Learn the 1.e4 vs the Rest

B01-C15 · a repertoire for white · 23 chapters · 274 annotated lines

"The complete 1.e4 file: every non-1...e5, non-Sicilian defense, torn apart"

The flagship 1.e4 repertoire. You know your Italian and your anti-Sicilian — this course is everything else, in full: the French, the Caro-Kann, the Scandinavian, the Pirc and Modern, the Alekhine, and every rare bird and outright junk move Black can throw at you. 274 engine-checked lines across 23 chapters — main lines drilled to move 13-15, dedicated trap files that punish every common club mistake, and honest coverage when Black plays the best moves. One coherent system (the Advance against both the French and the Caro; the 150 Attack against the Pirc and Modern; develop-with-tempo against the Scandinavian) so you are never out of book and never guessing. Learn it once and you have an answer to everything that isn't 1...e5 or the Sicilian.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The French — Advance Variation
  Lines: Study 1: The Main Line — 5...Qb6 6.a3!, Study 2: 5...Bd7 — Calm Development, e6 Becomes the Target, Study 3: 3...b6?! and the Qa4+ Punishment
• French II: The 5...Qb6 Complex
  Lines: Study 1: The Main Line Deepened — 13...h6 and the f5 Trade, Study 2: The Poisoned Pawn — 9...Ncxd4?? and the Counting Rule, Study 3: 7...Nf5 Without the Trade — 8.bxc5! Wins the Pawn Race, Study 4: 7...cxb4 — Recapture with the a-Pawn!, Study 5: The b4 Grab — 8...Nxb4?? Loses a Piece, Study 6: 6...c4 — The Clamp and the b3 Lever, Study 7: 6...a5 — 7.Bd3! and the Bb5+ Queen Trap, Study 8: 6...Bd7 and ...Rc8 — Answering the ...Na5-c4 Raid, Study 9: Castling Into It — 8...O-O-O?! 9.Nc3!, Study 10: Early Trade, 7...Nge7 — 8.Nc3! Claims the Square at Once, Study 11: The Check That Loses a Piece — 7...Bb4+?, Study 12: 6...f6?! — The Premature Break
• French III: 5...Bd7 & the Slow Setups
  Lines: Study 1: ...cxd4 and ...Nb4?! — Two Tours, No Arrivals, Study 2: 7...Nf5 — Answered by dxc5! and Bd3, Study 3: 7...cxd4 — The Released Center and Nxd5!, Study 4: 6...Qb6 — Castle! The d4 Pawn Is Poisoned, Study 5: 6...cxd4 — Early Release Frees c3 for the Knight, Study 6: ...Bb4+?! — The Check That Develops White, Study 7: 6...Rc8 — The Waiting Game, Squeezed, Study 8: 6...f6?! — Too Early: Trade, Then Strike with c4!, Study 9: 5...Nh6 — Take It: Bxh6! Wrecks the Kingside, Study 10: 5...Nge7 — The Na3-c2 Counter-Tour, Study 11: 5...f6?! — Bb5! Punishes the Premature Break, Study 12: 5...c4?! — The Clamp Undermined by b3!
