So what does a FIDE World Champion and world-class opening theoretician actually play? Kasimdzhanov’s repertoire is exactly what you’d expect from a man who writes opening theory for a living: classical, principled, and full of lines he understands better than almost anyone. Here’s the tour — with a link to a full guide for each opening so you can learn to play them yourself.
As White: 1.e4 and the Sicilian battleground
Kasimdzhanov is a classical 1.e4 player, and that means he’s spent a career facing — and studying — the Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5), the sharpest, most combative reply Black has. The Sicilian leads to rich, double-edged middlegames where concrete calculation and home preparation decide everything, and that plays straight into his strengths. For a deeply-prepared theoretician, the main-line Sicilian is a dream: a century of theory to master, endless room for a prepared novelty, and real winning chances with the white pieces.
The main-line Sicilian is also a natural fit for how Kasimdzhanov thinks about chess. Because it’s so heavily analyzed, small differences in preparation get magnified — the player who has looked one move deeper at home often walks away with the point. That’s a game a lifelong theoretician is happy to play. It’s no surprise that when he wanted to press for a win with the white pieces, the Open Sicilian was frequently where he pointed the game.
As Black vs 1.e4: the McCutcheon French
Here’s where Kasimdzhanov’s personality really shows. His signature counter to 1.e4 is the French Defense — and specifically the sharp, uncompromising McCutcheon variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4.
Instead of meekly defending, Black pins White’s knight and provokes an immediate confrontation in the center. It’s principled, aggressive, and rich in ideas — exactly the kind of line where understanding beats memory. Kasimdzhanov championed the McCutcheon so thoroughly that he produced an entire repertoire course around it, effectively making it a calling card. If you like the French but want teeth, this is a fantastic model to study.
As Black vs 1.e4: the Berlin fortress
When Kasimdzhanov wants rock-solid rather than razor-sharp, he reaches for the Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6. The Berlin is famous as one of the toughest nuts to crack in all of chess — solid, resilient, and hard to beat even for the world’s best.
Having both the fiery McCutcheon and the granite Berlin in your back pocket is the sign of a complete player: one weapon to play for a win, one to be nearly impossible to beat. Which one comes out depends on the day and the opponent.
As Black vs 1.d4: the Modern Benoni and King’s Indian
Against 1.d4, Kasimdzhanov loves dynamic, imbalanced fighting structures. Chief among them is the Modern Benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6, and after 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6), where Black accepts a cramped center in exchange for active piece play and attacking chances down the half-open files.
He’s such a fan that he built a course dedicated to reviving the Benoni’s reputation — a very “Kasimdzhanov” move, taking an opening the theory books had cooled on and finding new life in it. He also draws on King’s Indian Defense ideas, another counterattacking system where Black lets White build a big center and then strikes back hard, usually with a thunderous kingside pawn storm. Both openings reward exactly what he’s best at: understanding sharp, unbalanced positions from the inside out.
What ties the Benoni and King’s Indian together is a shared philosophy — Black deliberately gives White something (space, a big center) in return for long-term attacking chances and dynamic piece play. These aren’t openings you can play on autopilot; they demand that you understand the resulting plans deeply, or you get steamrolled. That’s precisely why they suit a theoretician like Kasimdzhanov, and why they’re such rewarding openings to study if you want to become a more dynamic, plan-driven player yourself.
The solid side: Queen’s Gambit Declined structures
Kasimdzhanov isn’t all fireworks. Like every complete grandmaster, he’s perfectly comfortable in classical, dependable Queen’s Gambit Declined setups when the situation calls for a sound, low-risk game. That range — a fighting Benoni one day, a rock-solid QGD the next — is what lets him steer a game toward whatever kind of fight he wants.
Why his repertoire is worth copying
There’s a genuinely useful lesson hiding in Kasimdzhanov’s opening choices: build a repertoire around understanding, and give yourself both a sword and a shield.
- A sharp weapon (his McCutcheon French, his Benoni) gives you something dangerous when you want to play for a win.
- A solid default (his Berlin, his QGD structures) means you’re never in trouble straight out of the opening.
- A classical main line as White (his 1.e4) keeps giving you good positions for a lifetime and rewards the study you put in.
And the golden thread through all of it: Kasimdzhanov plays openings he understands, not just openings that look scary. You don’t need to memorize reams of theory to follow his example — start by learning the plans behind one opening from each category and you’ll already be ahead of most casual opponents.
Keep exploring
See these openings do damage in his best games, learn how he uses them in his playing style, or head back to the full Kasimdzhanov profile. Ready to learn one? Start with the French Defense guide or the Benoni guide.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, his FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Positions engine-verified for legality · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.