The Chess Openings Encyclopedia
A free, ad-free reference of named chess openings and variations: moves on an interactive board, ECO codes, and win rates from millions of Lichess games.
Browse all openings A–Z → Search by moves or name → Browse by ECO code →
Pick up where you left off
Most popular openings
The lines you have probably heard of — start here if you do not know where to look.
- B20 Sicilian Defense 2-ply
- C50 Italian Game 5-ply
- C60 Ruy Lopez 5-ply
- C00 French Defense 2-ply
- B10 Caro-Kann Defense 2-ply
- D30 Queen's Gambit Declined 4-ply
- D20 Queen's Gambit Accepted 4-ply
- E61 King's Indian Defense 5-ply
- E20 Nimzo-Indian Defense 6-ply
- A10 English Opening 1-ply
- A48 London System 5-ply
- B01 Scandinavian Defense 2-ply
Famous gambits
Sharp, sacrificial openings where one side gives up material for initiative.
How the openings are organised
Every opening here carries a code from the ECO system, which files chess openings into five volumes: A — flank openings such as the English and the Réti, plus the Dutch and the Benoni; B — semi-open games such as the Sicilian, the Caro-Kann and the Pirc; C — open games after 1.e4 e5, plus the French Defense; D — closed and semi-closed games after 1.d4 d5, such as the Queen's Gambit, plus the Grünfeld; E — Indian defenses such as the Catalan, the Nimzo-Indian and the King's Indian.
Names and move orders come from the Lichess chess-openings dataset: 3,690 named lines spread over almost all of the 500 ECO codes. Each opening page shows the moves on an interactive board, where the line sits in the opening tree, its sub-variations, and how it scores in Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 — so you can see how an opening actually does, not just how it starts.
Know the moves but not the name? Search by moves or by FEN. Want to practise? Every line can be played out against Stockfish at six strengths, right in your browser.