• French IV: Third-Move Alternatives & the Franco Tries
  Lines: Study 1: 3...b6 — The Bad Bishop Trades, and Black Is Still Worse, Study 2: 3...Ne7 — The Knight Tour, Met by Na3-c2, Study 3: 3...a6?! — A Wasted Tempo, and the Bxf5 Bind Comes Free, Study 4: 3...Bd7?! — The Bishop Trade That Loses a Piece, Study 5: 3...Nc6 — Blocking the c-Pawn, Punished by Bb5, Study 6: 3...f6?! — Bd3! and the Qh5+ Bill, Study 7: 4...cxd4 5.cxd4 Bb4+ — Block with the Knight That Wanted c3, Study 8: 4...cxd4 5.cxd4 Nc6 — The c3 Square Is Free, Study 9: 4...Qb6 without ...Nc6 — Trade the Bishop, Keep the Space, Study 10: 4...Nh6?! — Take on h6 and Own the Dark Squares, Study 11: The Franco-Benoni (2...c5) — Steer It Home with 3.c3, Study 12: 6...Bb4+ — the Check That Walks Into the Greek Gift, Study 13: 6...Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nge7 8.Bd3 Nf5 — 9.O-O! and the Pawn That Isn't Free, Study 14: 6...Qb6 — 7.Nc3! and the b2 Pawn Is a Trap, Study 15: 6...Qb6 7.Nc3 Bb4 — 8.Bd3! and the Quiet Squeeze
• French V: The Maneuvering Middlegames
  Lines: Study 1: The ...g5 Thrust — Answered by g4! and f4, Study 2: Castling Long — 8...O-O-O?! Met by g4! and the Storm, Study 3: The ...Na5-c4 Reroute — Take with the Bishop!, Study 4: The ...Bd7-b5 Trade — Bxb5+! Wins the Stranded Knight, Study 5: The ...Rc8/...Na5 Battery — Nbd2 and Contest the File, Study 6: The ...Nge7-g6 Route — 9.Nc3! a Tempo Ahead, Study 7: ...a5 in the Middlegame — Answer with b5!, Not bxa5, Study 8: The Model Squeeze — Bxf5, Nc3 and the h4 Lever, Study 9: The Queen Redeploys — 10...Qc7 and 11.Nc3!, Study 10: The Reroute in the 5...Bd7 System — 10.Bd3!, Study 11: The Offside Reroute Punished — 9.dxc5!, Study 12: The ...f6 Break in the 5...Bd7 System — exf6 and Target e6
• Chapter 2: The Caro-Kann — Advance, Short System
  Lines: Study 1: The Main Line — 5...c5 6.Be3, Study 2: The Quiet Setup — 9.Nh4! and the Kingside Clamp, Study 3: The Immediate 3...c5 — 4.dxc5 and the Buried Bishop
• Caro-Kann II: The 5...c5 Main-Line Battles
  Lines: Study 1: 6...Qb6 — The Critical Hit, Answered by 7.Nc3!, Study 2: 6...Qb6 7.Nc3 Qxb2? — The b2 Pawn Bites Back, Study 3: 6...Nc6 — 7.dxc5! and the Pawn That Stays, Study 4: 6...Nd7 — 8.c4! Opens the Center on the Slower Setup, Study 5: 7...Nc6 — 8.Nxf5! and the Free Doubling, Study 6: 7...Bg6 — 9.c4! Hits the Center the Bishop Left Behind, Study 7: 7...a6?! — 8.Nxf5! and the Long-Castle Hammer, Study 8: 8...a6 — 9.g4! Grabs the Bishop Hunter, Study 9: 9...Qd7 — Declining the Doubling, Met by 10.Ba4!, Study 10: 6...c4?! — The Clamp Popped by 7.b3!, Study 11: 6...Nh6?! — 7.dxc5! and the Sidetracked Knight, Study 12: 6...Be7 — Passive Development, 7.dxc5! and 8.c4!
• Caro-Kann III: The Quiet Systems & the Nh4 Swing
  Lines: Study 1: The Prophylactic 6...Bg6 — 10.Bxh6! Wrecks the Kingside, Study 2: The 5...h6 Order and Early ...Bh7 — Switch to the Queenside, Study 3: The Lunge 8...g5?! — Don't Flinch: 9.a4!, Study 4: 9...Bg6 — Take It: 10.Nxg6! and the Qg4 Double Hit, Study 5: 9...Bg6 with 10...fxg6 — Target e6, Then h4-h5, Study 6: 7...Bg6 8.Nh4! — The Blocked Diagonal, Study 7: The Immediate 5...Bg6 — Same Squeeze, New Move Order, Study 8: 7...c5 — 8.dxc5! and the Endgame Grind, Study 9: 5...Ne7 with ...Bg6 and ...h6 — 10.f4! and the g4 Steamroller, Study 10: 6...Ng6 — 7.Be3, 8.Ne1! and the f4 Clamp, Study 11: The Passive 5...Be7?! — Open It with 7.c4!, Study 12: The Premature 6...f6?! — 7.Bd3! First, Then the Wedge Holds
• Caro-Kann IV: The 3...c5 Break & Early Sidelines
  Lines: Study 1: 4...Nc6 — Keeping the Extra Pawn, Study 2: 5...Nd7 — the Slow Hunt, Met by 6.c4!, Study 3: 6...Nc6 and the ...f6 Break — Answered by c4!, Study 4: 6...Qb6?! — the Queen Sortie Refuted, Study 5: 4...a5?! — Punishing the Development Lag, Study 6: 4...b6?! — the Greedy Grab, Refuted by Qxd5, Study 7: The Main Clamp — a3, b4, Bb2 and the c4 Break, Study 8: 3...Na6?! — Ignoring the Offside Knight, Study 9: 3...g6?! — Support the Wedge, Then Expand, Study 10: 3...h5?! — Punish the Weakening with e6!, Study 11: 2...g6 — the Modern in Disguise, Met by 3.Nc3, Study 12: 2...Na6?! — Wreck the Queenside with 3.Bxa6!
