Theoria

Aggressive chess openings for White

These openings take the initiative early, often for a pawn. They aim for quick development, open lines toward the black king and positions where a single inaccuracy is punished. Against perfect defense most are less sound than the main lines, but they are hard to meet over the board, and they teach attacking chess better than anything else.

Attacking openings for White

  1. King's Gambit

    1. e4 e5 2. f4

    2. f4 offers a pawn to deflect Black’s e-pawn and open the f-file. The romantic era’s favorite is still a dangerous surprise.

    660k games · White scores 53%52%45%

  2. Italian Game: Evans Gambit

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4

    4. b4 gives a pawn to gain time for c3 and d4. White gets a big center and fast development against the Italian’s ...Bc5.

    40k games · White scores 54%53%44%

  3. Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit

    1. e4 c5 2. d4

    After 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3, White offers a pawn for rapid development and open files. A popular way to avoid the Sicilian’s main lines.

    434k games · White scores 51%49%47%

  4. Danish Gambit

    1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3

    White can give two pawns for a large lead in development and two bishops raking the board toward Black’s king.

    153k games · White scores 56%54%43%

  5. Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4

    4. Bc4 develops instead of recapturing on d4, aiming straight at f7. It often transposes to sharp lines of the Two Knights Defense.

    171k games · White scores 55%54%43%

  6. Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit

    1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4

    f4 strikes at e5 with the knight already on c3. Aggressive, and sounder than the King’s Gambit.

    87k games · White scores 58%56%41%

  7. Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7

    Nxf7 sacrifices a knight to drag Black’s king into the open. Dangerous enough that Black usually avoids 5...Nxd5 altogether.

    31k games · White scores 69%68%29%

  8. Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

    1. d4 d5 2. e4

    After 1. d4 d5 2. e4, White gives a pawn for an open f-file and a kingside attack. One of the few real attacking tries after 1. d4.

    268k games · White scores 52%51%46%

  9. Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack

    1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4

    Nc3 and f4 against the Sicilian, heading for a direct kingside attack with f5 and the queen swinging over to h4.

    52k games · White scores 52%50%46%

Pick your openings, and Theoria turns them into one repertoire you can see as a tree and train move by move with spaced repetition. Free on the web, iOS and Android.

Build your repertoire

More opening guides