Learn the The Open Games

C20-C99 · a repertoire for black · 9 chapters · 62 annotated lines

"A complete 1...e5 repertoire for Black — meet 1.e4 head-on and know every reply."

The Open Games are the oldest, richest way to answer 1.e4: you play 1...e5 and 2...Nc6, contest the center directly, and reach positions you understand rather than memorize. This course is a full, one-book repertoire for Black. Against the Ruy Lopez you build the rock-solid Closed Breyer; against the Italian you meet 3.Bc4 with 3...Bc5, sidestepping the Fried Liver entirely; and you get clean, engine-checked answers to the Scotch, the Four Knights, the Vienna, the Bishop's Opening, the King's Gambit, the Centre Game, the Ponziani, and every quiet third move. The guiding rule is consistency: keep Black's move order rigid, branch only on what White does, and the whole 1.e4 world collapses into a handful of familiar structures.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The Ruy Lopez — The Closed Breyer
  Lines: Building the Breyer Wall, Meeting the Central Thrust 9.d4, The Anti-Marshall 8.a4, The Worrall Attack — 6.Qe2, The Quiet Breyer — 10.d3, The Central Push — 9.d4 Bg4 10.d5
• Chapter 2: The Ruy Lopez — Exchange & Sidelines
  Lines: The Exchange Variation: The Bishop-Pair Endgame, The Exchange with 5.d4, The Quiet 5.d3 Anti-Marshall Sidelines, The Deferred Exchange — 6.Bxc6, The Exchange with 5.Nc3, The Modern d3 Ruy — 6.d3
• Chapter 3: The Italian Game — 3...Bc5
  Lines: The Giuoco Pianissimo & the ...Ne7-g6 Maneuver, Meeting White's d4 Break, The Main-Line 5.d4 and the ...d5 Equalizer, The Aggressive 5.d4 exd4 6.e5, The Pianissimo with 7.Bg5, The Main Line with 7.Nc3
• Chapter 4: The Evans Gambit & Italian Sidelines
  Lines: Declining the Evans Gambit with 4...Bb6, The Italian Four Knights — 4.Nc3, Evans Declined — the 5.c3 Buildup, The Italian Four Knights — 6.Bg5, The Italian Four Knights — 7.Bg5 After Castling
• Chapter 5: The Scotch Game
  Lines: The Classical Scotch — 4...Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6, The Scotch Exchange — 5.Nxc6 Qf6, The Scotch Gambit — Returning the Pawn with ...d3, The Göring Gambit — Declining with 4...d5, The Classical Scotch — 7.Qd2 and the ...d5 Break, The Classical Scotch — 7.g3 Fianchetto, The Scotch Exchange — 6.Qf3 and the c3 Trap
• Chapter 6: The Four Knights
  Lines: The Symmetrical Four Knights & the Metger Plan, The Scotch Four Knights — 4.d4, The Fork Trick — 4.Bc4 Nxe4!, The Glek System — 4.g3, The Belgrade Gambit — 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5, The Fork Trick Punished — 6.Bxd5
• Chapter 7: The Vienna & Bishop's Opening
  Lines: The Vienna: Answering 3.Bc4 with 3...Nxe4!, The Frankenstein-Dracula: Meeting 4.Qh5, The Vienna Gambit — 3.f4 d5!, The Bishop's Opening — 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6, The Bishop's Opening with 4.Nc3
• Chapter 8: The King's Gambit & Centre Game
  Lines: The King's Gambit Declined — 2...Bc5, The King's Gambit — White's Hanstein Setup 5.g3, The Centre Game — 4.Qe3 with ...Bb4, The Centre Game — the ...Nxe4! Shot, The Danish Gambit — Declining with 3...d5, The King's Gambit with 4.c3
• Chapter 9: The Ponziani, Quiet Lines & Strategy
  Lines: The Ponziani — 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4, The Quiet Ponziani — 3.c3 Nf6 4.d3, Quiet Lines — 3.d3 & the Fianchetto, The Konstantinopolsky — 3.g3

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — The King's Pawn. You will meet it the classical way, fighting for the center from move one.
• 1... e5 — 1...e5 — the Open Games. You stake an equal claim to the center and refuse to be pushed around.
• 2. Nf3 — White develops and attacks e5.
• 2... Nc6 — The backbone of your whole repertoire: defend e5 and develop. From here White's third move decides everything.
• 3. Bb5 — The Ruy Lopez — White pins pressure on the knight that guards e5.
• 3... a6 — The Morphy move. Question the bishop at once: it must decide between capturing on c6 or retreating.
• 4. Ba4 — White keeps the bishop on the a4-e8 diagonal, maintaining the annoying pin.
• 4... Nf6 — You attack e4 in return and continue developing. Note the pin isn't real yet — ...b5 can always break it.
• 5. O-O — White castles. The greedy 5.Nxe5?? fails to 5...Nxe4! and Black regains the piece with a great game.
• 5... Be7 — Quiet, flexible development. The bishop unpins nothing yet but readies castling and keeps every plan open.
• 6. Re1 — White defends e4 and clears f1 for future regrouping. Now e5 is genuinely threatened (Bxc6 then Nxe5).
• 6... b5 — You gain a tempo on the bishop and take the sting out of any Bxc6 ideas — e5 is safe.
• 7. Bb3 — The bishop drops back to its best diagonal, eyeing the f7 square and the center.
• 7... d6 — The Closed Ruy. You reinforce e5 solidly and prepare to complete development behind a firm pawn chain.
• 8. c3 — White prepares d4, the thematic central break, and makes a retreat square on c2 for the bishop.
• 8... O-O — You castle into safety. The main tabiya is set; now comes the famous Breyer regrouping.
• 9. h3 — White stops any ...Bg4 pin before playing d4 — the standard prophylaxis of the Closed Ruy.
• 9... Nb8 — The Breyer! It looks bizarre, but the knight was doing little on c6. It heads for d7, where it supports e5, unblocks the c-pawn, and frees the b7 bishop's diagonal.
• 10. d4 — White finally plays the central break, gaining space and pressuring e5.
• 10... Nbd7 — The knight completes its journey to d7. Your center is elastic and every piece has a job.
• 11. Nbd2 — White reroutes his own knight toward f1-g3, mirroring your maneuvering game.
• 11... Bb7 — The point of ...Nb8: the bishop rakes the long diagonal, adding a second attacker to e4.
• 12. Bc2 — White tucks the bishop behind the e4 pawn, keeping the b1-h7 diagonal for a future kingside build-up.
• 12... Re8 — You put the rook on the half-open e-file and vacate f8, preparing the key regrouping ...Bf8.
• 13. Nf1 — White's knight continues to g3 via f1, a classic Ruy maneuver.
• 13... Bf8 — The bishop returns home — but on f8 it defends the kingside beautifully and supports the coming ...g6/...Bg7 fianchetto.
• 14. Ng3 — White's knight reaches g3, eyeing f5 and h5.
• 14... g6 — The wall is complete. ...Bg7 will follow, your king is snug, and you have a resilient, flexible position where Black has scored superbly for a century. The plan is ...c5 to hit the center when the moment is right.

Learn the The Open Games — start your 7-day free trial →