Chess openings for beginners: principles and simple openings to start with

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Beginners often think good chess starts with memorising long sequences of opening moves. It does not. At the start, understanding a few principles is worth far more than knowing lines by heart, because your opponents will leave the book within a few moves anyway. This guide covers those principles and then a few beginner-friendly openings to try.

The goals of the opening

The opening is roughly the first ten to fifteen moves. In that time you want to do three things:

Fight for the centre.
Develop your pieces.
Get your king to safety.

Almost every piece of opening advice comes back to these.

Fight for the centre

The four central squares (e4, d4, e5 and d5) matter because pieces placed in or near the centre control more of the board and can move quickly to either side. A common first move is to push a centre pawn two squares: 1.e4 or 1.d4 for White, and replies like 1...e5 or 1...d5 for Black. You do not have to occupy the centre with pawns; controlling it with pieces counts too. But giving it up entirely without a plan usually leaves you cramped.

Develop your pieces

Development means moving pieces off the back rank to active squares.

Bring out the knights and bishops first. A common rule of thumb is knights before bishops, since the knights' best squares are often clear early on.
Move each piece once in the opening if you can, rather than moving the same piece several times while others stay at home.
Do not bring the queen out too early. She can be chased around by smaller pieces, and each time she moves away your opponent develops with tempo.
Do not make too many pawn moves. One or two central pawn moves to open lines for your bishops are usually enough.

A quick check: after ten moves, how many of your pieces are still on their starting squares? If it is many more than your opponent's, something has gone wrong.

King safety

Castling, usually on the kingside, tucks the king behind a wall of pawns and brings a rook towards the centre. Many beginners delay it too long and get caught in the middle. Aim to castle early, and be wary of pushing the pawns in front of your castled king without good reason. Once the king is safe, connect your rooks (move the queen and minor pieces so nothing stands between the two rooks).

Common beginner mistakes

Grabbing pawns while undeveloped.
Moving the f-pawn early for White or Black, which weakens the diagonal towards the king.
Ignoring your opponent's threats. Before every move, ask what your opponent's last move threatened.
Falling for quick mates. A well-known trap uses a queen and bishop to attack the f7 square (or f2 for White) in the first few moves. Defend that square and develop your pieces normally, and it fails.

Openings to try

These are popular, sound, and built on the principles above. Learn the first few moves and, more importantly, the ideas behind them. For White after 1.e4 e5:

The Italian Game: White develops the kingside knight and points the light-squared bishop at f7, then castles. It leads to open positions with clear plans and is widely recommended to beginners.
The Scotch Game: White opens the centre early by pushing the d-pawn, leading to open, active play.

For White starting with 1.d4:

The London System: White sets up a similar structure of pawns and pieces against most replies. It is easy to learn, though it can become a habit that stops you learning other kinds of position.

For Black:

Against 1.e4, answering 1...e5 and developing naturally teaches you the most about open positions.
Against 1.d4, answering 1...d5 with solid development is a simple start.

There are many other good openings, and none of these is "best". Pick one for White and one or two replies for Black, and stay with them for a while so you learn the typical positions.

How to study openings

Learn ideas, not just moves. For each move, ask why it is played.
Review your games after playing: where did you leave your knowledge, and what did you do next?
Do not go too deep too early. A few moves of theory plus solid principles will serve you well for a long time. Tactics practice will gain you more than memorised lines at this stage.

Which opening do you play, or which one keeps beating you? Share it, and ask your questions, in the comments.