I created this list to give you guys a general idea of what what to expect from each opening. Of course it's fun to try as many as you can to see what clicks. Have Fun! :)
Thank you man, i'm an adult beginning to learn and i wanted to put energy in viable ouvertures, winrate ratios are not always easy to interpret so this list really helps me to make my choice :) Thank you for all these well structured and annotated videos, it really helps me to make my choices. PS : you look really older/ more mature than your age ahah
Thanks for your quick and to the point presentations. It is easy for me to learn this way, and a lot of lessons spend so much time on one thing that it bothers me can I cannot learn from them.
This is amazing! Thank you! But this is a tier list primarily against 2. c4 (queen's gambit). What is your favorite response against the d4 London opening? And against the d4 Catalan opening? Thank you again for all you are doing for the chess community!
I think depending on what opening you play is Black is what setup people often do against the side lines like London etc. too. I usually just opt for the mainline Nf6-d5-c5 structures against London or a KID setup. For Catalan I have played almost everyone from Be7 to Bb4+ and dxc4 lines, all are fine. :)
I am very late here, but if you are still wondering, I would suggest either the Closed or the a6 main line, as others give white an easy slight advantage if you can play them right.
Call me crazy, but I love the Old Benoni against 1. d4 It seems to throw White off balance and a lot of people seem unsure how to respond because they've never seen it. However, make a bad move or two with the Old Benoni and one can quickly end up in serious trouble.
The Budapest is a very mediocre opening. Black gets poor piece play against very standard lines, and his structure is usually inferior as well. I have never understood the popularity of the Budapest. Black seems to get the worst of both worlds, and White doesn't have to know too much to reach a promising position. The 6 Nc3 lines in the 4 Bf4 line are very strong for White, and Black is in trouble in the Black Jet Line with 4...g5 after 5 Bg3 Bg7 6 h4 or 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 h4. Of course 6 Nbd2 is good for White as well.
Hi Moulthon, I just found your channel and I was curious because I'm also Australian, so I googled you and it said you are from QLD. Me too, I'm from Brisbane. Thanks for the vids, you've got some good content. I just subscribed
Just curious. You don't list the Modern as a D4 defense option? Being that it transposes into so many options and is so flexible I would think its worth mentioning.
Yes you can play it against both. Reason I didn't list it is because people who play 1.d4 usually follow up with 2.c4 and this leads into some transposition towards the Kings Indian instead. But yes you can play it against both.
I think you are slightly overstating the Queen's Indian, though it is of course a reasonable opening. White has lots of dangerous gambits he can play here, and if Black survives he usually gets rewarded with half the share of the loot. I would prefer a QGD or even a QGA for this reason. What do you think about the Semi-Tarrasch Defence or the 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 b6 Defence? I also think it is very easy to drift as white against the Benko Gambit, and certainly it is more respectable than many people would like to think. There is some poison in the Black Knight's Tango/Mexican Defence, so those with the white pieces should proceed with some caution.
@@MoltonChess thanks mate, you won a subscriber! and what do you think about the queen's indian accelerated 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6? Naroditsky use it with high success (84% win rate) and is really fun to play. Not sure if is a surprise or solid weapon.
@@hugocruz2439 I think it's very playable though gives White a lot of space. Probably people wouldn't expect it as much either and unlikely to know the best way to respond.
Thank you very much for this important video! ... Question: at 1:07, which variation of the Dutch are you recommending here: the Leningrad, the Classical, or something else ?
There's a third setup I also like playing f5-e6 and Bb4 if there is a knight on c3. I think you can be flexible as Black and interchange between them depending on which setup White chooses
@@MoltonChess Thank you again, Molton. I like your idea about Dutch flexibility... I had been thinking about this Bb4 line because of Alekhine's nice win in the game Efim Bogoljubov vs Alexander Alekhine, Hastings 1922.
Hei, your content it's great. But I think to separate between best opening for gm, intermediate, beginner level is more helpful rather than one size fit all (I assume this video only for gm level, but not for beginner)
There's quite a few though. Semi-Slav and Open Slav can be at the very top. However, I find the Schlechter and Chebanenko etc. to be a bit more passive. So I just took an average for simplicity :)
Both I would put in 2nd Tier although Semi Slav gives more imbalanced positions when trying to win. In saying that it is also not the easiest opening to play especially at lower levels.
