Opening family
Vienna Game Lines and Variations
The Vienna Game family contains 41 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO C25 to C29. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- C25 · Vienna Game
- C25 · Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense
- C25 · Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense
- C26 · Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation
- C25 · Vienna Game: Fyfe Gambit
- C25 · Vienna Game: Giraffe Attack
- C25 · Vienna Game: Hamppe-Meitner Variation
- C25 · Vienna Game: Omaha Gambit
- C25 · Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation
- C26 · Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation
- C26 · Vienna Game: Mieses Variation
- C26 · Vienna Game: Stanley Variation
- C29 · Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit
- C25 · Vienna Game: Philidor Countergambit
- C25 · Vienna Game: Zhuravlev Countergambit
- C26 · Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Reversed Spanish
- C27 · Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
- C28 · Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation
- C29 · Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Main Line
- C29 · Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Steinitz Variation
- C26 · Vienna Game: Mieses Variation, Erben Gambit
- C26 · Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Eifel Gambit
- C25 · Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Meitner-Mieses Gambit
- C28 · Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Bronstein Gambit
Deep theory branches
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Bb3 Nc6 6. Nb5 g6 7. Qf3 f5 8. Qd5 Qe7 9. Nxc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8 b6 — Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3 g5 5. d4 g4 6. Bc4 gxf3 7. O-O d5 8. exd5 Bg4 9. dxc6 — Vienna Game: Pierce Gambit, Rushmere Attack
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3 g5 5. Bc4 g4 6. O-O gxf3 7. Qxf3 Ne5 8. Qxf4 Qf6 — Vienna Game: Hamppe-Muzio, Dubois Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. d3 Qh4+ 6. g3 Nxg3 7. Nf3 Qh5 8. Nxd5 — Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Wurzburger Trap
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Bb3 Be7 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Nxe5 — Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Alekhine Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3 g5 5. Bc4 g4 6. O-O — Vienna Game: Hamppe-Muzio Gambit
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bc5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nge2 d5 6. exd5 — Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation, Pollock Gambit
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Bb3 Nc6 6. d4 — Vienna Game: Adams' Gambit
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Qf3 f5 6. d4 — Vienna Game: Heyde Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Qe2 — Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Kaufmann Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bc5 5. Nge2 d5 — Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 Bc5 4. Bg2 h5 5. Nf3 h4 — Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation, Mariotti Gambit
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Bb3 Be7 — Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Monster Declined
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Qf3 f5 — Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 Be7 — Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Breyer Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Qg4 Qf6 5. Nd5 — Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Meitner-Mieses Gambit