Best next moves in popular openings

In the opening, the best next move is usually the one that follows a known plan, not a move you calculate from scratch. Below are the main-line next moves in six popular openings, the engine’s top choices at key moments, and the idea behind each move. To get opening suggestions at your own level while you review games, ChessHelper (chesshelper.ai) adds next-move arrows to Chess.com and Lichess with an engine strength you set from 800 to 3200 Elo, and it includes opening guides for the Sicilian, Italian and London. We make ChessHelper; every line on this page can also be checked with the free finder on our home page.

Every line here was checked for legality, and every evaluation comes from Stockfish at depth 18, shown from White’s side. Evaluations near the start of a game are small and shift a little with depth, so treat a 0.1 difference as a tie.

1.e4 e5: Ruy Lopez, Italian or Scotch

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After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 the knight on f3 attacks e5 and Black has defended it. White’s third move decides the opening. Stockfish ranks:

• 3.Bb5 +0.73, the Ruy Lopez
• 3.Bc4 +0.66, the Italian Game
• 3.d4 +0.62, the Scotch Game

3.Bb5 attacks the knight that defends e5. It does not win a pawn at once, but it creates lasting pressure. The main line continues 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7, and White plans Re1, c3 and d4 to build a strong center.

3.Bc4 points the bishop at f7, the weakest square in Black’s camp before castling. After 3...Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 White prepares a slow d3-d4 or a queenside expansion with b4. It is the easiest of the three for newer players because the plans are simple.

3.d4 opens the center at once. After 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 the game is open and piece activity decides it. The Scotch avoids the long theory of the Ruy Lopez at a small cost in evaluation.

All three are within 0.11 of each other, so pick by style: slow pressure (Ruy Lopez), direct development (Italian) or an open center (Scotch).

Sicilian Defense

After 1.e4 c5 Black fights for d4 with a flank pawn and creates an unbalanced game. The main line is the Open Sicilian: 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3.

2.Nf3 develops and prepares d4. 3.d4 trades White’s center pawn for Black’s c-pawn; White gets faster development and more space, Black gets an extra central pawn and the half-open c-file. 4...Nf6 attacks e4 and forces 5.Nc3, which defends it. Black’s fifth move chooses the system: 5...a6 is the Najdorf, which controls b5 and keeps options for ...e5 or ...e6.

A second common route is 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4, where Black develops a knight before committing the d-pawn. For what the engine recommends at move six of the Najdorf, and how to choose between three close moves, see the 1800 section of choosing the next move by rating.

French Defense

After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 Black challenges e4 at once and accepts a slightly cramped position in return for a solid pawn chain. White’s third move sets the character of the game. Stockfish lists:

The other main choice is 3.Nc3. It defends e4 with a developing move and allows the sharpest replies: 3...Bb4 (the Winawer) pins the knight, while 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 is the Classical line.

In the Advance, the standard sequence is 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6. Black piles up on d4. Here the engine’s top next move is 6.a3 (+0.65), ahead of 6.Na3 (+0.45) and 6.g3 (+0.29). The idea of 6.a3 is to prepare b4, gaining queenside space; if Black answers 6...c4 to stop it, the queenside closes and the play shifts to the kingside.

Caro-Kann Defense

After 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 Black supports d5 with the c-pawn, which keeps the light-squared bishop free to come out to f5 or g4. The engine puts White’s three main options almost level: 3.Nd2 +0.96, 3.Nc3 +0.92 and 3.e5 +0.89.

The Classical line runs 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7. Each White move has a job. 5.Ng3 attacks the bishop and gains time. 6.h4 threatens h5 to trap or drive the bishop back. 7.Nf3 develops and eyes e5. Black’s 6...h6 gives the bishop a retreat square, and 7...Nd7 stops Ne5.

In the Advance Variation, 3.e5 Bf5, the engine prefers 4.Be2 (+0.94), with 4.Nf3 and 4.a3 next at +0.78. The idea of 4.Be2 is quiet: develop, castle, and keep the e5 pawn as a space advantage. A natural continuation is 4...e6 5.Nf3.

Queen’s Gambit

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 White offers the c-pawn to pull Black’s d-pawn away from the center. It is not a true gambit, because Black cannot hold the pawn easily. Black has three main answers, and White’s best next move depends on which one comes.

Queen’s Gambit Declined, 2...e6. Stockfish lists 3.Nf3 +0.75, 3.Nc3 +0.62 and 3.e3 +0.58. A classical main line is 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4: White pins the f6 knight, builds a solid center and keeps the bishop on the h4-d8 diagonal after ...h6.

Queen’s Gambit Accepted, 2...dxc4. The engine prefers 3.Nf3 +1.03, then 3.Nc3 +0.91 and 3.e3 +0.86. The plan is to develop and win the pawn back with Bxc4. The direct 3.e4 grabs the center at once and is also played at every level.

Slav Defense, 2...c6. Black supports d5 with a pawn instead of the e-pawn, keeping the c8 bishop free. The main line is 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3, developing both knights before choosing a setup.

London System

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The London is a setup, not a single line. White plays d4, Bf4, e3, c3, Nd2 and Ngf3 against almost anything. After 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 Stockfish gives 3.e3 +0.47, 3.Nf3 +0.44 and 3.Nd2 +0.37.

The typical full setup is 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2 e6 6.Ngf3 Bd6 7.Bg3. 3.e3 opens the f1 bishop and supports d4. 4.c3 answers ...c5 by keeping a pawn on d4. 5.Nd2 goes to d2 rather than c3 because the c-pawn is already on c3. 7.Bg3 meets ...Bd6 by keeping the London bishop: if Black trades on g3, White recaptures with the h-pawn and gets a half-open h-file.

The main thing to watch is ...Qb6, hitting b2 once the dark-squared bishop has left c1. In the engine’s third line, 3.Nd2 c5 4.e3 Qb6 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.exd4 Qxb2 7.Rb1 Qxa2, Black takes two pawns. Know your answer to ...Qb6 before you play the London.

Summary of the next moves

The table collects the engine’s first choice at each decision point above. Use it as a quick reference, not a script: the second and third moves are close enough to play.

Stockfish, depth 18, three lines, evaluations from White’s side, checked November 12, 2026.

How to learn an opening’s next moves

Memorizing moves without ideas breaks down the first time an opponent leaves the book. A better routine: learn the first five or six moves of one opening for each color, write one sentence for the purpose of each move, and after every game check where you or your opponent left the main line. Put that position into an engine and compare your move with the top three. If your move was within about 0.30, keep it; if not, the line the engine shows is your next lesson. The method for that comparison is in our next-move thinking checklist.

Related guides

Each guide covers a different part of choosing your next move. Start with the one that matches the question you have right now.