Chess Drills
Chess openings for intermediate players
Once the basic principles are in your fingers, it is time to build a real repertoire. This page has two kinds of openings: solid systems you can play for years, and attacking openings where you give a pawn for the initiative.
This is also the level where opening knowledge starts to win points. If you know the critical lines and your opponent doesn't, you can be clearly better before move fifteen.
A taste of the Scotch Gambit
A typical example of why these openings score so well: after 5.c3 the greedy 5...dxc3? runs into 6.Bxf7+! Kxf7 7.Qd5+ and 8.Qxc5, and White wins a piece. One natural move and Black is already lost. Read the full Scotch Gambit guide for the main lines.
A repertoire to start with
Attack with White
After 1.e4 e5, the Scotch Gambit and the Vienna give you quick attacks. With 1.d4, the Queen's Gambit gives you lasting pressure on Black's centre.
Solid choices
Prefer calm, healthy positions? The London System with White, the Caro-Kann against 1.e4 and the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4 will serve you for years.
Fight back with Black
The Sicilian is the most combative answer to 1.e4; the French is more strategic, with a solid pawn chain and counterattacks against White's centre.
A surprise weapon
The Stafford Gambit is dubious against perfect play, but full of traps in fast games. Fun to have in your pocket, not to rely on.
All intermediate openings
You play white
You play black
Questions
When should I move on from beginner openings?
When you develop and castle without thinking about it, and you lose games in the middlegame rather than in the opening. Then sharper openings like the Scotch Gambit or the Sicilian start to pay off.
Are gambits good for intermediate players?
Yes, sound gambits like the Queen's Gambit and the Scotch Gambit teach you to value development and the initiative over a single pawn. Be careful with dubious ones: against a prepared opponent they can backfire.
Do I need to drop my beginner openings?
No. The Italian and the Ruy Lopez are played at the very top. You can keep them and add one new opening next to them.
Other levels
Pick a few openings from this page and drill them with spaced repetition: a few minutes a day, and the moves stick.