Are there openings for White that lead to closed positions? I very much enjoy playing Czech Benoni as Black, is there anything similar to that with White? (Also, does advanced French and advanced Caro-kann count as closed openings?)
Maybe you can play a Czech Benoni as White? King's Indian type positions maybe also fairly closed. I would say they have the chance to open up at some point so not 100% but it is semi-closed.
So KID is characterised by the pawns being on e4-d4-c4 (a structure generally fine for both sides) while Pirc only has the pawns on e4-d4 (a structure known to be slightly in favour of White) and usually Nc3. Also White has some extra attacking options in the Pirc and it's often harder to blockade the centre as it is in the King's Indian. Hope that makes sense
I play Pirc and have played 1... d6 in the past to allow them to go into Pirc if they want to but also have had to learn King's Indian. Do you think KID is better than Pirc and I should just go 1... Nf6 or give them the option to play pirc with 1... d6?
Well KID is for d4 and c4 structures but can't be played against e4 unless White transposes. If you want to keep the same type of structure then maybe learn a Modern which I think is a bit better than the Pirc since you have more flexibility. I prefer to start with 1...Nf6 unless you are happy to play a Modern anyways. So you can take 2 approaches: 1. Learn KID and Modern/Pirc or 2. Learn Modern + Tiger Modern
@@MoltonChess I currently play pirc and KID but just mainly wondering if i should even give d4 players the option of choosing between c4 and e4 by reply 1 d6 or just force them into KID with 1 nf6. Basically would you prefer to play pirc more than kid if opponent chooses to play e4 because they might be nervous to play c4 worried about some sideline they dont know
Sorry for the late reply this didnt pop up in my notification. Basically KID is overall a great opening but requires alot of work. People sometimes play a Modern/Pirc with a Tiger Modern if they eant to avoid learning too many lines
@@zwebzz9685 You head for whatever you prefer. I regularly played d6, g6, Nf6 as my first move (not Nf6 against 1 e4). Sometimes white transitions, sometimes not. My feeling was that d4 players were likely less competent in e4 openings.
Why don’t you say what whites opening is? Having said that, I appreciate your willingness to educate chess enthusiasts in the best responses to d4. Thanks 🙏
I think it could be in the top two tiers if played by someone with an aggressive playing style such as Morozevich or Dubov etc. However, I placed it lower as it is not seen as often as a main weapon.
Thanks for the reply. Ive used your content a lot to figure out my openings as a 1500. You should do some Chessable courses man. You have some great stuff!
@@Speedster___ Check the game between Vishy Anand and Ian Nepomniachtchi, were Vishy had the white pieces and beat Nepo in 17 moves. It's the Grunfeld Exchange Bd2 line. Bd2! is played by strong GM's because it gives a good position for white because it allows you to push d5 when black plays c5 and trade dark square bishops. It's not a very common response and can be VERY hard to play for black, I've beaten a 2300 Lichess in 15 moves due to the dark square weaknessess around their king. If they don't know this line well you literally go with your Queen to h6 and then your knight to g5 to checkmate lol.
I see it played alot in Titled Tuesdays by strong GM's and they do well with it. Though I very see it much in classical chess. But yes it's good at different levels
I prefer Robert Jamieson's advice over these opening categories. Get the pieces out and on good squares and play chess. Beginners lose on tactics, not openings.
I created this list to give you guys a general idea of what what to expect from each opening. Of course it's fun to try as many as you can to see what clicks. Have Fun! :)
👍
Great video! The god tier with the QGD and Nimzo-Indian is so real, and I love play them in both sides of the table.
Glad it helped!
What you called the English Defense is actually the Accelerated Queen's Indian. The English Defense is 1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6
Noted!
The english defense is 1. d4 b6... the Accelerated QID is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 b6.
These are facts@@robertamacedodebarros9170
Thank you man, i'm an adult beginning to learn and i wanted to put energy in viable ouvertures, winrate ratios are not always easy to interpret so this list really helps me to make my choice :)
Thank you for all these well structured and annotated videos, it really helps me to make my choices.
PS : you look really older/ more mature than your age ahah
Thanks glad to hear :)
Thanks for your quick and to the point presentations. It is easy for me to learn this way, and a lot of lessons spend so much time on one thing that it bothers me can I cannot learn from them.
You're very welcome!
This is amazing! Thank you!
But this is a tier list primarily against 2. c4 (queen's gambit).
