Best Chess Openings for White

The seven openings and their scores

The scores come from rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games between players within 100 rating points of each other, one day of play, banded by the lower rating. A win counts as 1 and a draw as one half. A gap of one point is noise.

Under 1600: choose by the plan

Below 1600 every opening in the list scores well, so choose by the type of game you want.

• Scotch Game. Open the center on move three and play with active pieces. The plan is quick development, castling and attacking the e-file. The typical mistake is spending time on a pawn grab instead of developing. See the Scotch Game page.
• Queen's Gambit. Take space with c4, regain the pawn if Black takes it and play on the queenside with a minority attack. The typical mistake is pushing e4 before the pieces are ready. See the Queen's Gambit page.
• London System. Build the same setup against almost everything: d4, Bf4, e3, Nf3, c3, Nbd2 and Bd3. The typical mistake is forgetting that b2 is guarded only by the queen. See the London System page.

From 1600 up: choose the opening that rewards understanding

At 1600 and above the sharp openings lose their edge, because players know how to meet them. The English Opening and the Ruy Lopez keep a steady score, because their value comes from long-term plans.

• English Opening. Play c4 and choose the structure after you see Black's reply. The plan is a fianchetto and a space advantage on the queenside. The typical mistake is playing b4 before the pieces are ready. See the English Opening page.
• Ruy Lopez. Attack the knight that guards e5 with Bb5 and build a slow center. The plan is c3, d4 and Nbd2. The typical mistake is taking on c6 too early. See the Ruy Lopez page.

The sharp choices

The King's Gambit and the Italian Game are the two sharpest options. They score well for White below 1600 and decline above it. If you enjoy attacking chess, they are fun and instructive, but they ask you to know the replies.

• King's Gambit. Sacrifice the f-pawn for open lines. The plan is quick development and an attack on f7. The typical mistake is playing the gambit without a follow-up. See the King's Gambit page.
• Italian Game. Develop the bishop to c4 and choose between a slow plan and a sharp one. The typical mistake is playing d4 before castling. See the Italian Game page.

A trap each system can teach you

Every opening has a short tactic that teaches its main idea. In the Italian, the pattern is Legal's mate, where a queen sacrifice leads to a mate with minor pieces. In the Scotch, the pattern is the open e-file after the center is traded. In the Queen's Gambit, the pattern is the Elephant Trap, which teaches you not to take a pawn on d5 without checking the replies. Learn the pattern and you learn the opening.

How to pick

Use the three questions below, in order, and stop at the first clear answer.

1. Do you like open or closed positions? Open: Scotch or Italian. Closed: Ruy Lopez, London System or Queen's Gambit.
2. Do you want a system or a choice? A system: London. A choice that depends on Black's reply: English or Queen's Gambit.
3. How much time do you have to study? Little: the London System or the Scotch. More: the Ruy Lopez or the Queen's Gambit.

After you choose, play fifty games and write down the positions you reach most often. The first fifty games will tell you more than any comparison, including this one.

The first twenty games with a new opening

A new opening needs a trial period, and the first twenty games are for finding out what you do not know. Play the same first ten moves each time, even if your opponent surprises you. After each game, write down the move where you stopped knowing what to do, and the move your opponent played that you had not expected. After twenty games you will have a list of three or four positions that come up again and again, and those are the positions to study.

Do not judge the opening by the results of those twenty games. A new opening costs a few points at first because you are learning where the plans work. Judge it after a hundred games, and compare the result with your rating before you began. If the results are better, keep it. If they are worse and the same positions keep going wrong, ask whether the structure suits you, and change only then.

Why not the strongest opening of all?

Some players ask for the objectively best first move for White. At the top level 1.e4 and 1.d4 both keep a small edge, and engines say the difference between good openings is a fraction of a pawn. At club level the edge that matters is yours: the plan you remember, the pawn structure you handle and the traps you avoid. That is why this page ranks by what players actually score and not by what an engine says.

For beginners, the page on best chess openings for beginners starts with principles, and the general best chess openings page also ranks the replies for Black.

A coach and your opening

A coach can look at your games and show which opening suits you and which plan you are missing. See the packages below.