• Chapter 3: The Scandinavian
  Lines: Study 1: The Main Line — 3...Qa5 and the Long Castle, Study 2: 3...Qd6 — the Modern Scandinavian, Met by g3, Study 3: 3...Qd8 — the Retreat, and the Free Center, Study 4: 2...Nf6 — the Modern Scandinavian and the c4 Tempo
• Scandinavian II: 3...Qa5 In Depth
  Lines: Study 1: 5...Bg4 — the Classic Bishop Hunt, Study 2: 6...Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 — the Concession, Study 3: 6...Bg4 7.h3 Bh5?! — the Hunt Bites Harder, Study 4: No ...c6 — 7...Nbd7?? and the Famous 8.Nd5!, Study 5: No ...c6 — 7...Bb4 and the Honest 8.a3, Study 6: 5...Nc6?! — 6.Bb5! and the Wrecked Queenside, Study 7: 5...e6?! — Castling Into 8.Nd5!, Study 8: The Poisoned b2 Pawn — 9.Rb1! and 11.Rc7!, Study 9: 9...O-O-O?! — Punished by 10.Ng5!, Study 10: 8...Be7 — 10.Ne5 and the Third Nd5, Study 11: 10...Bd6?! — the Retreat That Opens the Discovery, Study 12: 12...Nxe5 — Trades Don't Save Black
• Scandinavian III: 3...Qd6, 3...Qd8 and the Odd Retreats
  Lines: Study 1: 3...Qd6 with 5...c6 — the System Doesn't Change, Study 2: 5...g6 — 6.Nb5! and the Five-Move Queen, Study 3: 3...Qd6 5...Bg4 — Trade, Then Storm, Study 4: 5...Bg4 6.h3 Bh5?! — the Box Slams Shut, Study 5: 5...Nc6?! — 6.Nb5! and the King That Never Castled, Study 6: 3...Qd8 with 5...c6 — 6.Bc4 and the g4! Bishop Trap, Study 7: 3...Qd8 with 5...g6 — Opposite Castling, Extra Tempi, Study 8: 3...Qd8 with 5...e6 and ...Nbd7 — the Passive Setup, Squeezed, Study 9: 3...Qd8 with 5...Bf5 — No ...c6, No Mercy, Study 10: 3...Qe5+?! — the Centre Check That Loses the Opening, Study 11: 3...Qe6+?! — the Wandering Queen Pays in Pawns, Study 12: 3...Qd7?! — the Square the Bishop Needed
• Scandinavian IV: The Modern 2...Nf6 & the Gambits
  Lines: Study 1: 4...Bg4 — Develop, Then Clamp, Study 2: 4...Bf5 — 5.Bd3! Challenges the Bishop, Study 3: 4...c6 — the Caro Shell Meets the g4 Hunt, Study 4: 4...e6 — 5.c4 and the Bishop Pair, Study 5: 4...Nc6?! — 5.c4 Nb6 6.d5! Forks the Knight, Study 6: The g6 Main Line — 8...Nc6 9.Be3, Study 7: The c5! Shot — 8...N8d7?? 9.c5!, Study 8: 8...Bf5 — 10.g4! Sends the Bishop Home, Study 9: The Portuguese Gambit — 3...Bg4?! 4.f3! and 5.Bb5+!, Study 10: Portuguese — 4...Bd7 and 7.d5!, Study 11: Portuguese — 5...Nbd7 and the b-Pawn Grab, Study 12: The Fianchetto Pin — 6...Bg4 7.Be2 and 8.c5!
