2025 December Opening of the Month Community Vote

[crisp hound]

Opening of the Month is our community vote survey to pick a winner among varied openings choices. The top choice after the deadline each month will be featured in our weekly Rapid Opening Roulette events and our monthly Official Thematic Daily Chess tournaments for the subsequent month.

The Rapid Opening Roulette is a weekly Chess.com Community club arena happening every Monday, featuring a different opening position every month. The time control is 10+0 rapid, games are unrated. To participate you must have played at least five games on Chess.com.

The Official Thematic Daily Chess tournaments are one of our monthly competitions in the daily/correspondence format, spread across multiple rating ranges per each tournament category. Thematic tournaments are set to start midway through the 2nd half of each month, featuring the top voted opening across Chess.com + Discord community votes.

Submissions close in 7 days so be sure to cast your vote by then, and happy chessing!

[main linden]

Third

*first

[dusk lance]

Fiancheeto the bishop

[wise fern]

dawg what are these options 😭

[torpid compass]

lol

[rapid star]

[distant grove]

Sigma sigma boi

[crimson quest]

hahaha

[reef gorge]

pirc has the coolest name

[brisk void]

can someone explain the difference to me

[blissful estuary]

[dreamy wharf]

ye fr

[spice gale]

Pirc is better

[rain jewel]

Hypermodernism sucks anyway

[spice gale]

Imo

[dreamy wharf]

pirc underrated

[distant grove]

brr brr patepim

[spice gale]

Not the brainrot bruh

[distant grove]

[native quarry]

I've never heard of any of this opening's

[dusky bridge]

VOTE TARRASCH DEFENSE

[dusk lance]

The King’s Indian is what pirc wants to be but it’s a fraud

[dreamy wharf]

bcs u're 400elo

[fluid pike]

Yeah vote pls

[nimble schooner]

Zukertort Opening best (bait)

[dreamy wharf]

probably

[brisk void]

I think the whole chat has the braunrot

[distant grove]

[spice gale]

Whats ur elo guys

[fluid pike]

Nah just one lol

[dreamy wharf]

2100

[final sun]

Idek half these openings😭😭

[native quarry]

I am 😭😭😭

[dusk lance]

1600

[final sun]

800

[spice gale]

Damnn
Nicee

[cursive rapids]

Wanna play

[spice gale]

W dude

[manic vigil]

E

[native quarry]

I wanna

[final sun]

I bet I can beat you

[fluid pike]

2k381rapid

[midnight frigate]

COMON PEOPLE BIRDS PLEASE

[cursive rapids]

Your elo

[fluid pike]

you

[spice gale]

[final sun]

I'm 800

[dusk lance]

The bird is just so weird

[fluid pike]

Bro 😅

[native quarry]

Rapid 283

[hollow shoal]

Nah man the pirc needs some more votes ngl

[final sun]

I picked the kings fianchetoo cause idk the other ones

[final sun]

😭

[wise fern]

tarrasch might be the only one of these that actually looks fun tbh, never played any of them though

[hollow shoal]

Damn, the birds and pirc are cool af and very fun to play ngl, allthough i got no clue what a tarrasch

[ocean condor]

l bro pirc dih fence

[dusk lance]

Tarrasch seems to positional for me

[final sun]

I need to look into them

[final sun]

😭😭😭sonn😭😭😭

[dusk lance]

Just let me attack 🔥

[hollow shoal]

Nah man the pirc is great

[wise fern]

tarrasch looks like it allows for some attack tho or does it not?

[ocean condor]

ikik thats wat im sain

[dusk lance]

I thought it didn’t I might be miss remembering though

[hollow shoal]

Guess i missunderstood then

[ocean condor]

frfr

[wise fern]

i have never played it in my life tho but 4 pawns attacking each other in the center on move 3 kinda looks like it does

[hollow shoal]

Can someone tell me what the tarasch even is? Never even heard of it tbh

[wise fern]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5

[dusk lance]

It just allows for more trades tbh, I don’t think there’s that much imbalance

[wise fern]

yeah maybe, idk i just play dutch its like the only imbalanced way to play against the snoozefest that is 1. d4

[dusk lance]

Seems like you have an isolated queens pawn as black hmm that might be interesting

Then you develop quick perhaps

[hollow shoal]

Ah idk if i like that tbh

[foggy granite]

Is there prize for this arebay

[wise fern]

i mean there really isnt a great option here lmao

[dusk lance]

I try to play the kings indian but it’s much theory for me to handle sometimes 😅

[foggy granite]

Prize is there ?

Like memeber

Ship

[wise fern]

kings indian 😭

[dusk lance]

Yuh that’s what it’s called

[wise fern]

ik what it is its just not the kind of opening id classify as very fun but i am not a 2k elo player at the end of the day so what do i know

[dusk lance]

It depends on how you play it tbh there’s many ways to go about it

[wise fern]

isnt it just surrender the center for... reasons opening?

[dusk lance]

It’s the i’m gonna give you the center then counter attack with a pawn break opening

[hollow shoal]

It can be fun

Like once in a while

[wise fern]

😔

[hollow shoal]

If the stars are alligned

[dusk lance]

So where do the stars have to be

[wise fern]

thats so great

[hollow shoal]

God knows if i knew that id be having fun playing that opening

[wise fern]

why are yall playing it then 😭

[dusk lance]

I need to watch more Nairoditsky games he’s played it a lot

[hollow shoal]

Im not

I just tip my toes into it once in awhile to see if im magically having fun now

And 9 times out of 10 i dont

[wise fern]

what you playing anyways then?

[hollow shoal]

Scandi

(Im not playing the scandi)

[dusk lance]

I’m free styling on them

Make them just as confused as me lmao

[wise fern]

😔 also scandi against d4 aint no god damn way

[hollow shoal]

However much you freestyle ur style wont be more free then what they pulled on me in that game

10 inaccuracies in the opening alone

[dusk lance]

Bro has the type of freedom that makes you stupid

[wise fern]

if you dont play 1. b4 what are you even doing smh (also you gotta add a trigger warning when showing the london system)

[dusk lance]

[hollow shoal]

(Nah i aint adding a trigger warning i like watching people suffer)

[wise fern]

😭😭

[dusk lance]

Anyways see ya nice talking :>

[hollow shoal]

But ye usualy i dont play the london im more of a berlin defence enjoyer

[royal tree]

Tarrasque defense
Those who know

[urban ibex]

Hear me out kings fianchetto

[lunar wharf]

Absolute hater of the pirc for me

[woeful portal]

King's fianchetto is kinda old I'd rather those more offensive (less sneaky) like the Pirc

[astral shadow]

i like king fiancheeto

[digital isle]

only goood opening here for me is king's fianchetto

[merry thistle]

https://tenor.com/view/katniss-everdeen-jennifer-lawrence-the-mocking-jay-the-hunger-games-gif-8640100

[final elbow]

elephant gambit

[umbral notch]

Grob

[quasi panther]

Pirc was my goat when I was an intermediate player

[ionic sierra]

Birds opening is cheeks

Tarrasch and pircs defense are fine

kings fianchetto is the way

great development and chances of a different type of fried liver

[minor hill]

You've got to broaden your perspective, mate :P.

[main linden]

😊