Rare & Offbeat Openings

A collection of unique, offbeat, and less common chess openings. While these lines appear less frequently in grandmaster play, they often hold significant surprise value and can catch opponents unprepared.

Amazon Attack

Amazon AttackD00

Ammonia Opening

Ammonia OpeningA00

Anderssen's Opening

Anderssen's OpeningA00Anderssen's Opening: Polish GambitA00

Anglo-Polish Dutch

Anglo-Polish DutchA10

Australian Defense

Australian DefenseA40

Barnes Defense

Barnes DefenseB00

Basque Opening

Basque OpeningA45

Bird's Opening

Bird's Opening, 1...e6A02Bird's Opening, From's Gambit/Fool's MateA02

Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (BDG)

Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (BDG): 2.e4 dxe4D00

Bongcloud Attack

Bongcloud AttackC20

Borg Gambit

Borg GambitA40

Borg Gambit Accepted

Borg Gambit Accepted, 2. Bxg5A40

Bucker Defense

Bucker Defense, PolishA00Bucker Defense, GrobA00

Canard Opening

Canard OpeningA45

Carr Defense

Carr DefenseB00Carr Defense: Zilbermints GambitB00

Center Game Accepted

Center Game AcceptedC21

Creepy Crawly Formation

Creepy Crawly Formation: Classical DefenseA00

Double Grob

Double Grob: Pepsi CountergambitA00

Double Whammy

Double Whammy, EnglishA20

Duras Gambit

Duras GambitB00

Dutch Leningrad

Dutch LeningradA81

Döry Defense

Döry DefenseA46

East Indian Defense

East Indian DefenseA48

English Opening - Symmetrical

English Opening - Symmetrical VariationA04

English Orangutan

English OrangutanA15

English Queen

English QueenA20

Englund Gambit Accepted

Englund Gambit AcceptedA40

Fried Fox Defense

Fried Fox DefenseB00

Glasscoe Gambit

Glasscoe Gambit, DunstA00

Global Opening

Global OpeningA00

Goldsmith Defense

Goldsmith DefenseB00

Grob Gambit

Grob Gambit: e5A00

Grob Gambit Accepted

Grob Gambit AcceptedA00

Grob's Attack

Grob's Attack, 1...b5!?A00Grob's AttackA00

Gunderam Defense

Gunderam DefenseC40

Hanham; Hayward

Hanham; HaywardA00

Hillbilly Attack

Hillbilly AttackB10

Hippopotamus Defense

Hippopotamus DefenseB00

Horwitz Defense

Horwitz DefenseA40Horwitz Defense: Zilbermints GambitA40

Indian Defence

Indian Defence, Knights VariationA46

Irregular Openings

Irregular Openings: Anderssen Opening, AndersspikeA00

John Tracy Gambit

John Tracy GambitA04

Kangaroo Defense

Kangaroo DefenseA40

King's Pawn Opening

King's Pawn OpeningC20

Lasker Simul Special

Lasker Simul SpecialA00

Lemming Defense

Lemming DefenseB00

Lisitsin Gambit

Lisitsin GambitA04

Marshall Defence

Marshall DefenceD06

Mexican Defense

Mexican DefenseA50

Mieses

Mieses: 1...d5A00

Montevideo Defense

Montevideo DefenseA40

O'Neill Gambit

O'Neill GambitB00

Old Indian Defence

Old Indian DefenceA53

Paleface Attack

Paleface AttackA45

Pirc Connection

Pirc Connection, Nimzovich DefenseB00

Pirc/Reti

Pirc/Reti: Wade DefenceB07

Polish Defense

Polish DefenseA40

Portuguese Opening

Portuguese OpeningC20

Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense

Pseudo Queen's Indian DefenseA47

Queen's Bongcloud

Queen's BongcloudD00

Queen's Gambit

Queen's GambitD06

Queen's Indian Accelerated

Queen's Indian AcceleratedA50

Reversed Grob (Borg/Basman Defence)

Reversed Grob (Borg/Basman Defence)B00

Saragossa Opening

Saragossa OpeningA00

Shirazi Shove

Shirazi ShoveA15

Sicilian Defence

Sicilian DefenceB27

Sicilian with 2.e5

Sicilian with 2.e5B20

Slav Indian

Slav IndianA50

Slow Sicilian

Slow SicilianB20

Symmetrical English

Symmetrical EnglishA15

The Basman Attack

The Basman AttackC20

Trompowsky 2...d6

Trompowsky 2...d6A45

Trompowsky 2...g6

Trompowsky 2...g6A45

Ueberlinger Gambit

Ueberlinger GambitA45

Valencia Opening

Valencia OpeningA00

Van 't Kruijs Opening

Van 't Kruijs OpeningA00

Wade Defense

Wade DefenseA41

Ware Defense

Ware DefenseB00Ware Defense: Snagglepuss DefenseB00

Zilbermints Gambit; Nakamura Gambit

Zilbermints Gambit; Nakamura Gambit, BenoniA43

Zukertort Defense

Zukertort Defense: Kingside VariationA04Zukertort Defense: Sicilian Knight VariationA04