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The quiet Italian: c3, d3, 0-0, Re1, Nbd2, Bb3 and the Nf1-g3 knight manoeuvre, with the d4 break once the pieces are ready. Against the Two Knights — 4.d3 instead of 4.Ng5; the Giuoco Piano, the Hungarian Defence and the 3…Nd4 trap are covered separately.

A free beginner course: 1.e4, development and castling. The main scheme is the Four Knights, plus how to punish 2…f6 and ready-made answers to the Sicilian, the French, the Caro-Kann and the Scandinavian.

The Ruy Lopez, 3.Bb5, without the main line of the Closed Ruy Lopez: castling, Re1, c3, d3 or d4 and the knight via b1-d2-f1-g3. A separate answer to each of Black's third moves.

The main line is the classical Scotch 4.Nxd4. Gambit branches: the Scotch Gambit 4.Bc4 (including the Max Lange Attack) and the Göring Gambit 4.c3.

The Vienna Game, 2.Nc3: the c3 knight holds the centre, the bishop hits f7, the king's knight goes to e2 and g3. Against 2…Nc6 and 2…Nf6 the setup is shared; each of Black's other ten second moves gets its own answer.

1.d4 e5 shows up in one game out of ten after 1.d4. You take the pawn, give it back only when you decide to, and sidestep every trap with …Qe7 and …Qb4+.

The London System: 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and the bishop to f4 before e3, then e3, c3, Nbd2, h3 and castling. Separate recipes against ...c5 with ...Qb6, ...Bd6, ...Bf5, the King's Indian ...g6, the Dutch and the Englund Gambit.

The Queen's Gambit on a single plan: we win the c4 pawn back with tempo, take the e4-d4 center and press down the c-file. Your own answer to every Black second move — from 2…dxc4 to 2…e5.

The English, 1.c4, with a fianchetto: Nc3, g3, Bg2, Nf3 and short castling. The d-pawn moves last: d3 with a closed center, d4 with an open one. The course leaves the setup three times, each time because of a black pawn on d4.

Bird's Opening, 1.f4, with the Nf3, e3, b3, Bb2, Be2, 0-0 setup: play along the a1-h8 diagonal and the half-open f-file. From's Gambit 1…e5 gets a chapter of its own.

1…Nf6 goads White's pawns forward and then hits them. The course's rule on White's second move: if a piece or a pawn defends e4, …d5; if nothing does, …Nxe4.

The Caro-Kann with 3…Bf5: the light-squared bishop comes out before …e6. The main lines are the Classical and the Advance, with separate chapters on the Exchange, the Panov Attack, 2.Bc4, 2.Nf3 with 3.Nc3 and the Fantasy 3.f3.

The French Defence, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5. Against a pawn chain with e5 (Advance, Steinitz, Tarrasch) — the …c5 break, …Nc6 and …Qb6 pressing d4; against the Exchange — a setup with Bd6 and Bg4.

A free beginner course: how to meet 1.e4. The Petrov against 2.Nf3 and ready-made answers to every early raid — Scholar's Mate, the King's Gambit, the Vienna and the Centre Game.

The symmetrical 2…Nf6 against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3. Main line 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 with the classical setup; 3.d4 and the transposition into the Four Knights (3.Nc3) are covered too.

The Pirc Defence: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6, …Bg7, castling and the …e5 or …c5 counterblow. Separate plans against the Classical, the Austrian Attack, the 150 Attack and an early e4-e5 break; against the Qd2 systems castling is postponed.

The modern Scandinavian: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6. The setup …Nf6, …a6, the bishop to f5 or g4 by the bishop rule, …c6, …e6, …Nbd7 and castling gives a Caro-Kann-like structure.

The asymmetrical answer to 1.e4, playing for a win with Black. The core is the Najdorf (2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6), and every Anti-Sicilian gets a short answering scheme you don't have to learn in depth.

The Leningrad Dutch: …f5, …Nf6, …g6, …Bg7, castling, …d6 and the …e5 break. Five of White's thirteen formations change the setup, and each is covered separately, the Staunton Gambit 2.e4 included.

The King's Indian setup …Nf6, …g6, …Bg7, …d6, short castling and the …e5 break against 1.d4, the London and the Pirc included. The exception: a knight on c3 without a pawn on c4 means …d5.

1…Nf6 and 2…e6 against twelve White second moves: with a knight on c3 — the …Bb4 pin, without it — the …Bb4+ check. The Nimzo, the Bogo-Indian, the London and the Torre in one course.

The Slav: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6, and the light-squared bishop comes out to f5 outside the pawn chain, before ...e6. Separate recipes against the Exchange, the quiet systems, 3.Nc3, the Geller Gambit and the Ne5 and Bg5 sorties.

The …Nf6, …g6, …Bg7, …d6 setup and castling against 1.c4, 1.Nf3 and 1.f4. White's structure picks the break: usually …e5, against pawns on c4 and e4 — …c5, against a knight on c3 without a pawn on c4 — …d5, in the Bird — …c5 and …Nc6.