The French is a complex opening and can lead to a wide variety of middlegames. The Winawer after 3...Bb4 is Black’s most proactive option, immediately weakening White’s pawn structure by doubling their c-pawns.

Grandmaster Harshit Raja, India’s 69th GM, has created a practical and powerful 1.e4 repertoire - perfect for players who want to play aggressively without drowning in opening theory. Whether you’re playing online or over-the-board, this course gives you solid attacking weapons that are easy to learn, fun to play, and difficult for opponents to face. 

Free sample video: Introduction

Free sample video: Scandinavian Defence

The King’s Indian Defence is one of the most popular and historically rich openings in chess, known for its dynamic complexity and fierce battles for control. In this course, you will explore how to navigate White’s full pawn centre and understand the key plans for both sides. But understanding an opening doesn't stop at memorising theory. It's crucial to grasp the ideas and structures connected to the opening moves. Knowing how to apply these concepts and recognising mistakes from your opponent can give you a critical edge in the middlegame—a key component to transforming an opening advantage into a winning position.

Video sample: Introduction

Video sample: 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.d5: Central breaks & tactics

Every game begins with the opening - and even sometimes ends there! That doesn't have to be the case. With the ChessBase tutorials, you can rapidly get up to speed. "Openings Vol. 1: Open Games (1.e4 e5)" is the first part of a five-volume series on the basics of chess openings. Here you will learn from experienced coaches and experts just what you absolutely need to know about the individual areas, which basic plans are followed, how to play them and what pitfalls to watch out for. In 23 video lessons you will learn everything you need to know about the King's Gambit, the Vienna Game, the Italian, the Evans Gambit, the two-knight game, the Scottish, the Steinitz and Berlin defences, the Open Spanish or the exchange variation, Marshall, Philidor and Russian and much more.