opening gained its name when it was played extensively by the English Champion Howard Staunton. Statistically it is one of the most successful opening, maximising your chance at winning. It also allows you to avoid a lot of problematic defences like Slav Defence, Nimzo Defence etc. Here White does not try to control the centre at the start but slowly builds towards it, spending time on the light squared bishop. The opening is considered open after
1 c4.
Check out the game
8. The King’s Gambit
One of the oldest chess openings, it offers endless possibilities as White challenges the Black’s centre and attacks Black’s kingside. It is one of the aggressive chess openings.
1 e4 e5
2 f4
To eliminate black’s central pawn White sacrifices a pawn. Black can play to accept or decline the gambit. Mostly Black prefers to accept the Gambit, trying to gain out of White’s exposed Kingside. If that happens, White should focus on its f7 square. If the Black is not familiar with King’s Gambit, they will find themselves in trouble. But if they do, White will have enough tactics up its sleeves.
9. The Italian Game
Italian game is one of oldest recorded opening in play for more than 300 years now. The opening is believed to aid in developing strategic pieces. If a Black moves its knight to c6, White can move its bishop to c6, quite unlike the common way to move to b5. The game is characterised by
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bc4
10. The Alapin Variation Opening
Many regards this is to be anti- Sicilian. The Sicilian Defence helps Black reign the board easily. However, the Alapin Defence turns that out, giving White everything, it needs to put Black back in its position. The moves are: –
1 e4 c5
2 c3
By c3, White is prepared to counter Black in its d4 square, thereby coming to control the centre of the board.
Familiarising yourself with some good opening will help you start a game that you could bring it to your side. Maybe, even blindside your opponent. And now that you do know some, what stops you from pulling out that chess board?
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