The Most Important Modern Chess Openings To Know
The rules of chess may have barely changed in over 500 years, but the game is still constantly evolving. This is especially true when it comes to chess openings, especially modern chess openings.
Some openings decline in popularity, while others rise to take their place.
For example, during the “Romantic Era” of chess in the 19th century, the King’s Gambit was the opening of choice among the top players - whereas today, it is hardly ever seen at the highest level.
Conversely, hypermodern openings such as the King’s Indian Defense only really took off in the second half of the 20th century, and were much rarer before that.
It is important for the serious chess player to stay on top of which modern chess openings are in vogue.
There are two reasons for this:
- You may want to play the newly popular opening yourself.
- Even if you don’t, you will still inevitably come across the trending opening on the opposing side, and will therefore need to learn how to play against it.
In this article, we cover several of the most vital modern chess openings that you need to know about!
Jobava London System
Probably the most fashionable opening in all of chess right now is the London System.
The London System is an attractive opening for White because it does not require learning a lot of opening theory. Against almost all setups that Black can play, the moves for White are the same: Starting with 1. d4, and with the dark-squared bishop coming to f4 - the London System offers an easy way for White to develop their pieces to decent squares and enter a playable middlegame.
For this reason, many players who are new to chess adopt the London System when playing with the White pieces. But the London System is not just a “beginners” opening - it also has dedicated adherents at club level, among titled players, and even at the elite grandmaster level.
Related: Attacking with the Jobava London System .
Jobava Variation
Within the London System, there is a particularly topical variation known as “Jobava London System”, named after the imaginative Georgian grandmaster Baadur Jobava.
The key difference between the London System Main Line and the Jobava London is the placement of the queenside knight. In the Jobava London System, it develops to c3, and has the idea of pushing e4 at some moment if Black does not adequately prevent it.
An example Jobava London System position, where White has just played 3. Nc3.
Unlike the quieter London System Main Line, the Jobava London has very aggressive intentions. White may castle queenside (or not castle at all), push h4 -> h5, and attempt to steamroll Black’s kingside with an early pawn storm.
An example Jobava London System continuation.
Although Baidur Jobava was not the first to play the variation which now bears his name, he is credited with popularizing it - successfully employing it against elite opposition, including Veselin Topalov and Ruslan Ponomariov.
Another Jobava London System expert is grandmaster Simon Williams, who has released this book on the opening - available from the USCF store.
Whether you want to try playing the Jobava London with White, or need to devise countermeasures against it with Black, this book is one of the best investments you can make in learning one of today’s most important modern chess openings.
Related: Foxy Openings - The Jabava London - IM Andrew Martin.
Carlsen Variation (Sicilian)
Magnus Carlsen has achieved it all in chess.
He is the highest-rated player of all time, a five-time classical World Chess Champion, and he has countless elite tournament victories to his name.
Yet another accolade to add to Carlsen’s sparkling CV is: a chess opening name. He first played it in 2018. It is extremely difficult to find a genuinely new opening system in the 21st century, with the first few moves of chess having already been so extensively explored in the preceding centuries - but somehow, Magnus Carlsen uncovered it.
The Magnus Carlsen Variation
The Carlsen Variation is a way for White to play against the Sicilian Defense. It starts with 1. e4 c5, 2. Nc3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4.
Bringing the queen out to d4 gives Black a free developing tempo with the natural 4. …Nc6 - but for White, it’s all part of the plan. The queen calmly retreats back with 5. Qd2. After some normal moves, we get to see the setup White is going for - with a queenside fianchetto of the dark-squared bishop, and long castling to follow.
An example Carlsen Variation continuation.
At the very least, the Carlsen Variation will take Black out of their comfort zone. Serious Sicilian players memorize opening variations over a dozen moves deep in their main lines - but against this fresh opening system, they will have to start thinking a lot earlier in the game than they had bargained for.
Once White castles queenside, Black will probably try to launch a pawn storm - but this is easier said than done! If Black plays a5, then White can simply stop that pawn in its tracks with a4. Meanwhile, White’s dark-squared bishop on b2 points menacingly at the Black kingside. Especially if Black goes for a fianchetto setup of their own with g6 and Bg7, White’s kingside attack tends to be easier to carry out than Black’s attempts to do the same on the queenside.
The best book on the Carlsen Variation is authored by the Danish opening theoretician Carsten Hansen - available from the USCF store.
Written from the White perspective, this book is also essential reading for those who play the Sicilian with Black. Be prepared for this dangerous (and increasingly popular) anti-Sicilian modern chess opening!
Related: Endgame Virtuoso Magnus Carlsen.
Stafford Gambit
Petrov’s Defense begins with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6.
Fabiano Caruana used Petrov’s Defense to excellent effect in his 2018 World Championship match against Magnus Carlsen. In classical chess, Carlsen was unable to win any games with the White pieces against Caruana’s rock-solid Petrov.
Normally, White continues by capturing with 3. Nxe5 - whereupon Black’s most common move is 3. …d6 to kick the White knight away, followed by 4. …Nxe4 to regain the pawn and arrive at a symmetrical pawn structure.
Switching to the Stafford Gambit
However, if Black instead plays 3. Nc6!?, then everything changes. This is the Stafford Gambit - one of the most tricky, trappy openings in all of chess.
The starting position of the Stafford Gambit.
If White accepts the gambit with 4. Nxc6, then Black will recapture dxc6, thereby gaining open lines to quickly and aggressively develop their pieces. Bc5 creates pressure against f2, especially when combined with a possible Ng5. Black may also play h5 -> h4 to turn up the heat against White’s kingside.
Further ideas for Black in the Stafford Gambit.
The Stafford Gambit is actually a rather old opening. It is named after Joseph Stafford who played it in a correspondence game in 1950. However, it can still be considered a “modern chess opening”. Because it has exploded in popularity over the last few years. This is, thanks largely to the efforts of the popular chess streamer Eric Rosen. He has used the Stafford Gambit is a major weapon, especially in online blitz and bullet chess.
Objectively, the Stafford Gambit is dubious - so you won’t find many grandmaster games featuring it under classical time controls. The computer engine will often evaluate Stafford Gambit positions strongly in White’s favor. However, there are many chances for White to go wrong - and human players do not play perfect chess.
Click here to learn some of the most important Stafford Gambit traps!
The danger posed in the Stafford Gambit. Combined with its increase in popularity, justifies the 1. e4 King’s Pawn Opening player studying the Stafford Gambit carefull. Lest they become yet another victim of this tricky opening!
What’s Next?
This article has covered a selection of the modern chess openings which are fashionable today. But there are many other openings which deserve your attention.
For example, there are timeless openings such as the Ruy Lopez, or the Sicilian Alapin Variation which are unlikely to ever go out of fashion. The complete chess player must study these too!
To learn more about about the opening phase of the game, check out our articles on: