Tactical Openings
If you like tactical play, and positional play not so much, what are the fast-paced openings to choose? Where are all the lines with tactical combinations?
Tactical Openings for White include:
- King pawn openings (1.e4)
Tactical Openings for White in the King Pawn Games “1.e4 e5” lines:
- King’s Gambit
- Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit
- Danish Gambit
- Goring Gambit
- Delayed Center Game
- Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Belgrade Gambit
- Bishop’s Opening: Urusov Gambit, Scotch Gambit
- Giuoco Piano: Evan’s Gambit, Italian Gambit, Max Lange Gambit
- Two Knight’s Defence: Perreux Variation, Lolli Attack
- Anti-Petrov: anti-Petrov gambit (Boden-Kieseritsky Gambit), Fried Liver Attack
- Belgrade Gambit
- Italian Gambit
- Max Lange Gambit
Tactical Openings for White in the Semi-Open Defences against e4:
- Anti-Sicilian openings: c3 Sicilian, Smith-Morra Gambit, delayed c3 Sicilian, Wing gambit, deferred Wing Gambit, Grand Prix Attack, etc.
- Anti-Caro Kann: Panov Botvinnik Attack
- Anti-French: Advance French; Milner-Barry Gambit
- Anti-Pirc: Austrian Attack, Four Pawns Attack
- Anti-Alekhine’s: Four Pawns Attack Alekhine’s Defence
Tactical Openings for White in “1.d4” lines:
- Nc3 Attack (2.Nc3 instead of 2.c4)
- Bg5 Attack
- Trompowski / Hodgson Attack
- Torre Attack
- Veresov Attack
- Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
- Delayed c4 Lines for White
- London Attack (Bf4 attack)
Tactical Openings for White against Indian Defences or Semi-Open Queen Pawn Defences:
- Anti-Indian: delayed c4 lines
- Anti-Dutch: Staunton Gambit
- Anti-Benoni: four pawns attack Benoni, Taimanov Benoni
Tactical Openings for Black against “1.e4”:
- Sicilian Defence (Nadjorf Defence, Dragon, Pelikan, Lowenthal, etc.)
- Scandinavian Defence (Center Counter) (1..d5): Center Counter Nf6 lines, Portuguese Variation
- Pirc Defence (1..d6)
- Modern Defence (1..g6)
- Nimzowich Defence (1..Nc6)
- Owen’s Defence (1..b6)
- Franco-Benoni (1..e6 and 2..c5)
- Less sound: Baker’s Defence, Balogh’s Defence
See also “Black against e4”.
Tactical Openings for Black in the Queen Pawn games (“1.d4 d5”):
- Albin Counter Gambit
- Tarrasch Defence (c5)
- Semi-Tarrasch (c5 and Nxd5)
- Chigorin Defence (Nc6)
Tactical Openings for Black with Nf6 against “1.d4” include:
Other Tactical Openings against “d4” (excluding Nf6 and d5 lines):
- Dutch Defence (1..f5)
- Englund Gambit (1..e5)
- Modern Defence (1..g6)
- Old Benoni (Accelerated Benoni) (1..c5)
- Franco-Benoni (1..e6 and 2..c5)
- Unusual or less sound: Franco-Indian, Balogh’s Defence
See also “Black against d4”.
Related Chess Openings Topics
Read more about these related chess openings, strategies, chess puzzles, and other chess topics: