ECO Index C - French D, King's G & Ruy L

Welcome to ECO Index C. It's the next part of the openings series after ECO Index B. Volume C contains firstly the French Defense. This takes up the opening 20 classified entries C00-19.


C20-29 goes into the KPG, Center Game, Bishop's Game and Vienna Game including the Vienna Gambit. This is followed up with 10 entries on the King's Gambit (C30-39).


C40-59 deals with things like the King's Knight Opening, the Philidor and Petrov Defenses. It also covers the Two, Three and Four Knight's Game, Scotch Game, Evan's Gambit and the Giuoco Piano. Finally C60-99 belongs to the Ruy Lopez Opening.

ECO Index C: C00-19
C00 French Defense
C01 French, Exchange Variation, Kingston Defense
C02 French, Advance Variation
C03 French, Tarrasch
C04 French, Tarrasch, Guimard Main Line
C05 French, Tarrasch, Closed Variation
C06 French, Tarrasch, Closed Variation, Main Line
C07 French, Tarrasch, Open Variation
C08 French, Tarrasch, Open, 4.exd5 exd5
C09 French, Tarrasch, Open Variation, Main Line
C10 French, Paulsen Variation
C11 French Defense
C12 French, MacCutcheon Variation
C13 French, Classical
C14 French, Classical Variation
C15 French, Winawer (Nimzovich) Variation
C16 French, Winawer, Advance Variation
C17 French, Winawer, Advance Variation
C18 French, Winawer, Advance Variation
C19 French, Winawer, Advance, 6...Ne7
Play through the French Defense Openings.

ECO Index C: C20-29
C20 KPG (Alapin, Lopez, Napoleon, Portuguese and Parham)
C21 Center Game, Danish Gambit
C22 Center Game
C23 Bishop's Opening
C24 Bishop's Opening, Berlin Defense
C25 Vienna Game
C26 Vienna Game, Falkbeer Variation
C27 Vienna Game, Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
C28 Vienna Game
C29 Vienna Gambit, Kaufmann V including Wurzburger T
Play through the Center Game, Bishop's Game and Vienna Game Openings.

ECO Index C: C30-39
C30 King's Gambit
C31 KGD, Falkbeer Countergambit
C32 KGD, Falkbeer, 5. dxe4
C33 KGA
C34 KGA, Fischer Defense
C35 KGA, Cunningham Defense
C36 KGA, Abbazia D, Classical D, Modern D
C37 KGA, Quaade Gambit
C38 KGA
C39 KGA, Allagier, Kiesertisky, Rice Gambits
Play through the King's Gambit Openings.

ECO Index C: C40-59
C40 King's Knight Opening, Gunderam D, Greco D, Damiano D, Elephant G, and Latvian G
C41 Philidor Defense
C42 Petrov's Defense, Marshall Trap
C43 Petrov's Defense, Modern Steinitz Attack
C44 KPG, Ponziani O, Inverted Hungarian O, Irish G, Konstantinopolsky O, Scotch G
C45 Scotch Game
C46 Three Knights Game, Muller-Schulze G, Halloween A
C47 Four Knights Game, Scotch Variation
C48 Four Knights Game, Spanish Variation
C49 Four Knights Game, Double Ruy Lopez
C50 KPG, Blackburne Shilling G, Hungarian D, Italian G, Legal Trap, Rousseau G and Giuoco Pianissimo
C51 Evans Gambit
C52 Evans Gambit with 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5
C53 Giuoco Piano
C54 Giuoco Piano
C55 Two Knights Defense
C56 Two Knights Defense
C57 Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack
C58 Two Knights Defense
C59 Two Knights Defense
Play through the C40-59 Openings.

ECO Index C: C60-99
C60 Ruy Lopez Unusual Black 3rd moves and 3...g6
C61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense
C62 Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense
C63 Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense
C64 Ruy Lopez, Classical Cordel Defense
C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap
C66 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 4.O-O, d6
C67 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, Open Variation
C68 Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation
C69 Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation, 5.O-O
C70 Ruy Lopez
C71 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, Noah's Ark Trap
C72 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense 5.0-0
C73 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, Richter V
C74 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
C75 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
C76 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, Fianchetto (Bronstein) V
C77 Ruy Lopez, Morphy Defense
C78 Ruy Lopez, 5.O-O
C79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred (Russian Defense)
C80 Ruy Lopez, Open Tarrasch Defense
C81 Ruy Lopez, Open, Howell Attack
C82 Ruy Lopez, Open, 9.c3
C83 Ruy Lopez, Open, Classical Defense
C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed Defense
C85 Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred
C86 Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack
C87 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Averbach Variation
C88 Ruy Lopez, Closed
C89 Ruy Lopez, Marshall Counterattack
C90 Ruy Lopez, Closed (with ...d6)
C91 Ruy Lopez, Closed, 9.d4
C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed, 9.h3
C93 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense
C94 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Breyer Defense
C95 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Breyer, 10.d4
C96 Ruy Lopez, Closed, 8...Na5
C97 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin Defense
C98 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 12...Nc6
C99 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 12...c5d4
Play through the C60-99 Ruy Lopez Openings.

Your defensive capabilities will be in good nick when you tame the openings in ECO Index C. Between the French, the Philidor and the Petrov Defenses, you may find something that you can comfortably fit into your playing style. This is to say nothing of the Two, Three or Four Knight Defense openings.

When choosing which systems to study in depth you have to strike a balance between style and functionality. We need to feel inspired by our play but it also needs to be effective. On the attacking side of ECO Index C, we have the Vienna Game, the King's Gambit and the Ruy Lopez family to mull through.

These are all direct Kingside attacks so if you're a straight for the throat sort then some of these ideas may be just what you're looking for. The next volume namely Eco Index D is more of a slow burn focusing on the positional Queenside ideas. In particular the Queen's Gambit Declined and the Grunfeld openings.