Skip to content
TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • TCW Academy
    • Chess-Teacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman Chess Lab
    • Foxy Chess
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
    • Rules Chess Strategies
    • Others
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

Chess openings: 5 Best White Chess Openings

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.10.2017
Category: Openings
Tags: club player openings, openings, theory, white openings
Chess openings: 5 Best White Chess Openings

In modern chess having a sound opening, the repertoire is an essential part of achieving success in tournaments. Professional players spend a lot of time working on the openings in-depth, sometimes until the possible endgames that can arise. However, for the club players, spending so much time inserting the moves that everybody knows by an engine and memorizing countless amount of lines is not only a waste of time. But, it can also have a bad effect on their understanding of the game.

At this stage, we recommend having a simple opening repertoire but well understood. It is most important to know the ideas behind a system and the common strategies to follow than to rely exclusively on memory.

In this article we are going to give some suggestions for opening systems you could use in your tournament practice:

Chess White Opening #1.The London System

London System

With this system, white sidesteps all of the black’s sharp lines against 1.d4. For years, the London System has had the reputation of being a passive defense exclusively played by those who did not want to enter into a tactical game.

However, nowadays the London is on the rise, with all the top players using it regularly with remarkable success. White has a guarantatee that he will complete his development fast and will then adopt a strategy depending on how black plays. Among the top references of this opening, you can find players like Gata Kamsky, Magnus Carlsen, Boris Grachev, Vladimir Kramnik, and Alexander Grischuk.

To get started with this opening, check our previous articles where we present white’s plans depending on black’s approach.

#2.Four Knights versus 1.e5

White Chess Openings

The Four Knights variation leads to an open game, without much tactical trouble. White emerges with a slightly superior pawn structure and tries to exploit the potential weakness of black’s hanging pawns.

One of the upsides of choosing this variation is that black does not have many options to avoid it, so you can learn it deeply up to the middlegame. To get you started, have a look at this article that we wrote on this system.

Chess White Opening #3.The Rossolimo versus the Sicilian with 2…Nc6

The Rossolimo versus the Sicilian

The Sicilians starting with 2…Nc6 is the core of the Sicilian Labyrinth. If white opens with the usual 3.d4, after 3…cxd4 black has a wide range of choices, the most popular being the Accelerated Dragon, the Sveshnikov, but there is also plenty of other lines, for example, 4…Qb6, 4…Qc7, 4…e6, 4…e5 and the list is not complete. Is it worth it for a club player to spend so much time learning what to do against one and each of these possibilities? Probably not.

With the Rossolimo white takes the game into a strategic battle in which he wants to cool off the tactical operations that usually occur in the Sicilian. After 3.Bb5 black’s most popular answer is 3…g6 and we recommend you look at the lines with 4.Bxc6 in which white wants to make use of his slightly superior pawn structure. The main references of this opening are without

The main references for this opening are without doubt Michael Adams, Sergey Rublevsky, and Victor Bologan.

#4. The Chekhover Variation versus the Sicilian with 2…d6

White Chess Openings

This is an old variation that came back into fashion after being played at the highest level. Again, the main point is to sidestep the numerous possibilities that black has in the open variation.

White takes the game into a Maroczy type of position where black’s play is slightly restricted. Players to look for in this variation are Sergey Zhigalko, Alekseev, and Malakhov.

To get a better idea of this line, take a look at our previous article here.

Chess White Opening #5.The English Opening

English Opening

This opening is very popular amongst club players and players on the rise. The English offers a perfect balance between strategic and aggressive play. You can also play it by schemes rather than numerical theory, so there is plenty of room for creativity. Nowadays the main reference is the series of books written by the Grandmaster Mihail Marin, although we recommend you to start with an old but great book, “The Dynamic English” by Tony Kosten.

These are our recommendations for players in the range between 1700 and 2100. We hope you will find inspiration in these ideas and, as usual, if you have any questions feel free to contact us.

Looking for more on Chess Openings? Look at the 7 Things to Consider When Picking Them.

Ready to start winning games with the best white openings? Check out our store and articles:

  • The Veresov’ Opening: Aggressive White Repertoire for The Attacking Player – IM Andrew Martin
  • Chess openings: 5 best aggressive openings as White
Find this post useful? Share it?
Become a Chess Player You've Meant to Be!
TCW Academy is the fast, fun & convenient way to become a MUCH better chess player.
Join Academy Today!

Related Posts

  • 5 Reasons to Play the Dutch Defense5 Reasons to Play the Dutch Defense
  • The #1 Pattern in the Indo-Benoni StructureThe #1 Pattern in the Indo-Benoni Structure
  • 4 Best Openings for Black in ‘Must-Win’ Situations4 Best Openings for Black in ‘Must-Win’ Situations
Related Products
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Login
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Join the FREE Road to 2200 Masterclass (and learn how to Attack Like a Chess Master)
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
TheChessWorld.com
http://pogonina.com/
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
  • Play Computer
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Money Back PayPal SSL Comodo
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us [email protected]
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2023 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz