Chess openings for beginners

You do not need to memorise long lines to open a chess game well. A handful of simple principles will get you a good position in almost every game, and a couple of named openings give you a plan to follow.

This guide covers the principles first, then five beginner-friendly openings, then the most common early mistakes.

The five opening principles

1. Control the centre. Put a pawn on e4 or d4 (or answer with e5 or d5). The centre squares give your pieces the most room.
2. Develop your knights and bishops. Get them off the back row in the first few moves, usually knights before bishops.
3. Castle early. Castling tucks your king away and brings a rook towards the middle. Aim to castle within your first ten moves.
4. Do not move the same piece twice without a reason. Every move spent repeating is a move your opponent spends developing.
5. Keep your queen home early. Bringing her out too soon lets your opponent chase her with tempo-gaining moves.

Five openings worth learning

How to pick one

Choose one opening for White and one answer each to 1.e4 and 1.d4 as Black, and stick with them for a while. Playing the same positions again and again teaches you the typical plans faster than switching every game.

If you like attacking, try the Italian Game and the Sicilian. If you prefer calm, solid positions, try the London System and the Caro-Kann.

Early traps and mistakes to avoid

• Scholar's Mate (Qh5 and Bc4 hitting f7). Defend f7 with a knight on f6 or a pawn move like g6, and never leave it guarded only by the king.
• Grabbing pawns with the queen. Taking a far-off pawn often costs several moves and leaves your queen trapped or your king exposed.
• Moving the f-pawn early. It opens a diagonal straight to your king.
• Forgetting to castle. A king left in the middle is the most common reason beginners lose quickly.
• Playing too fast. Before every move, check what your opponent's last move attacks.

Practise against the computer

The best way to learn an opening is to play it. All In has chess against the computer at Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert, and free games allow take-backs, so you can try a line, see what goes wrong and try again. Free to play, virtual coins only, 18+.