For a full Black repertoire, the longest and cheapest-per-hour option we found is IM John Watson's "Complete Opening Repertoire" at TheChessWorld (31 hours 51 minutes, USD 119.99 in search listings), but we could not open that page, so its contents are unchecked. The best-documented courses are ChessMood's two Black courses, and they do not add up to one repertoire: BlackMood answers 1.e4 with the French, and Rock 'n' Rolling with Black answers it with the Sicilian.
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Test depth: Public information only. Nobody at ChessCourseFinder has taken any of these courses. Facts below come from seller pages read on 8 November 2026 or from search listings, labelled as such.
How we compared them
This page compares complete Black repertoires, not single openings (those are on the opening pages such as the Caro-Kann, Queen's Gambit and Slav pages). The axis is what a course asks you to answer: which replies to 1.e4 and 1.d4 it lists. We counted 12 distinct full Black repertoire courses, only 3 page-read in that pass; counts for Chessable, TheChessWorld and Udemy are lower bounds. The ChessMood section lists below were read on 8 November 2026.
Do you need a complete Black repertoire course?
Probably not below about 1400. Chess.com's editorial list of Black openings for beginners (updated 9 April 2026) suggests learning one response to 1.e4 and one to 1.d4 and studying plans rather than memorising moves; that is an editorial opinion, not a measured result. A complete Black course makes sense once you have a defence you like and keep meeting lines it does not cover. Free route: Lichess has no paid tier, so you can keep your own repertoire for Black lines in a Lichess study, and it is worth checking the free Chessable courses for a repertoire for Black title before paying for one.
Theory load
Black has more first moves to prepare for than White, because White chooses the opening. A full repertoire needs a defence to 1.e4 and one to 1.d4, plus answers to 1.c4 and 1.Nf3. Coaches commonly call the Sicilian the heaviest 1.e4 defence and the Caro-Kann and French lighter, which is received wisdom rather than a measured result. The gap to watch for is a quiet White sideline, such as an early Bf4 or a g3 system, that your main-line study never touched. Courses that list flank openings address this; those that do not leave you to improvise.
Coverage matrix
"Listed" means the seller page shows a section for that line. "Not listed" means the section list has no such entry. Episode counts are the seller's.
| White's choice | ChessMood BlackMood (800-2000) | ChessMood Rock 'n' Rolling with Black (1500-2600) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 e5 | Not listed | Not listed |
| 1.e4 French Defense | Listed ("French Attack", sections of 2, 17, 5, 8, 6, 2, 5 and 1 episodes) | Not listed |
| 1.e4 c5 Sicilian | Not listed | Listed (Accelerated Dragon 21, Rossolimo 8, Alapin 6, Sicilian Sidelines 13) |
| 1.d4 d5 / QGD / Slav | Not listed | Not listed |
| 1.d4 f5 Dutch | Listed ("Dutch Attack", seven sections) | Not listed |
| 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 (Benko) | Not listed | Listed (31 episodes) |
| English (1.c4) | Listed (3 episodes) | Listed (10 episodes) |
| Larsen 1.b3, Bird 1.f4, Grob, 1.g3, Sokolsky | Listed (1 to 4 episodes each) | Not listed; "Countering d4 Sidelines" 3 episodes and Maroczy sections |
Reading it: BlackMood is built on the French and the Dutch plus a quick pass through flank openings, which is a coherent repertoire for a player who likes those structures but not for one who plays 1...e5 or the Caro-Kann. Rock 'n' Rolling with Black is concentrated on Sicilian and ...c5 structures. Neither section list names 1.d4 d5 lines. A Caro-Kann plus Slav player would not find their repertoire in either.