• Chapter 4: Pirc & Modern — the 150 Attack
  Lines: Study 1: The Main Line — Bh6, h4-h5, and the Pawn Storm, Study 2: Black Castles Early — O-O-O and the g4 Break, Study 3: The Modern with ...a6 — Meeting the Queenside Rush
• Pirc II: Castled Main Lines & the ...Ng4 Question
  Lines: Study 1: 4...Ng4 — The Bishop Hunt Refuted, Study 2: 5...Ng4 — Same Hit, Same Punishment, Study 3: 5...h5 — The Blockade That Opens the File, Study 4: 6...e5 — The Center Break and the d-file Trap, Study 5: 6...Ng4 — The Hit That Costs ...f6, Study 6: 6...a6 — The Race Met by a Central Knight, Study 7: 6...Nbd7 — Closing the Center on Your Terms, Study 8: 7...Qa5 — The Sidestep That Ends the Attack, Study 9: 8...b4 — Winning the Pure Race, Study 10: 6...Qa5 — The Zwischenzug Cascade, Study 11: 6...Nbd7 with ...b5 — The g5 Clamp, Study 12: 6...e5 Early — h5-h6 and the Buried Bishop
• Pirc/Modern III: The Modern Complex — ...a6, ...c6 and the Gurgenidze
  Lines: Study 1: The ...b4 Race — Nd1! and the Pawn Just Hangs, Study 2: 6...Bb7 — Storm Meets Race, White Arrives First, Study 3: 6...c6 and ...Bxh3 — Trading Won't Save the Race, Study 4: 5...Nf6 — The Hybrid Punished by Instant Bh6, Study 5: The ...c6 Rush — Bd3, Ne2 and c3 Defuse Everything, Study 6: The Gurgenidze Wall — 6.e5! and the Great Squeeze, Study 7: 5...Nd7 — a4! Stops the Race Before It Starts, Study 8: 5...Qa5?! — The Early Queen Meets Calm Development, Study 9: 4...Nd7 and ...e5 — 7.d5! Turns the Break Into a Bind, Study 10: 3...c6 — The Early Wall Meets 4.f4, Study 12: 4...h5!? — Answer the Flank with the Centre
• Pirc IV: The Czech, the ...e5 Systems & 1...d6 Without ...g6
  Lines: Study 1: The Czech ...Qa5 — The Pin That Wins Nothing, Study 2: ...Qa5 and ...dxe5 — Opening the f-file for White, Study 3: ...Qa5 and ...Nd5 — Unpin, Chase, Grind, Study 4: The Czech ...Nbd7 — 5.e5! and the Knight Retreats to b8, Study 5: ...b5?! — The Sidestep the Modern Taught You, Study 6: ...Qb6?! — a4! and the Queen Goes Home, Study 7: 3...c5?! — 4.dxc5! Wins the Pawn, Study 8: The ...e5 System — 5.Qxd8+ and the Endgame Grind, Study 9: The ...e5 Endgame — 6...Be6 and the Doubled Pawns, Study 10: 3...Nbd7 — 4.f4! and the Overloaded ...e5, Study 11: 2...Nd7 — 3.Bc4! and the Sound Path Is Still Worse, Study 12: The Czech ...e6 — The Best Advance French There Is
• Chapter 5: Alekhine & the Rare Birds
  Lines: Study 1: Alekhine Main Line — the Modern Clamp, Study 2: Alekhine with 4...g6 — the a4 Needle, Study 3: Nimzowitsch Defense — Punishing the Early ...Nc6, Study 4: Owen's Defense — the Center Stands
• Alekhine II: 4...Bg4 Branches, 4...dxe5 and the Nxf7 Trap
