Chess Openings on Mainline

Mainline trains 29 chess opening families, each broken into bite-size modules you drill move by move. Choose a repertoire and master it line by line, with plain-English explanations of every move.

• Danish Gambit: Trade pawns for open lines and quick development. Get your bishops active, then attack before Black catches up.
• Englund Gambit: Offer a pawn to develop quickly and create threats with your queen and bishop. If White avoids the traps, finish developing.
• Vienna Gambit: Develop your knight, then challenge Black’s central pawn. Use the space and open lines to bring your pieces into an attack.
• Traxler Counterattack: White attacks your weak pawn beside the king. Use your bishop and knight to create threats against White’s king before taking material.
• Stafford Gambit: Trade a knight and offer a pawn for active pieces. Aim your bishop and queen at White’s king, watching for defensive replies.
• Scotch Game: Challenge Black’s central pawn early. Bring your pieces into the open center, and answer attacks on your knight as you develop.
• King's Gambit: Draw Black’s central pawn aside so you can build a strong center. Develop quickly while taking care of your exposed king.
• Scandinavian Defense: Trade your central pawn for White’s. Recover the pawn, then develop while keeping your queen out of attacks.
• Fried Liver Attack: Aim your bishop and knight at Black’s weak pawn. If Black allows a sacrifice, use checks to keep the king exposed.
• London System: Develop your bishop before closing its path with pawns. Support the center, then prepare a central push or an attack on the king.
• Jobava London: Support your central pawn with active pieces. Look for a knight jump that attacks the queenside, while keeping your center strong.
• Queen's Gambit: Attack Black’s central pawn so your pieces can use more space. Develop, recover an offered pawn when useful, and prepare your next central push.
• Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening): Put pressure on Black’s central pawn by attacking its defender. Castle, support your own center, and prepare to advance it.
• Italian Game: Aim your bishop at Black’s weak pawn beside the king. Develop your knights, castle, and prepare a central pawn push.
• Vienna Game: Develop your knight to protect the central pawn. Bring out your bishop, then choose between expanding the center and attacking on the kingside.
• Ponziani Opening: Support a central pawn push before bringing out your bishop. Build space for your pieces while answering Black’s attacks on the center.
• Alapin Sicilian: Prepare to recapture toward the center with a pawn. Use that central space to develop, and respond to Black’s early counterattack.
• Bishop's Opening: Develop your bishop toward Black’s weak pawn. Support the center, then decide how to develop your knights and protect your king.
• English Opening: Use a side pawn and active pieces to control central squares. Choose your central pawn push after seeing how Black develops.
• Sicilian Defense: Challenge White’s center from the side. Develop your pieces, protect your king, and look for counterplay through the center or queenside.
• Caro-Kann Defense: Prepare a supported central pawn push. Bring out your light-squared bishop when possible, then challenge White’s space with pawn breaks.
• Rousseau Gambit: Offer a pawn against White’s bishop setup. Use active pieces and central pressure to attack, while watching the weaknesses around your own king.
• King's Indian Defense: Let White build the center while you develop and castle. Challenge those pawns, then choose your attack based on how the center changes.
• French Defense: Build a solid central pawn chain, then attack White’s central pawns from the side. Find an active role for your blocked bishop.
• Petrov Defense: Develop your knight to attack White’s central pawn. Recover material in the right order, then develop behind a balanced center.
• Albin Countergambit: Offer a pawn, then advance in the center. That pawn limits White’s pieces and can help create threats before White finishes developing.
• Counter the Vienna Gambit: Meet White’s pawn offer with central play. Attack the center before White can turn extra space and open lines into a kingside attack.
• Budapest Gambit: Let White take a center pawn. Your knight jumps forward, your bishops come out quickly, and careless White moves can walk into traps.
• Latvian Gambit: Offer a pawn to open lines and attack White’s center. Develop quickly, but watch for checks against your weakened king.