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10 MOST POPULAR CHESS OPENINGS !
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10 MOST POPULAR CHESS OPENINGS !

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BEFORE I BEGIN I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO PUT YOUR FAVOURITE OPENINGS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! I WILL HOLD MY OWN VOTE AND TO FIND THE RESULTS, PLEASE JOIN THE CLUB THE CHESS TIGERS!

Sicilian Defense - ...d6 Variations

Since the most popular first move in chess is 1.e4, it follows that many of the most popular openings are King's Pawn Openings. 

Following this logic, the first of our most popular openings is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3. The popularity of this variation is due to the  popularity of the four well known variations that Black can choose with the next move.

  • 5...a6 : Najdorf Variation
  • 5...Nc6 : Classical Variation
  • 5...e6 : Scheveningen Variation

Sicilian Defense - Black avoids an early ...d6

Another popular way of playing the Sicilian Defense is by avoiding an early ...d6. Two ways to do this are by playing 2...Nc6 or 2...e6 instead of 2...d6 like in the variation before.

The move 2...Nc6 is slightly more popular than 2...e6, and usually leads to 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4. Now Black has at least four good ways to continue.

  • 4...Nf6
  • 4...e6
  • 4...g6
  • 4...e5

Ruy Lopez 4.Ba4

After the natural 2.Nf3 Nc6, attacking and defending Black's Pawn on e5, White continues the attack with 3.Bb5. This is called the Ruy Lopez, known in some languages as the Spanish Game.

The most popular continuation is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O as in the diagram. Here Black has three popular continuations.

  • 5...Be7 : Closed Ruy Lopez
  • 5...Nxe4 : Open Ruy Lopez
  • 5...b5

Italian Game

Instead of attacking Black's e-Pawn like in the Ruy Lopez, White can attack Black's sensitive Pawn on f7. This shouldn't be done by playing Qh5, which exposes the Queen to an attack by Nf6, but rather by Bc4, which develops a minor piece at the same time that it attacks f7.

White can play 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4, but a more popular play is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. Now Black has two excellent continuations.

  • 3...Nf6 : Two Knights' Defense
  • 3...Bc5 : Giuoco Piano

French Defense

The last of our openings which start 1.e4 is the French Defense (1...e6). It is less popular than either 1...c5 or 1...e5, but considerably more so than any of the alternatives.

The French usually starts 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 . Now White has four good moves.

  • 3.Nc3 : Leads to two great families depending on whether Black responds 3...Bb4 or 3...Nf6.
  • 3.Nd2 : Tarrasch Variation
  • 3.e5 : Advance Variation
  • 3.exd5 : Exchange Variation

Nimzo Indian or Queen's Indian?

Black must also be prepared to play against 1.d4. There are two great families known as the Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6) and the Closed Game (1.d4 d5). Since the various Indian Defenses taken together are more popular than the Closed Game, two of our top 10 popular openings are in the Indian range.

The first is where Black plays 2...e6, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 . Now White decides whether to do an immediate pin on the Queen's Knight.

  • 3.Nc3 Bb4 : Nimzo Indian (the alternative 3...d5 transposes to a Closed Game)
  • 3.Nf3 b6 : Queen's Indian (or 3...d5, also transposing to a Closed Game)

King's Indian or Gruenfeld?

The second of our popular openings in the Indian range is where Black plays 2g6 The most popular variation is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 as in the diagram.

Black has two popular responses.

  • 3...Bg7 : King's Indian Defense
  • 3...d5 : Gruenfeld Defense (could be called the Gruenfeld Indian Defense)

Closed Game

The Closed Game usually starts 1.d4 d5 2.c4 . This is better known as the Queen's Gambit. Black has three responses.

  • 2...e6 : Queen's Gambit Declined
  • 2...c6 : Slav Defense
  • 2...dxc4 : Queen's Gambit Accepted

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Reti System

Are you surprised to find that one of our top 10 popular openings is only one move? In fact we have two first moves for White in our top 10. The slightly more popular of the two is 1.Nf3 . We have three reasons for choosing a single move.

First, although 1.Nf3 is played less frequently than 1.e4 or 1.d4, it is far more popular than the next group of initial moves for White. It can't be overlooked or ignored.

Second, while there are several good responses to it, the most popular response is 1... Nf6. Now if White continues 2.d4 or 2.c4, the game will often transpose into an Indian Opening or a Closed Game. In other words, the most popular response leads back into popular openings that we have already chosen.

Finally, none of the alternatives to 1...Nf6 are as popular as our other top 10 openings.

  • 1...d5
  • 1...c5
  • 1...g6

English Opening

Our last opening is a single move. White often plays 1.c4.

We include 1.c4 for the same reasons as 1.Nf3 (1) although played less frequently than 1.e4 or 1.d4, it has a following; (2) the most popular response leads back to the 1.d4 openings and (3) none of the other responses are as popular. There is one additional thought there are so many good responses that no single move is  more popular than any other.

  • 1...Nf6
  • 1...e5
  • 1...e6
  • 1...c5
  • 1...g6
  • 1...c6
  • 1...f5

Many of these moves lead to less popular responses to 1.d4. The moves 1.c4 c6 will often transpose to a Slav Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6), while the moves 1.c4 f5 will usually transpose to a Dutch Defense (1.d4 f5).