ecocodes

Every ECO opening code, played out on the board

Chess openings are catalogued in 500 codes, A00 to E99. This site takes the 3,865 named lines that the Lichess opening list files under those codes, replays each one, and shows for every code the position it reaches, the lines it holds, the road that leads to it and the codes that branch off from it.

Or try 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 · 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5

The 500 codes

Each square is one code; the darker it is, the more named lines it holds. Volumes: A Flank openings · B Semi-open games · C Open games and the French Defense · D Closed and semi-closed games · E Indian defenses.

Records in the list

Openings that span several codes

  1. Sicilian Defense 400
  2. Queen’s Gambit 275
  3. Ruy Lopez 235
  4. French Defense 211
  5. King’s Gambit 191
  6. Italian Game 187
  7. English Opening 176
  8. King’s Indian Defense 119
  9. Caro-Kann Defense 110
  10. Nimzo-Indian Defense 104
  11. Queen’s Pawn Game 82
  12. Queen’s Indian Defense 73
  13. Semi-Slav Defense 73
  14. Dutch Defense 69
  15. Benoni Defense 66
  16. Grünfeld Defense 59
  17. Alekhine Defense 56
  18. Indian Defense 53
  19. Scotch Game 53
  20. Slav Defense 52
  21. Petrov’s Defense 50
  22. Four Knights Game 49
  23. Zukertort Opening 47
  24. Réti Opening 43
  25. Bishop’s Opening 41
  26. Vienna Game 41
  27. Modern Defense 39
  28. King’s Pawn Game 38
  29. Pterodactyl Defense 33
  30. Van Geet Opening 33
  31. Catalan Opening 32
  32. Bird Opening 28
  33. Pirc Defense 28
  34. King’s Indian Attack 27
  35. Polish Opening 27
  36. Tarrasch Defense 27
  37. Latvian Gambit 26
  38. Neo-Grünfeld Defense 25
  39. Benko Gambit 24
  40. Hungarian Opening 20

All 127 opening names

Study notes

  1. How the 500 ECO codes are organised
  2. Which first move leads to which ECO volume
  3. The longest named lines in the opening list
  4. Gambits by the numbers
  5. Transpositions: one position, several move orders
  6. Castling in named opening lines
  7. How to name an opening from a game’s moves