The 5 Best Chess Openings For White

When considering the best chess openings for White, it all begins with move 1. But What should your first move be?

It is a matter of taste, of course. Most players have a favorite. 1. e4 and 1. d4 are more-or-less equally popular, and we have written before about the pros and cons of each.

In this article, we are going to cover a repertoire based on the King’s Pawn Opening: 1. e4.

Images from chess.com and pixabay.com

Former world champion Bobby Fischer once called 1. e4 “best by test”. More recently the popular streamer and world-class player GM Hikaru Nakamura endorsed 1. e4 as the best choice for White for players at most levels. The King’s Pawn Opening leads to fast and easy piece development, and tends to result in more open positions.

While this means that the recommendations contained in this article are not going to suit the committed 1. d4 player, it does mean that we can be a bit more comprehensive and provide recommendations for 90%+ of the setups that Black can play against 1. e4.

Of course, we cannot cover all the minor opening systems and odd gambits your opponent may attempt - but still, once you have finished reading, we believe you will be equipped against most of the serious options Black can try.

In making our selections, we emphasized the chess openings for White that put Black to the greatest test. As in - those which are most difficult for Black to play against.

Without further ado, let’s get into the 5 best chess openings for White!

Against The Symmetrical King’s Pawn Opening: The Ruy Lopez

Let’s start with the Symmetrical King’s Pawn Opening: 1. …e5.

After the most natural moves by both players (2. Nf3, Nc6) White has an important choice on their 3rd move:

  • 3. d4 - The Scotch Game
  • 3. Bc4 - The Italian Game
  • 3. Nc3 - The Three Knights Game

But by far the most popular way for White to continue is 3. Bb5 - The Ruy Lopez. 

This is especially true at the top level. In elite events such as the Candidates Tournament and the World Chess Championship, the Ruy Lopez always features prominently. 

Related: A Repertoire for White in the Ruy Lopez 

The best players in the world favor this way of playing for good reason. The venerable Ruy Lopez scores better for White than any of the 3rd move alternatives.

As one of the oldest and most respected chess openings, The Ruy Lopez contains a deep well of opening theory. Generally speaking, Black looks to expand on the queenside with moves like a6 and b5, while White castles kingside and tries to create pressure in the center.

Ruy Lopez games tend to be rather positional in nature. The winner is usually the player able to accumulate small advantages over time. With White’s natural first-move initiative, White almost always gets a good game - making it undoubtedly one of the best chess openings for White. 

To learn more, check out Caruana’s Ruy Lopez - available from the USCF store.

Against The Sicilian Defense: The Open Sicilian

Up next is the Sicilian Defense. 1. …c5 is similar in popularity to 1. …e5, but tends to lead to sharper, more dynamic games.

For the White player who doesn’t want to learn a lot of opening theory, there are many so-called “Anti-Sicilians”, including:

  • 2. c3 - the Alapin Variation
  • 2. Nc3 - The Closed Sicilian
  • 2. d4 and then 3. c3 - the Smith-Morra Gambit
  • Setups with f4 - The Grand Prix Attack

The trouble with all of these is that, against a well-prepared Sicilian player, none of the Anti-Sicilians offer much hope of White gaining a serious advantage out of the opening. 

When starting the game with an Anti-Sicilian, White has fewer critical moves to learn. But the cost is high - their first-mover advantage can quickly be nullified by their opponent. Black smoothly equalizes, and in many cases is even slightly better.

Related: Modernized - The Open Sicilian

So, the best way for White to meet the Sicilian Defense is to rise to the challenge and play the Open Sicilian, starting with 2. Nf3 and 3. d4.

Black has many options on move 2: they can play e6, d6, Nc6, g6 or even a6. But against almost all of them, White’s third move should be the same: d4. Black will almost certainly capture with 3. …cxd4, and after White recaptures 4. Nxd4, we get the typical Sicilian pawn structure, where Black has an extra pawn in the center while White enjoys a lead in development with their centralized knight on d4.