What is your favorite response against the d4 London opening?
And against the d4 Catalan opening?
Thank you again for all you are doing for the chess community!
I think depending on what opening you play is Black is what setup people often do against the side lines like London etc. too. I usually just opt for the mainline Nf6-d5-c5 structures against London or a KID setup. For Catalan I have played almost everyone from Be7 to Bb4+ and dxc4 lines, all are fine. :)
I am very late here, but if you are still wondering, I would suggest either the Closed or the a6 main line, as others give white an easy slight advantage if you can play them right.
No mention of the Wing Ding? 1...a5!? has netted me some strong wins in the past
Is that really what it's called? 🤣 1...a5!? Definitely God Tier but Difficulty Level is too high for us!
Call me crazy, but I love the Old Benoni against 1. d4 It seems to throw White off balance and a lot of people seem unsure how to respond because they've never seen it. However, make a bad move or two with the Old Benoni and one can quickly end up in serious trouble.
Yes opening not so fashionable can sometimes be revived and catch opponents off guard.
this is great info... you also have a very pleasing voice to listen to. glad i found this.
Thanks!
Just one more question GM Ly,
What about the Englund gambit e5 as an opening against 1. d4 ?
thank you
That one is more a Just Tricks opening. It also has a refutation if your opponent knows it
Was looking forward to this video. A tad harsh on the budapest :-)
😂 I think it was because of my bad experiences. Probably deserved to go in the Just Tricks category now that I think about it.
The Budapest is a very mediocre opening. Black gets poor piece play against very standard lines, and his structure is usually inferior as well. I have never understood the popularity of the Budapest. Black seems to get the worst of both worlds, and White doesn't have to know too much to reach a promising position. The 6 Nc3 lines in the 4 Bf4 line are very strong for White, and Black is in trouble in the Black Jet Line with 4...g5 after 5 Bg3 Bg7 6 h4 or 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 h4. Of course 6 Nbd2 is good for White as well.
I would love to see a tier list of chess books for different rating ranges.
I think someone has already done that recently
@@MoltonChess Your recommendations might be different and not many videos for different rating ranges.
Noted!
Just discovered your channel and I'm liking it a lot :D
Glad it helps!
Hi Moulthon, I just found your channel and I was curious because I'm also Australian, so I googled you and it said you are from QLD. Me too, I'm from Brisbane. Thanks for the vids, you've got some good content. I just subscribed
Thanks and welcome to the channel :)
Just curious. You don't list the Modern as a D4 defense option? Being that it transposes into so many options and is so flexible I would think its worth mentioning.
Yes you can play it against both. Reason I didn't list it is because people who play 1.d4 usually follow up with 2.c4 and this leads into some transposition towards the Kings Indian instead. But yes you can play it against both.
"Those who like being aggressive and don't mind losing always, should play the King's Indian" Said a master on stream once
😂
I think you are slightly overstating the Queen's Indian, though it is of course a reasonable opening. White has lots of dangerous gambits he can play here, and if Black survives he usually gets rewarded with half the share of the loot. I would prefer a QGD or even a QGA for this reason. What do you think about the Semi-Tarrasch Defence or the 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 b6 Defence? I also think it is very easy to drift as white against the Benko Gambit, and certainly it is more respectable than many people would like to think. There is some poison in the Black Knight's Tango/Mexican Defence, so those with the white pieces should proceed with some caution.
I think 2...b6 I mentioned as the English Defense. I think it's okay but you will have to face f3 lines from White
Brilliant list! what do you think about the modern defense with 1.d4 g6?
It's a good option if you want something unbalanced to outplay opponents. I would rate it higher than the Pirc
@@MoltonChess thanks mate, you won a subscriber! and what do you think about the queen's indian accelerated 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6? Naroditsky use it with high success (84% win rate) and is really fun to play. Not sure if is a surprise or solid weapon.
@@hugocruz2439 I think it's very playable though gives White a lot of space. Probably people wouldn't expect it as much either and unlikely to know the best way to respond.
Great content just please make the board bigger
I wear glases but it's still so small ❤
thanks, but I think it would be better to separate gambits and openings
Will do another separate one for gambits :)
you missed my favorite:Eglund gambit
What are your thoughts on the Blumenfeld counter gambit? (common to benko but more used as an alternative against 3.Nf3 lines that avoid the Nimzo)
Good if you like the Benko/Benoni type of positions. Probably less sound but could be a good surprise for opponents.
