1.e4 openings
Italian and Spanish: the two classic ways to go after the e5 pawn.
An opening is just the name for the first moves of a game. They have names because they have been played millions of times and the ideas behind them are known. You do NOT need to memorise any of them. What matters is recognising what each one is trying to do — and both of these try the same thing: after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, go after the e5 pawn or aim at f7.
The Italian. You saw the first three moves for each side back in module 1: pawns in the centre and the knight to f3, hitting e5. Now what comes next, and why.
The Spanish, also called the Ruy Lopez — the most studied opening in history. It starts identically, and on move three everything changes.
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