Openings of the 21st century

Here I precise the most popular variations of the years 2000-2021 (Lichess database) in the following categories:

• Alekhine: 1. e4 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 Larsen variation 5. Nxe5 c6, 1300+ games, ev=+0.6

• Benoni: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Benko Gambit: Fully Accepted variation g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6, 2200+ games, ev=+0.4

• Caro-Kann: 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Advance variation Bf5 4. Nf3 Short variation e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. O-O h6, 1100+ games, ev=+0.6

• Catalan:
• Centre game:
• Colle system:
• Colle-Zukertort:
• Dutch:
• English:
• Four Knights:
• French:
• Grünfeld:
• Italian:
• Jobava London:
• KIA:
• KID:
• London system:
• Neo-Catalan:
• Neo-Grünfeld:
• Nimzo-Indian:
• Modern/Pirc:
• NLA:
• Old Benoni:
• Old Indian:
• Petrov:
• Philidor:

• QGA: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Normal variation e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 Main line 7. Bb3, 1700+ games, ev=+0.0

• QGD: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Exchange variation exc5 5. Bg5 Positional variation c6 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Qc2, 1100+ games, ev=+0.5

• QID:
• Richter-Veresov:
• Ruy Lopez:
• Scandinavian:
• Scotch:
• Semi-Slav:
• Sicilian:
• Slav:
• Three Knights:
• Torre attack:
• Trompowsky:
• Two Knights:
• Vienna:

Please suggest additional categories! 😎

(to be continued)

N.B. I consider only variants with, at least, 1000 master games.

@1

"Please suggest additional categories!"
++ Simplest and unambiguous is to use the 500 ECO codes A00 to E99.

LoL 🤣 I have no enough perseverance to write down 500 lines.

2000 is not the 21st century.

21st century began January 1, 2001.

Ok, it makes sense, but it won't change my table significantly. 😎

@3

"I have no enough perseverance to write down 500 lines"
++ You can also reduce to 50: A0 to E9.
At least it is unambiguous and shorter as a description.

As long as you're aware that attaching labels to specific sequences of moves isn't chess, it's "stamp collecting".

@7

There are some trends.
I believe what is played gets narrower for black and wider for white.
We used to see Pirc, Alekhine, Scandinavian, French, Caro-Kann, Sicilian, 1...e5.
Nowadays at the top only Sicilian and 1...e5.
I predict as white we will not only see 1 e4, 1 d4, 1 c4, 1 Nf3,
but that also 1 e3, 1 g3, 1 Nc3, 1 c3, 1 b3 will see more play at top level.
If it is a draw just the same, then white may as well vary to see if black can handle it as well.

Look, I divided it in 2 parts: QGA (Queen's Gambit Accepted) and QGD (Queen's Gambit Declined). I'll post the most popular variations in few minutes. 😎

The Sokolsky opening which Bobby Fischer played successfully

A small number of master games. I'll give U here the main line with 168 master games in Lichess master database and ev=-0.5:

That’s correct. Although b5 is played in the other main line to stop the knight development.Unlike chess openings that have been studied to death and the game doesn’t really start till late in the opening the board is always interesting from the opening moves in the polish opening. It’s not often you see such an interesting position such as you outlined😊😉

Right, I also like this double-edged opening! 👍