  Lines: Study 1: The Nxf7! Trap — Punishing 5...Nd7, Study 2: Exchange with 5...g6 — Bc4 Hits First, Study 3: Exchange with 5...c6 — the Cool Retreat, Study 4: Exchange with 5...e6 — 6.Qf3! and the f7 Mate, Study 5: 4...Bg4 with 5...c6 — c4, exd6 and the b7 Bill, Study 6: Main Line with 9...Nc6 — Resolve with exd6 and d5!, Study 7: 7...Nb4?! — Refuted by 8.Qa4+!, Study 8: 4...Bg4 with 5...Nc6?! — the e6! Wedge, Study 9: 4...c6 — Claim Space with 5.c4, Study 10: 4...Nc6?! — 5.c4 and 6.e6!, Study 11: 3...b6?! — 4.c4! and the Homeless Knight, Study 12: 3...e6?! — 4.c4 and the Cramped Ne7
• Alekhine III: The 4...g6 Complex & the Oddballs
  Lines: Study 1: 5...Bg7?? — 6.Bxd5! Just Wins a Piece, Study 2: 5...c6 — the Exchange Squeeze, Study 3: 6...dxe5?! — 7.Nxe5 and 8.Qf3!, Study 4: 7...dxe5?! — the 9.Bxf7+! Raid, Study 5: 8...exd6?! — the Wrong Recapture, Study 6: 7...O-O?! — 8.a5! and the e6! Break, Study 7: 10...d5 — the Closed Center, Study 8: The Mokele Mbembe — 2...Ne4?! 3.d3!, Study 9: The Brooklyn — 2...Ng8?! Squeezed Flat, Study 10: 3...g6 without ...d6 — 4.Bc4!, Study 11: 3...Nb6 Direct — 4.a4!, Study 12: The Main Tabiya Deep — 11.h3 and the Better Endgame
• Rare Birds II: Owen's Defense & the ...b6 Systems
  Lines: Study 1: 3...f5?! and the Greco Mate, Study 2: 6...Bg7 — the Refutation, Finished Properly, Study 3: Declining with 4...Nf6 — a Pawn Is a Pawn, Study 4: 4...f5?! a Move Too Late, Study 5: 4...d5 — Trading into a Tempo Deficit, Study 6: No ...c5? Take c4 Too — the Full Clamp, Study 7: 3...Nf6 4.Qe2! — a French with a Dead Bishop, Study 8: 4...c5 5.c3 Nc6 — Met by 6.d5!, Study 9: 3...g6 — Two Bishops, Two Walls, Study 10: The Hippo — Crack the Shell with a4-a5!, Study 11: ...Ba6 Without ...Bb7 — Four Tempi for Nothing
• Rare Birds III: Nimzowitsch, St. George & the Oddities
  Lines: Study 1: Nimzowitsch with 2...d6 — Trade, Wreck, Collect, Study 2: 2...e5 — Congratulations, It's a Spanish, Study 4: 4...Qd6 — Hunted by 6.Nb5! and 7.d5!, Study 5: 6...Nb4?! — the Fork That Never Lands, Study 6: St. George Main Line — 5.a4! Hits First, Study 7: St. George with 5...b4 — the Center Answers the Flank, Study 8: 1...h6?! and ...g5 — h4! Cracks the Lunge, Study 9: 1...Nh6?! — the Knight With No Future, Study 10: 1...d6 2.d4 e5?! — the Endgame Grind, Study 11: 2...Nd7 — the f7 Massacre, Study 12: 1...c6 Without ...d5 — the Czech Squeeze
• Rare Birds IV: The Garbage Bin — Fred, Borg, Barnes & Friends
  Lines: Study 1: The Fred (1...f5?!) — Take, Then Take the Center, Study 2: The Fried Fox (2...Kf7??) — the King Hunt, Study 3: The Fred with 2...g6 — Open the Files, Not a Vein, Study 4: The Borg (1...g5??) — Grab the Pawn Cleanly, Study 5: The Borg with 2...h6 — the h4 Bind, Study 6: The Barnes (1...f6?!) and the Three-Move Mate, Study 7: The Sensible Barnes (2...e6) — the Honest Squeeze, Study 8: The Barnes King-Walk (2...Kf7??), Study 9: The Polish Push (1...b5?!) — Just Take It, Study 10: The Polish — Punishing 3...Bxe4??, Study 11: 1...a5?! — a Free Tempo, Banked

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — 1.e4.
