ChessGoals 1.e4 Course
ChessGoals 1.e4 Course by National Master Matt Jensen and Adult Learner Jesse Buss
Consistency
Similar lines and themes are repeated across chapters and variations
Plans
Each line leaves you with a plan, without going too deep into the weeds
No GM Games
Based on lines we expect you to see in games against non-masters
Common Traps
Common mistakes you may see, and how to punish them
We study openings too much. Way too much.
So why did we make an opening course? Let me explain our reasoning.
We surveyed hundreds of chess players. Those who improved the most studied openings using just 5% of their total chess time. We made this repertoire to get you to 5%.
This repertoire is a complete 1.e4 system with the white pieces. In just 99 lines.
There is no reason to spend hours and hours memorizing opening lines you will never see. We’ve all been there. Studying line 400 of a 1000+ line opening repertoire and wondering if we’ll ever use it. Wondering if our time isn’t spent better somewhere else.
99 Lines
We condensed everything you will see into just 99 lines. 1.e4 takes time to learn, but you can review it in under an hour.
Just 99 lines? Won’t you miss out on essential traps, novelties and gotchyas? Yes and no.
We’re going to be recommending offbeat lines. We often recommend strange looking moves that are 4th or 5th most popular. We will get Black out of book before we are.
Plans
Since we have fewer lines, we focus heavily on resulting plans.
After each and every line we leave you with a plan. You will never be left in the dark. You will know the best places to put your pieces and how to navigate the middlegame.
Our recommendations are very consistent and you will see many common plans, ideas, and motifs. If you forget a repertoire move in your games– don’t worry. It will be easy to recover. You will know the ideas behind the position.
The best part? This 1.e4 repertoire scores better than most other systems at the club level. We’ll show you exactly why.
What do you get?
You will receive a .pgn file with the entire repertoire. It has over 16,000 words of instruction. You will also get over 6.5 hours of video. Delivered instantly to your inbox.
You will get lifetime access to our premium discord. If you have any questions, a line doesn’t make sense, or you just want to hang out- join hundreds of other chess improvers in our discord server. You’ll get clarity in minutes.
Chapter Summary
- Scotch Game: 4…Bc5
- Scotch Game: 4…Nf6
- Scotch Game Sidelines
- 1…e5 Sidelines
- Sicilian Alapin Part One
- Sicilian Alapin Part Two
- French Defense
- Caro-Kann Defense
- Scandinavian Defense
- Other 1st Moves
Included With Your Course
Videos
Videos of Matt and Jesse covering the 10 most popular lines in each chapter (30-45 minutes each).
PGN File
PGN file of all variations and annotations with instructions on how to view them with chess software and websites.
ChessGoals Discord
Discuss the 1.e4 Course, study plans, chess improvement, and more. Matt and Jesse answer your questions.
Bonus Material
As we add content and bonus material, you will receive lifetime updates!
Chapter Guide
Chapter 1: Scotch Game 4...Bc5
1…e5 is played 40% of the time at the club level against 1.e4. The first chapter covers our main line in the Scotch Game, when Black plays 4…Bc5.
We will take an offbeat approach with Qe2, queenside castling, and pawn-storming the opponent’s king. This sets us up for some fun kingside attacks and chances for quick knockouts.
Chapter 2: Scotch Game 4...Nf6
About equal in popularity to 4…Bc5 is 4…Nf6. We will keep a consistent style to chapter 1. The recommendation is to capture on c6, queenside castle, and attack the black king!
The weakened queenside pawns for Black can also lead to some endgame conversions if we decide that’s more practical than the kingside knockout.
Chapter 2 Preview
Chapter 3: Scotch Game Sidelines
Chapter 3 covers sidelines after we play 3.d4. The Philidor Defense (3…d6) gets some coverage in this chapter and in chapter 4.
Eight out of ten lines in the chapter are on 4.Nxd4 Nxd4, which is a small mistake for Black. We’ll show you how to take advantage of this move with a similar setup to the previous two chapters.
Chapter 3 Preview
Chapter 4: King Pawn Sidelines
Chapter 4 covers four king pawn systems for Black. The Elephant and the Latvian receive one line each, and we will help you safely navigate to an advantage.
The Philidor and the Alekhine Defenses make up the bulk of this chapter. In both cases we are able to reach some low-risk positions to play for the win.
Chapter 4 Preview
Chapter 5: Sicilian Alapin Part 1
The Sicilian occurs in about 20% of club level games after 1.e4. We are going to play the c3-Sicilian, also known as the Alapin Sicilian. This solid and somewhat rare system will get the game in our court.
Our theme is to go for a space advantage and a kingside attack. Chapter 5 covers 2…Nc6 and 2…d5.
Chapter 5 Preview
Chapter 6: Sicilian Alapin Part 2
The Sicilian Alapin Part 2 covers Nf6, e6, g6, e5, and d6 for Black’s second move. 2…Nf6 is the most common at master level so we decided to give it some extra coverage in this course.
The plans will stay consistent with chapter 5, aiming to grab space and attack on the kingside. An early e6 by Black will transpose to chapter 7.
Chapter 6 Preview
Chapter 7: French Defense
We pride ourselves on consistent plans across chapters here at ChessGoals. The French Defense Advance variation works very well with the Alapin Sicilian.
We are aiming to squeeze Black on the kingside and attack in that direction. Early e6 moves in the Sicilian will directly transpose to this chapter. We cover lines where Black castles both queenside and kingside.
Chapter 7 Full Video
Chapter 8: Caro-Kann Defense
We have a full Caro-Kann Course from the Black side. From White’s perspective, we are recommending the Advance Variation. This goes well with our French Defense recommendation. The idea is to grab space in the center and towards the kingside. We will look to squeeze Black and also to create a kingside attack.
Chapter 8 Full Video
Chapter 9: Scandinavian Defense
The Scandinavian Defense gives us an opportunity to reach solid positions that give a comfortable advantage.
We will aim to have faster development, extra space, and to control both flanks. This is one of my favorite chapters, and I think you will learn to enjoy facing 1…d5 when it shows up in your games.
Chapter 9 Preview
Chapter 10: Other First Moves
