chess openings, one setup per page
Twenty-seven setups that give a beginner a real repertoire: the three aims every opening serves, the Italian Game and London System as your first White setups, the Ruy Lopez and Scotch when you want more, the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4, the Caro-Kann, French and Sicilian against 1.e4, the system openings, the Fried Liver and Blackburne Shilling traps to know, and the habits that keep a repertoire small.
A diagram, the moves, and one thing to try this week. That's a page.
chess openings, one setup per page
Twenty-seven setups that give a beginner a real repertoire: the three aims every opening serves, the Italian Game and London System as your first White setups, the Ruy Lopez and Scotch when you want more, the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4, the Caro-Kann, French and Sicilian against 1.e4, the system openings, the Fried Liver and Blackburne Shilling traps to know, and the habits that keep a repertoire small.
Set in Space Grotesk, Inter and JetBrains Mono (SIL Open Font License).
Every opening fact in this book is as the cited source states it, fetched and read during this build: the Wikipedia articles on the Italian Game, London System, Ruy Lopez, Queen's Gambit, Queen's Gambit Declined, Caro-Kann Defence, French Defence, Sicilian Defence, Scotch Game, Pirc Defence, King's Indian Defence, Fried Liver Attack, Blackburne Shilling Gambit and Chess opening. Demand evidence from live beginner threads, reconfirmed at dispatch; no facts are sourced from Reddit, YouTube or trainer blogs. An independent guide, not affiliated with Wikipedia or any chess federation.
Your purchase is for personal use only. You do not have redistribution rights: please do not share, resell, or republish this book or its pages.
© 2026 Steve Hodgkiss. All rights reserved. Personal use only; no redistribution rights.
Edition 1.0 · stevehodgkiss.net
Contents
Per Wikipedia's Chess opening article: the opening is the initial stage of a chess game, the other phases being the middlegame and the endgame; the Oxford Companion to Chess lists 1,327 named openings and variations; standard moves are called book moves.
What openings are for
Per Wikipedia's Chess opening article, the opening is the initial stage of a chess game; the middlegame and endgame follow it. The first phase even has its own literature: the Oxford Companion to Chess lists 1,327 named openings and variations.
Opening moves that are considered standard are called book moves. Nobody memorizes all 1,327 lines. A beginner needs a handful of standard starts, and this book builds exactly that: a small repertoire, one setup per page.
This week, play three games and notice when the opening ends for you: the first move you make without a familiar reason.
Per Wikipedia's Italian Game article: the Italian Game begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4; ECO C50-C59; the bishop on c4 attacks Black's pawn on f7, protected only by the king; usually met by 3...Bc5 (Giuoco Piano) or 3...Nf6 (Two Knights Defense); frequently taught to beginners; developed in the 16th century.
The Italian Game
The Italian Game is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, and it is the classic first setup for White: Wikipedia notes it is frequently taught to beginners and dates to the 16th century.
Every move does a job: the e-pawn takes a center square, the knight develops toward the center, and the Italian bishop aims at f7, a square protected only by the king. That pressure is the whole spirit of the setup.
This week, open every game as White with 1.e4, meet 1...e5 with 2.Nf3 and 3.Bc4, and castle as soon as it is safe.
Per Wikipedia's Queen's Gambit Declined article: the QGD begins 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6; instead of taking the pawn, Black defends the d-pawn with 2...e6; the most common continuation is 3.Nc3 Nf6; ECO D30-D69.
The declined answer
The Queen's Gambit Declined is 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6: instead of taking, Black defends the d-pawn with 2...e6. The most common continuation is 3.Nc3 Nf6, developing as usual.
As a first answer to 1.d4 it is ideal: solid squares, natural development, and one prepared move covers the whole family. When in doubt as Black against 1.d4, this page is your answer.
This week, answer every 1.d4 with 1...d5 and 2...e6. Notice how rarely you regret it.
Per Wikipedia's Caro-Kann Defence article: the Caro-Kann begins 1.e4 c6; Black prepares to contest the center with 2...d5; a common defence against 1.e4; considered a positional opening; classified as a Semi-Open Game like the Sicilian and French, though thought more solid and less dynamic than the Sicilian; ECO B10-B19.
Answer 1.e4 Caro
The Caro-Kann Defence is 1.e4 c6, preparing to contest the center with 2...d5. Wikipedia calls it a positional opening, more solid and less dynamic than the Sicilian.
Structurally it is the French's calmer cousin: the c-pawn steps aside one square instead of blocking the bishop, so no piece is stuck behind the pawn chain. If you want your first answer to 1.e4 to be sturdy, this is the one.
This week, answer 1.e4 with 1...c6 in every game and follow with ...d5. Count how often you reach a structure you recognize.
Per Wikipedia's Blackburne Shilling Gambit article: the gambit begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4; after the natural 4.Nxe5, Black wins material with 4...Qg5; the obvious 5.Nxf7 loses to 5...Qxg2, for example 6.Rf1 Qxe4+ 7.Be2 Nf3#, a smothered mate; ECO C50; named after Joseph Henry Blackburne, who reputedly won one shilling per game from cafe visitors.
The shilling trap
In the Italian position, Black plays 3...Nd4, the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, so named because Joseph Henry Blackburne reputedly won a shilling a game from cafe visitors with it.
The bait: 4.Nxe5? looks like a free pawn, but 4...Qg5! attacks knight, g2 and e4 at once. After 5.Nxf7? Qxg2, everything falls: the classic finish is 7...Nf3#, a smothered mate. If you play the Italian as White, this trap is aimed at you.
This week, set the trap's first four moves up on a board and play the punishment line once as Black. Once seen, 4.Nxe5 never tempts you again.
Habit framing consistent with Wikipedia's Chess opening article (opening repertoires are prepared and revisited; book moves and out-of-book deviations are constant); the weekly loop itself is this book's plan, not a source claim.
One loop to keep
The whole book in one loop: play a few games, look up your surprises, note what cost you, play again. Twenty-four setups are inside it, and the loop keeps them alive.
Keep the repertoire small and the loop weekly. Small and alive beats wide and abandoned every single time.
This week, close the loop once: play, look up two surprises, write one sentence about what cost you a game. That sentence is next week's edge.