Best Chess Openings for Beginners

A good opening isn't a long memorized sequence. It's a reliable way to follow three principles — control the center, develop your pieces and get your king safe — so that you reach the middlegame with a sensible position. Pick openings whose ideas you understand, and play them every game until the moves feel natural.

What makes an opening good for beginners

• It follows the principles. Central pawns, knights and bishops out early, castling within the first ten or so moves. See chess opening principles for how each one works.
• The plan is the same most games. You can play it on ideas when your opponent leaves the main line.
• Mistakes aren't instantly fatal. Sharp gambits punish one wrong move; the openings below forgive a few.

Best openings for White

Italian Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4

The idea

Take the center with e4, develop the knight with tempo on e5, and point the bishop at f7 — the square next to Black's king that only the king defends.

Your plan

Castle, play c3 and d4 to build a bigger center, and bring the rest of your pieces out.

Watch out for

Moving the queen early to chase quick mates. If Black plays 3...Nf6, the Fried Liver Attack is a real option, but only once you know the line.

Study the Italian Game move by move

London System

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4, followed by e3, Nf3, Bd3, c3 and Nbd2

The idea

A fixed setup you can play against almost anything: a pawn triangle on d4, e3 and c3, with the dark-squared bishop developed before e3 locks it in.

Your plan

Complete the setup, castle short, then look for Ne5 and a kingside attack or a pawn break with c4 or e4.

Watch out for

Playing the setup on autopilot. If Black attacks b2 with ...Qb6, decide how to defend it before continuing.

Study the London System move by move

Queen's Gambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4

The idea

Offer the c-pawn to pull Black's d-pawn away from the center. It isn't a real gambit: if Black takes, White can usually win the pawn back.

Your plan

Develop with Nc3, Nf3 and a bishop to g5 or f4, and use your extra central space.

Watch out for

Trying to keep the pawn at all costs after 2...dxc4 — play e3 and Bxc4 to recover it instead of weakening your position.

Study the Queen's Gambit move by move

Best openings for Black against 1.e4

1...e5: Italian Game and Two Knights Defense

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 or 3...Nf6

The idea

Meet White's center with your own pawn and develop the same way White does. 3...Bc5 is calm; 3...Nf6 (the Two Knights) counterattacks e4.

Your plan

Develop both knights and the light-squared bishop, castle short, and challenge the center with ...d6 or ...d5 at the right moment.

Watch out for

After 3...Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5, recapturing with 5...Nxd5 allows the Fried Liver Attack (6.Nxf7). 5...Na5 is the main line.

Study the Two Knights Defense

Caro-Kann Defense

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5

The idea

Prepare ...d5 with ...c6 so you can challenge e4 with a pawn that is already supported.

Your plan

Develop the light-squared bishop outside the pawn chain (often to f5 or g4) before playing ...e6, then castle.

Watch out for

Playing ...e6 too early and trapping that bishop behind your own pawns.

Study the Caro-Kann Defense

Scandinavian Defense

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

The idea

Challenge e4 on move one and steer the game into a position you know, whatever White does.

Your plan

Put the queen on a5 (or d6), develop with ...Nf6, ...c6 and ...Bf5, and castle.

Watch out for

It breaks the "don't move the queen early" rule on purpose; don't let White gain more time by chasing it again.

Study the Scandinavian Defense

Best openings for Black against 1.d4

Queen's Gambit Declined

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

The idea

Keep a pawn on d5 and support it with ...e6 instead of taking on c4.

Your plan

Develop with ...Nf6, ...Be7 and ...O-O, then free your position with ...c5 or ...dxc4 followed by ...c5.

Watch out for

The light-squared bishop gets stuck behind e6; plan how it will come out (often ...b6 and ...Bb7).

Study the Queen's Gambit Declined

Slav Defense

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

The idea

Support d5 with the c-pawn, which keeps the diagonal open for the light-squared bishop.

Your plan

Develop the bishop to f5 or g4 before ...e6, then ...Nf6, ...Nbd7 and castle.

Watch out for

If you take on c4 later, know how you'll hold or return the pawn; don't weaken your queenside just to keep it.

Study the Slav Defense

The openings at a glance

Opening traps every beginner should know

You don't need to play these, but you need to recognize them — they decide a lot of beginner games.

• Scholar's Mate 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5 Nf6?? 4.Qxf7# — queen and bishop hit f7. Defend with 3...g6, and after 4.Qf3 cover f7 with 4...Nf6.
• Fool's Mate 1.f3 e5 2.g4 Qh4# — the fastest checkmate; a reminder not to open the diagonal to your king with f- and g-pawn moves.
• Légal's Mate — White ignores the bishop pinning the f3-knight to the queen, plays Nxe5 and offers the queen; if Black takes it, bishop and both knights deliver mate. A pin to the queen is not a pin to the king.
• Fried Liver Attack — a knight sacrifice on f7 against the Two Knights Defense when Black recaptures on d5 with the knight.

Openings to save for later

Sharp openings such as the King's Gambit and the main lines of the Sicilian Defense are excellent, but they reward knowing specific moves. Learn them once the principles are automatic and you can calculate a few moves ahead. Browse every opening in the openings library.

How to get good at your openings

1. Choose three: one for White, one against 1.e4 and one against 1.d4.
2. Play them every game for a few weeks, even when you lose.
3. Look back after each game at the first ten moves: where did you leave the principles, and what did your opponent do differently?

In games against the computer on NGChess, each of your moves is graded — from Brilliant to Blunder — and the opening is named as it appears on the board, so you can see where your opening went wrong while the game is still fresh.

Questions beginners ask

What is the best chess opening for a complete beginner?

The Italian Game. Every move follows the opening principles, so playing it teaches you why they matter.

Should beginners memorize openings?

Only the first few moves. Understanding the plan — where your pieces go and why — matters far more than memorizing long lines, because most opponents leave the book early.

Is the London System good for beginners?

Yes. It uses the same setup against almost every defense, so you spend your thinking time on the middlegame. Mix in other openings later so you also learn open positions.

What should Black play against 1.e4?

1...e5 is the most instructive choice. If you prefer fewer early tactics, try the Caro-Kann.

Teaching openings to a group? Start with the free chess lesson plans for teachers and coaches.