The best way to learn chess openings as a beginner is to focus on principles first and move lists second. Control the centre, bring out your knights and bishops, castle early and avoid wasting moves. Once those ideas feel natural, learning one setup for White and one reply for each of White’s common first moves is plenty.
Opening Principles
- Fight for the centre: pawns and pieces aimed at the four middle squares give your pieces more room.
- Develop pieces: move knights and bishops off the back rank before moving the same piece twice.
- Castle early: it tucks the king away and brings a rook toward the middle.
- Connect the rooks: clear the back rank so both rooks defend each other.
- Avoid early queen trips: the queen can be chased by smaller pieces and you lose time.
- Do not grab pawns at any cost: falling behind in development often costs more than a pawn is worth.
A Simple Learning Plan
- Play several games using only the principles above. Notice where your games go wrong in the first ten moves.
- Choose one opening as White, such as one that begins with the king’s pawn or the queen’s pawn, and learn its first five or six moves.
- Choose one reply as Black to the king’s pawn and one to the queen’s pawn.
- Read a short description of each plan in your own words: where the pawns go, where the pieces belong and where the king castles.
- Study a few model games that use your openings. See what typical middlegame plans look like.
- Play your openings repeatedly, then check each finished game to see where you left the plan.
Beware of Rote Memory
Memorizing long lines is risky for a beginner, since an opponent only has to make one unfamiliar move to leave your memory behind. Learn why each move is played. If you know why a knight sits on a square, you can find a good move when the game departs from the book.
Also learn the common traps at a basic level, such as quick attacks on the weak f-pawn, so you can avoid them and spot them against careless opponents.
Opening Topics to Study First
| Topic | What to learn |
|---|---|
| Open games | Both sides move the king’s pawn; fast development and tactics |
| Closed and semi-closed games | Queen’s pawn openings; slower plans and pawn structure |
| Gambits | A pawn offered for activity |
| Basic traps | Quick checkmate patterns to avoid |
FAQ
How many openings should a beginner know?
Very few. One setup as White and one reply to each of the two most common first moves cover most games you will play at first.
Do I need a book or a video course?
Either can help, but the best study comes from your own games. Look back at where you went wrong and fix that one thing next time.
The Short Version
Learn the ideas behind openings: the centre, development and castling. Keep your repertoire small, understand each move and let your own games show what to improve.