Playing this way is definitely going to require learning some opening theory - but objectively speaking, the Open Sicilian is the best chess opening for White to play for a win against 1. …c5. We recommend the book Dismantling The Sicilian - available from the USCF store. In it, you will find a comprehensive repertoire based on the Open Sicilian.

Against The French Defense: The Tarrasch Variation

The French Defense (1. …e6) prepares the 2. …d5 pawn advance. Though relatively rare at the elite level, the French is a frequent guest among club players. If you are going to play the King’s Pawn Opening, you need to be prepared for it.

After 1. e4 e5, 2. d4 d5, we recommend the Tarrasch Defense: 3. Nd2.

This strange-looking square for the knight has a point to it. When Black invariably pushes c5 to attack the White center, White is able to play c3 - defending the d4 pawn with a pawn rather than a piece. This would not be the case if White had instead played the more natural-looking 3. Nc3. This detail tends to lead to more rational positions.

Related: The Tarrasch Variation

The harmonious Tarrasch setup is easier to learn than most of White’s alternative ways of playing against the French, while still being very challenging for Black to play against. In most lines, White should play moves that put the Black kingside under serious pressure. Check out our article on the Greek Gift Sacrifice for further attacking ideas against the French.

Against The Caro-Kann: The Advance Variation

The little move 1. …c6 has many dedicated fans. By playing the Caro-Kann, Black hopes for a solid start to the game while preparing the 2. …d5 advance, and without blocking in their light-squared bishop.

The downside of the Caro-Kann is that Black often finds themselves down a tempo, because Black’s necessary c5 pawn advance is played in two moves (c7 -> c6, then c6 -> c5) rather than in one move (c7 -> c5 directly).

Related: Fighting Against the Caro-Kann with the Advance Variation

The Advance Variation (3. e5) looks to expose the problems with Black’s lag in development. With 3. e5, White takes more central space, and makes the f6 square unavailable for Black to develop their kingside knight. In his video series on chess.com teaching the Caro-Kann for Black, GM Sam Shankland called the Advance Variation the most critical test against the Caro-Kann - a ringing endorsement for what the player with the White pieces should look to play!

Alexey Dreev’s book Attacking the Caro-Kann (available in the USCF store) is an excellent resource for those wanting to learn more about this challenging way of meeting 1. …c6.

Against Pirc / Modern Setups: The Austrian Attack

For our last entry on the best chess openings for White, we will cover what to do if Black tries to stay flexible with moves like d6 and g6 in some order, combined with a kingside fianchetto. These are the hallmarks of the Pirc / Modern setups.

Related: E-DVD FOXY OPENINGS - Vol 124 - The Dynamic Pirc Defence - The Austrian Attack

White’s most testing approach when playing against the Pirc / Modern is to emphasize their space advantage by using f4 to support the e5 pawn break - the advance that Black was seeking to prevent when they played d6 earlier. But by playing f4, White effectively “insists” on playing e5. This is the “Austrian Attack”.

An example move order to reach the diagramed position could be:

1. e4 d6, 2. d4 Nf6, 3. Nc3 g6, 4. f4 Bg7, 5. Nf3 0-0, 6. e5

Although it may look risky for White to be so aggressive before finishing their own development, in actuality Black is the one placed under greater immediate pressure. After e5 is played, Black’s knight has to move away from f6 to a less optimal square. Additionally, Black’s dark-squared bishop now lacks scope with the White pawn chain on d4 and e5 blocking its way.

White has many interesting ways of playing in the Austrian Attack. It is possible to castle queenside in some variations, and launch an aggressive kingside pawn storm. If Black isn’t careful, they can quickly find themselves wiped off the board.

Final Thoughts On The Best Chess Openings For White

When beginning the game with the White pieces, you should always be trying for an advantage out of the opening. As White - you are the boss! But to avoid Black from equalizing, it is often necessary to take risks and to learn the opening theory.

Of course, there are other opening systems that the King’s Pawn Opening player needs to learn to face. These include: 

For these, we recommend you select a great chess book using our articles on the best chess books for intermediate chess players and best chess books for advanced chess players.

Study hard, have fun, and all the best getting the scoresheet to read: 1-0.