Best Chess Openings for Beginners

Both 1.e4 and 1.d4 are good first moves. 1.e4 tends to give open, tactical games where fast development matters most. 1.d4 tends to give slower games built around a solid pawn center.

• Italian Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4

  The bishop goes to c4 and aims at f7, the weakest square in Black's camp. A classic plan is c3 and d4 to build a full pawn center, then castling and bringing out the remaining pieces. The ideas barely change from game to game, which is why the Italian is the classic first opening for White.

  Italian Game course

• Scotch Game

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4

  Instead of developing a bishop first, White opens the center on move three. After 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 White has a centralized knight and open lines for the other pieces. There is less theory than in the Ruy Lopez, and the open positions teach you to develop quickly and punish slow play.

  Scotch Game course

• London

  1.d4 d5 2.Bf4

  White plays d4, develops the bishop to f4 early, and then builds the same setup against almost anything: pawns on c3, d4 and e3, knights on f3 and d2, the other bishop on d3, and short castling. You learn one structure instead of many variations, which leaves more study time for middlegames.

  London course

Against 1.e4 you want a defense that reaches familiar positions whatever White tries. All three below challenge White's e-pawn with ...d5 within the first two moves.

• Caro-Kann

  1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5

  Black supports the d5 push with the c-pawn, so the center is solid and the light-squared bishop is not shut in behind its own pawns. Black's pawn structure stays healthy in almost every line, and the endgames are usually comfortable. It suits players who prefer a sound position to early tactics.

  Caro-Kann course

• Scandinavian Defense

  1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5

  Black challenges e4 on the very first move. Bringing the queen out early breaks a beginner rule, but on a5 it is harder to chase than on d5, and Black develops around it with ...Nf6, a bishop to f5 or g4, and ...c6. White has few good ways to avoid it, so you reach familiar positions in most games.

  Scandinavian Defense course

• French Defense

  1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5

  Black builds a pawn chain on e6 and d5, then attacks White's center with ...c5. The plans are clear and repeat from game to game. The cost is the light-squared bishop, which is blocked by the e6-pawn, so part of learning the French is learning how and when to free it.

  French Defense course

The simplest answer to 1.d4 is 1...d5, claiming an equal share of the center. The main test that follows is 2.c4, the Queen's Gambit, where White offers a pawn to pull Black's d-pawn away from the center.

• Queen's Gambit Declined

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

  Black declines the pawn and supports d5 with the e-pawn. The usual setup is ...Nf6, ...Be7, castling and ...Nbd7: a solid position with a sound pawn structure that strong players have trusted for over a century. The price is the light-squared bishop, which the e6-pawn shuts in until Black frees it, often with ...b6 and ...Bb7. The Chessreps course, by a titled player, teaches it from Black's side.

  Queen's Gambit Declined course

• Albin Countergambit

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4

  A more active answer to the Queen's Gambit. Black gives up a pawn, and after 3.dxe5 d4 the pawn on d4 cramps White's development. Black develops quickly, often castles queenside, and attacks. There are traps to know, including the Lasker Trap after 4.e3?, but careful White play keeps a small edge, so treat it as a fighting weapon rather than a safe default.

  Albin Countergambit course

Openings to save for later

Trap gambits such as the Stafford Gambit and the Englund Gambit win quick games against unprepared opponents, but they rely on the opponent going wrong, and correct defense leaves Black worse. Sharp, theory-heavy openings like the King's Indian Defense and the main lines of the Sicilian are excellent, but they make more sense once you are comfortable with the plans above.