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.
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
C89 · after 18...Qh5 The longest line
Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line, Spassky Variation runs for 36 plies, to 18...Qh5. It is filed under C89.
A00 · after 1.Nc3 The fullest code
A00 holds 144 named lines from 20 openings, every one of them starting with a move other than 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4 or 1.Nf3.
A40 · after 1.d4 The widest crossroads
Lines from 262 other codes pass through the position of A40, Queen’s Pawn Game.
C37 · after 10...fxe3 The biggest material gap
At the end of King’s Gambit Accepted: Double Muzio Gambit, Young Gambit (C37) Black is 9 pawn units ahead.
D79 · after 7...cxd5 A mirror after 14 plies
In D79 Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Ultra-Delayed Exchange Variation every piece still faces its twin after 7...cxd5.
Openings that span several codes
- Sicilian Defense 400
- Queen’s Gambit 275
- Ruy Lopez 235
- French Defense 211
- King’s Gambit 191
- Italian Game 187
- English Opening 176
- King’s Indian Defense 119
- Caro-Kann Defense 110
- Nimzo-Indian Defense 104
- Queen’s Pawn Game 82
- Queen’s Indian Defense 73
- Semi-Slav Defense 73
- Dutch Defense 69
- Benoni Defense 66
- Grünfeld Defense 59
- Alekhine Defense 56
- Indian Defense 53
- Scotch Game 53
- Slav Defense 52
- Petrov’s Defense 50
- Four Knights Game 49
- Zukertort Opening 47
- Réti Opening 43
- Bishop’s Opening 41
- Vienna Game 41
- Modern Defense 39
- King’s Pawn Game 38
- Pterodactyl Defense 33
- Van Geet Opening 33
- Catalan Opening 32
- Bird Opening 28
- Pirc Defense 28
- King’s Indian Attack 27
- Polish Opening 27
- Tarrasch Defense 27
- Latvian Gambit 26
- Neo-Grünfeld Defense 25
- Benko Gambit 24
- Hungarian Opening 20