Don Chess

Opening trainer: learn chess openings

Don Chess is the free opening trainer of Capo Chess. You learn the most important openings move by move – every move comes with the reason why it is good. No download, no sign-up needed.

How it works

1. 👀 Watch – every move is explained.
2. 🤝 Play it with help – an arrow shows you the move.
3. 🧠 From memory – with spaced repetition until the line sticks.

Plus: Theory Sprint (90 seconds, how many theory moves can you find?), duels with friends, analysis of your own games from Chess.com and Lichess and puzzles from your mistakes.

Openings for White

• 🇮🇹 Italian Game
  One of the oldest openings there is – played for over 400 years. Your bishop aims straight at f7, Black’s weakest point.
• 💂 London System
  One setup for (almost) everything: you play the same moves whatever Black does. Little to learn, a safe position – a favourite of many grandmasters.
• 👑 Queen's Gambit
  World-famous since the hit series: you offer a pawn to win the centre. If Black takes it, you almost always get it back.
• 🇪🇸 Ruy Lopez
  Named after a 16th-century Spanish priest and still the world champions’ first choice. Your bishop pressures the knight that guards e5.
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotch Game
  No small talk: with 3.d4 you open the centre at once. Open play, fast pieces – one of Kasparov’s favourite openings.
• 🇦🇹 Vienna Game
  Looks harmless, but it isn’t: first the knight goes to c3, then often the f4 push. The Vienna lures opponents into unfamiliar territory.
• 🇬🇧 English Opening
  You start on the flank with 1.c4 and control the centre from afar. Flexible, strategic and hugely popular among pros.
• 🧙 Caro-Kann: Tal Variation
  Named after the “Magician from Riga”: with h4–h5 you chase Black’s bishop across the board. Attack against the most solid defence.

Defences for Black

• 🌋 Sicilian Najdorf
  The favourite defence of Fischer and Kasparov. The quiet 5…a6 prepares the counterattack – sharp, ambitious, played to win.
• 🐉 Sicilian Dragon
  Your bishop on g7 breathes fire down the long diagonal. Both sides go for the king – whoever is faster wins.
• ⚡ Sicilian Sveshnikov
  With …e5 you slam the door on White’s knight. You accept holes and get active pieces – Magnus Carlsen played it in the 2018 world championship match.
• 🐻 Sicilian Kalashnikov
  The Sveshnikov’s little brother: an early …e5, then …d6. Less theory, lots of surprise.
• 🇫🇷 French Defense
  You build a fortress with e6 and d5, then hit back with …c5 at the right moment. Patience pays off here.
• 🛡️ Caro-Kann Defense
  The defence for people who hate losing: rock-solid pawns and a bishop that doesn’t get locked in. Underrated – until you face it.
• ⛵ Scandinavian Defense
  Confrontation from move 1: 1…d5 hits White’s e-pawn at once. Little theory, clear plans – ideal for getting started.
• 🐘 King's Indian Defense
  You let White have the centre first – then launch a wild attack on the king. Kasparov’s great love.
• 🧠 Nimzo-Indian Defense
  A bishop that pins instead of waiting: with …Bb4 you fight for e4 and threaten to double White’s pawns. One of the best answers to 1.d4.
• 🧱 Slav Defense
  Like a wall: …c6 supports d5 without locking in your light-squared bishop. Solid, but with bite.
• 🇳🇱 Dutch Defense
  1…f5 – you tell White straight away: we’re playing for a kingside attack. Unbalanced, brave and perfect for pulling opponents out of theory.
• 🐴 Two Knights Defense
  Instead of defending politely, 3…Nf6 hits e4 right away. White has to decide: attack f7 or play it quiet?

Gambits

• 🤴 King's Gambit
  Pure romance: on move 2 you give up a pawn to rip open the f-file and go for the king. There are no boring games here.
• 🎻 Vienna Gambit
  The Vienna at full throttle: with f4 you give a pawn and roll up the kingside. Opponents who don’t know it are often worse after 10 moves.
• 🚢 Evans Gambit
  Invented by a sea captain: with b4 you give a pawn for time and a huge centre. A favourite of Morphy and Kasparov.
• 🍳 Fried Liver Attack
  The most famous attack for beginners: knight to f7 and Black’s king has to come out into the open. Anyone who doesn’t know the defence gets mated fast.
• 🦄 Scotch Gambit
  The Scotch with extra spice: instead of taking the pawn back you develop at lightning speed and aim at f7. Lots of traps for unprepared opponents.
• 🇩🇰 Danish Gambit
  Two pawns gone – and in return two bishops that aim at the king like lasers. White’s wildest gambit.
• 🚀 Smith-Morra Gambit
  The anti-Sicilian: you give up a pawn and get open lines and fast development. Sicilian players hate it.
• 🌪️ Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
  Against 1…d5, everything on one card: a pawn sacrifice on e4, an open f-file and an attack that sweeps opponents away.
• 👽 Alien Gambit
  Out of this world: against the Caro-Kann you sacrifice a whole knight on f7. Risky, crazy – and a real shock for your opponent.
• 🪤 Stafford Gambit
  The internet’s trap gambit: you give a pawn and set one trap after another. Against the unprepared you often win in 10 moves.
• 🇭🇺 Budapest Gambit
  Hit back against 1.d4 right away: 2…e5 gives a pawn for quick piece play. Rarely played – and dangerous for exactly that reason.
• 🌀 Albin Countergambit
  The countergambit against the Queen’s Gambit: …e5 and suddenly a black pawn sits deep in White’s camp. Notorious for the Lasker Trap.
• 🎯 Benko Gambit
  One pawn for lasting pressure: after …b5 your rooks race down the open queenside files. Even in the endgame you’re still playing to win.
• 🌶️ Schliemann Gambit
  A counterattack against the Ruy Lopez with 3…f5 – cheeky, sharp and far away from normal theory.