Thoughts on semi-tarrasch? It leads to different positions than the tarrasch because you recapture with the knight so I think it’s worth knowing.
Gaining popularity and solid option
@@MoltonChess Recommended by Leonard Barden in the 60s. He describes it in The Guardian chess Book.
Thank you very much for this important video! ... Question: at 1:07, which variation of the Dutch are you recommending here: the Leningrad, the Classical, or something else ?
There's a third setup I also like playing f5-e6 and Bb4 if there is a knight on c3. I think you can be flexible as Black and interchange between them depending on which setup White chooses
@@MoltonChess Thank you again, Molton. I like your idea about Dutch flexibility... I had been thinking about this Bb4 line because of Alekhine's nice win in the game Efim Bogoljubov vs Alexander Alekhine, Hastings 1922.
thanks for this very helpful
Glad it was helpful!
This is very helpful thank u
Glad it was helpful!
Excelent vídeo!
Ty!
Hei, your content it's great. But I think to separate between best opening for gm, intermediate, beginner level is more helpful rather than one size fit all (I assume this video only for gm level, but not for beginner)
Yeah it is more for overall. As you climb the openings should climb the tiers too.
Slav not top tier...? It's one of the most common GM responses to d4. What makes you so sure it's worse than the KID for example?
There's quite a few though. Semi-Slav and Open Slav can be at the very top. However, I find the Schlechter and Chebanenko etc. to be a bit more passive. So I just took an average for simplicity :)
Ah like that! That makes sense :)
Thanks for the list. Where would you put the Semi Tarrasch & Semi Slav?
Both I would put in 2nd Tier although Semi Slav gives more imbalanced positions when trying to win. In saying that it is also not the easiest opening to play especially at lower levels.
I think you should switch slav with queen's indian which struggles at the top level
Yep QID less popular nowadays, Tarrasch becoming more played even
Thank you!
You're Welcome
Are there openings for White that lead to closed positions? I very much enjoy playing Czech Benoni as Black, is there anything similar to that with White?
(Also, does advanced French and advanced Caro-kann count as closed openings?)
Maybe you can play a Czech Benoni as White? King's Indian type positions maybe also fairly closed. I would say they have the chance to open up at some point so not 100% but it is semi-closed.
what about the Czech Benoni?
Is it me or are you missing the caro kann?
Nice....👍
Thanks
quality content
Thanks
I'm a bit confused about the vienna. I assumed the Vienna was e4 e5 Nc3, which is an opening i play.
Yes that's the Vienna. But there is also another variation of the same name after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4
@@MoltonChess OK. I wasn't aware due to not playing d4 myself. I'm strictly an e4 player. I do play the KID and the Grunfeld against d4 though
Vienna Game. White plays 3 f4 and heads for checkmate much in the style of the King's Gambit.
I see you put the Slav in the Champion tier, what about the Semi Slav? It is a bit different that a lot of the other Slavs. Thank you
There are too many Slav setups so I just including everything under the one. But yes Semi Slav is probably one of the best options in the opening.
Albin rules
Beat my first IM in a simul with that opening!
Budapest for the win!
🥳
King's Indian and Pirc defense seem to transition into very similar games. Why is KID god tier if the Pirc isn't? Not sure if I'm missing something
So KID is characterised by the pawns being on e4-d4-c4 (a structure generally fine for both sides) while Pirc only has the pawns on e4-d4 (a structure known to be slightly in favour of White) and usually Nc3. Also White has some extra attacking options in the Pirc and it's often harder to blockade the centre as it is in the King's Indian. Hope that makes sense
Kings indian better than Slav?. That's just bullshit. Slav is way more solid than KID
👍
I only played kings Indian defence against d4 and I didn't ever face problems with it
Yep, I play it too it's a great opening. Just a matter of style and preference with some openings
I play Pirc and have played 1... d6 in the past to allow them to go into Pirc if they want to but also have had to learn King's Indian. Do you think KID is better than Pirc and I should just go 1... Nf6 or give them the option to play pirc with 1... d6?