The best-documented complete Black repertoire courses
Prices are listed prices as of 8 November 2026 and carry the currency shown. Confirm on the seller's page before paying.
| Course | Author | Seller | Price | Listed length | Evidence | Honest limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Course, BlackMood Openings | GM Avetik Grigoryan (as shown on page) | ChessMood | USD 250 course-only (page shows "$", no currency code), or inside a subscription | 4h 43m, 99 episodes, 135 puzzles | Page-read | About USD 53 per listed hour at the course-only price (calculated). 24 lessons and 21 puzzles are marked unlocked. No date. Seller range 800 to 2000, rating system not named. |
| Rock 'n' Rolling with Black | GM Avetik Grigoryan (as shown) | ChessMood | USD 150 course-only | 9h 55m, 102 episodes | Page-read | About USD 15 per listed hour (calculated). 22 lessons and 45 puzzles are marked unlocked. Seller range 1500 to 2600. No date. |
| Complete Opening Repertoire (Black vs 1.d4 and 1.e4; ICC course) | IM John Watson | TheChessWorld | USD 119.99 | 31h 51min | Search listing, 8 Nov 2026; we could not open the product page directly | The listing gives a range of 1200-2000 (rating system not named). About USD 3.77 per listed hour (calculated). No date. |
| Surprise Weapons against 1.e4: The Practical 1...e5 Repertoire, Vol. 1 and 2 | Michael Kotyk | ChessBase | EUR 59.90 for both (sale from EUR 69.80), EUR 34.90 per volume | Not shown | Listing seen on the ChessBase shop search page | Covers 1.e4 only, by title. |
| 100 Repertoires: A Complete Black Repertoire; Full Black repertoire; 1.e4 e5!; The Club Player's Black Repertoire (1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5); A Complete Repertoire Against Everything but 1.e4 | Not seen | Chessable | Not seen | Not seen | Search listings, 8 Nov 2026; we could not open the product pages directly | Titles only. Prices and access terms unverified. |
| Chess Openings: Complete Repertoire for Black | Not seen | Udemy | Not seen | Not seen | Search listing; not opened | Snippet says intermediate. |
Chessable's search listings show "The Club Player's Black Repertoire" as separate titles for 1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5, so a full set may mean buying at least two (prices and access terms unverified). For beginner-oriented Black courses we saw Chessable's "Winning with Black: The Ultimate Repertoire for Beginners" and Sielecki's "My First Opening Repertoire for Black" in search listings with no price; see the beginner repertoire page. Use the price-per-hour calculator to check your own figures.
Choosing between them
BlackMood's page marks as unlocked only the Introduction, the French introduction and the French section against 3.e5 (24 lessons), so you can check the teaching style on one French line before deciding; no Dutch or flank-opening section is marked unlocked. ChessMood's Essential plan is $948 billed yearly as of 8 November 2026 (see ChessMood pricing and the ChessMood review), so a single course at its course-only price costs less than a year of that plan. ChessMood's course pages show which lessons are unlocked. For other Black repertoire platforms see the Chessable review.
Who should skip a complete Black repertoire course
Skip it if you are a beginner, if you already play a defence you like (an opening-specific page will serve you better, such as the Sicilian pages), or if you want low maintenance (see low-theory repertoire courses). White players should read complete White repertoire courses.
What the seller's pages do not tell you
- ChessMood's two Black courses answer 1.e4 differently (French in one, Sicilian in the other), and neither section list names 1...e5, the Caro-Kann or 1.d4 d5, so "BlackMood" does not cover every first move.
- BlackMood's section list spends 8 of its 24 numbered sections on the French and 7 on the Dutch, with one section on each flank opening (1 to 4 episodes each).
- At course-only prices, BlackMood costs about 3.5 times Rock 'n' Rolling with Black per listed hour, though the figures are the seller's and course hours are not study time.
- The Watson course is the longest and cheapest per listed hour of those we counted, but only a search listing supports it, so its contents and date are unconfirmed.
Map any course to your current lines with the repertoire course mapper; the method is in how to choose a chess course. Back to all opening pages.
Original test pending
We have not run an original test of any Black repertoire course. A real test would work through the unlocked sections, check which White set-ups each course covers in full, and compare the stated level with the content.