• 1... e6 — 1...e6 — the French Defense: Black builds a pawn wall and plans to counter-punch in the center with ...d5.
• 2. d4 — 2.d4 — take the full center. The French invites you to have it; the argument is about whether you can keep it.
• 2... d5 — 2...d5 — the counter-thrust, attacking e4.
• 3. e5 — 3.e5 — the Advance Variation, your weapon against the French. Lock the center, claim a permanent space advantage, and note the prisoner on c8: Black's light-squared bishop is walled in behind its own pawns, often for the whole game. From here every plan is simple — hold d4, use the space.
• 3... c5 — 3...c5 — the standard counter: hit the pawn chain at its base.
• 4. c3 — 4.c3 — reinforce d4 with a pawn before pieces get committed. The entire Advance battle revolves around this square: Black will aim ...Nc6, ...Qb6 and a knight to f5 at it, and your job is to keep piling up defenders while the space advantage matures.
• 4... Nc6 — 4...Nc6 — first attacker.
• 5. Nf3 — 5.Nf3 — first defender, and a developing move. Never defend d4 with something that doesn't also improve your position.
• 5... Qb6 — 5...Qb6 — the main line: second attacker, also eyeing b2 to discourage Bc1-e3.
• 6. a3! — 6.a3 — the modern main move, and the backbone of this repertoire. It looks slow but does two big jobs: prepares 7.b4, grabbing queenside space and pushing the c5 pawn to declare itself, and takes the b4 square away from Black's pieces. Careless alternatives walk into d4 tricks — after 6.Bd3? cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7! the bishop blocks its own queen's defense of d4 and the pawn falls.
• 6... Nh6 — 6...Nh6 — headed for f5, the dream square: a third attacker of d4.
• 7. b4 — 7.b4 — the point of 6.a3: queenside space, and the c5 pawn must resolve the tension. If it ever takes on d4 you recapture with the c-pawn and the big center stands; meanwhile b4-b5 hitting the c6 knight is always in the air.
• 7... cxd4 — 7...cxd4 — releasing the tension before b5 and bxc5 gain even more ground.
• 8. cxd4 — 8.cxd4 — always this recapture: the c3 pawn's whole job was to regrow the chain. Count the centers — White has e5 and d4, Black has e6 and d5. That extra rank of space is permanent.
• 8... Nf5 — 8...Nf5 — the knight arrives. Third attacker on d4, alongside Nc6 and Qb6.
• 9. Bb2 — 9.Bb2 — the quiet defender. Through the empty c3 square the bishop guards d4 and sits on the long diagonal for the rest of the game. Now count d4: attacked by Nc6, Nf5 and Qb6 — defended by Nf3, Bb2, and the queen straight down the d-file. Three on three: it holds. Keeping that file clear is about to become the theme of the middlegame.
• 9... Bd7 — 9...Bd7 — connecting the rooks and preparing ...Rc8 on the open file.
• 10. Be2 — 10.Be2 — calm development toward castling, chosen precisely because it does NOT step onto the d-file: from e2 the bishop leaves the queen's defense of d4 intact.
• 10... Rc8 — 10...Rc8 — the rook takes the open c-file.
• 11. O-O — 11.O-O — king safe. Development is nearly done and d4 still stands; that means the opening has gone well.
• 11... Be7 — 11...Be7 — finishing kingside development, ready to castle.
• 12. Qd2 — 12.Qd2 — the move-order test of the whole line. The queen keeps guarding d4 down the file, connects the rooks, and frees d1 for a rook. The natural 12.Nbd2? fails the counting rule: it blocks the queen's defense of d4 and 12...Ncxd4! simply wins the pawn (13.Nxd4 Nxd4 and the b2 bishop is overworked). In this structure, check the defenders of d4 before every developing move.
• 12... O-O — 12...O-O.
• 13. Bd3 — 13.Bd3 — now this is safe (the queen covers d4 from d2) and it puts the question to Black's best piece: the f5 knight gets traded off, removing d4's most dangerous attacker. After Bxf5 White continues Nc3, Rac1 and plays against e6 with a comfortable space edge — a rich, balanced middlegame where the player with the clearer plan is you.

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