Well KID is for d4 and c4 structures but can't be played against e4 unless White transposes. If you want to keep the same type of structure then maybe learn a Modern which I think is a bit better than the Pirc since you have more flexibility. I prefer to start with 1...Nf6 unless you are happy to play a Modern anyways. So you can take 2 approaches: 1. Learn KID and Modern/Pirc or 2. Learn Modern + Tiger Modern
@@MoltonChess I currently play pirc and KID but just mainly wondering if i should even give d4 players the option of choosing between c4 and e4 by reply 1 d6 or just force them into KID with 1 nf6. Basically would you prefer to play pirc more than kid if opponent chooses to play e4 because they might be nervous to play c4 worried about some sideline they dont know
Sorry for the late reply this didnt pop up in my notification. Basically KID is overall a great opening but requires alot of work. People sometimes play a Modern/Pirc with a Tiger Modern if they eant to avoid learning too many lines
@@zwebzz9685 You head for whatever you prefer. I regularly played d6, g6, Nf6 as my first move (not Nf6 against 1 e4). Sometimes white transitions, sometimes not. My feeling was that d4 players were likely less competent in e4 openings.
Good shit
TY
I just started watching, if KID or Grünfeld will be tier B or above I'm out
It's an objective rather subjective list I suppose. 😄
All of these openings don't even begin to compare to the unstoppable Englund gambit.
😆
I'm curious. Where would you rank the semi-tarrasch?
Maybe 2nd Tier, it's quite a solid opening but you may also find it gives limited options when playing for a win.
@@MoltonChess cheers :))
Why don’t you say what whites opening is? Having said that, I appreciate your willingness to educate chess enthusiasts in the best responses to d4. Thanks 🙏
I think the focus was on Black, will have to do a separate one for White's openings
Super surprised about Benko Gambit being Respectable as opposed to God-Tier or Champion.
I think it could be in the top two tiers if played by someone with an aggressive playing style such as Morozevich or Dubov etc. However, I placed it lower as it is not seen as often as a main weapon.
What do u think about the semi slav
Yep I think that's fine can be played at any level.
Where would you put the Blumenfeld?
Maybe playable to just tricks. I think it works well in the right hands or as a surprise
Wow, Aronian's result with the vienna is 58,82%.
Impressive
What's his overall result with black?
You have three Benonis but only one "Slav" (no Semi Slav) 😭
Semi Slav is probably the best of the Slav options though :)
Where would you rate the Janowski in this?
Somewhere in High Respectable. It's decent line.
Thanks for the reply. Ive used your content a lot to figure out my openings as a 1500. You should do some Chessable courses man. You have some great stuff!
Where would you put semi slav?
Maybe in the Champion Tier
What about the OTHER OPENINGS
Which ones they are the most popular ones, unless I missed a few others
@@MoltonChess modern c6 against d4 is really interesting
With Grunfeld is e or c 3 preferred?
Do you mean playing White against Grunfeld?
@@MoltonChess Yes.
@@Speedster___ Either is fine, depends what setup you want to do. e3 is more popular though
@@Speedster___ Check the game between Vishy Anand and Ian Nepomniachtchi, were Vishy had the white pieces and beat Nepo in 17 moves. It's the Grunfeld Exchange Bd2 line.
Bd2! is played by strong GM's because it gives a good position for white because it allows you to push d5 when black plays c5 and trade dark square bishops.
It's not a very common response and can be VERY hard to play for black, I've beaten a 2300 Lichess in 15 moves due to the dark square weaknessess around their king. If they don't know this line well you literally go with your Queen to h6 and then your knight to g5 to checkmate lol.
Do 1 d4 attacks
Noted
It would be nice if u could enlarge the board.
Noted
@@MoltonChess Cool how you're so open to comments/sugggestions!
Budapest opening Trash?? Maybe in the elite. I think its very very good
I see it played alot in Titled Tuesdays by strong GM's and they do well with it. Though I very see it much in classical chess. But yes it's good at different levels
I disagree with the Dutch, I'd say is in the respectable category, but hey, you are the GM, not me.
I suppose it could be depending on the level. Needs the right type of player to play it wrll. Still it seems more popular than others on the list.
I prefer Robert Jamieson's advice over these opening categories. Get the pieces out and on good squares and play chess. Beginners lose on tactics, not openings.
That's true too :)
No respect for the Englund gambit... smh :D
🙈😂
Bro put QID and KID over Slav and didnt even categorize the different Slavs lmao..
Where is my favourite trash opening the almighty ENGLUND GAMBIT
Too good to put on the list :)
Very good, but pic is too small for my eyes.. sorry.
Thanks noted for next videos!
So basically 1.d4 is boring asf