Summary
Chesshas enjoyed a sharp rise in popularity recently. The spike began during COVID lockdowns, and increased when Chess.com created their first PogChamps tournament on Twitch in 2020, which proved extremely popular thanks to thanks to streamers like Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, xQc, and Ludwig. The tournament has gone from strength to strength since, with celebrities outside of Twitch like Gregor Clegane and Rainn Wilson competing in the tournament.
Netflix’s hit seriesThe Queen’s Gambitspurred another wave of interest, which gave sites like Chess.com and Lichess huge increases in their player count. To help players who are new to the game, here are some of the best openings to get started with.
Notations showing how the pictured games were reached will be on the right-hand side of each picture.For those who are yet to learn chess notation,a handy guide can be found here.
Updated on April 29th, 2024, by Jack Pursey:Thanks to online chess sites and databases, becoming an expert in several chess openings has never been easier. However, it is still important for players to go with an opening that suit their playing style; otherwise, they may get undone by their opponent in the mid-game. To help players pick their next opening to master, this list of thebest chess openingshas been updated to include some more information.
Breakdown of the Basic Opening Principles
Before diving into the openings, it’s worth listing some of the key opening principles. The following seven principles have been passed down through generations and used by Grandmasters for centuries.
Scotch Game
Gives Great Open Line to Both Bishops
The Scotch Game is analternative to the popular Ruy Lopez system. The opening’s main benefit is that it quickly gives White plenty ofspace, particularly for their two bishops, which are both given open diagonals.
The opening isn’t without its issues, as it swiftly releases the tension and can make White’s e4 pawn vulnerable later in the game. Still, it’s a great opening to learn for those who want togain early spaceand avoid all of the theory that comes with playing the Ruy Lopez.
Kasparov vs Karpov (1990)
Paulsen vs Winawer (1882)
Poobalasingam vs Radovanovic (2008)
Italian Game
Fight for the Center With Fast Development
The Italian Game is believed to have originated in the 15th century, making it one of theoldest openingsstill commonly used today. White and Black both get some control of the center and open up space for their queen and bishop with the e-pawn push. Both develop their knights asBlack defends the e5 pawnthat White is threatening.
The moveBc4 has multiple purposes. It puts pressure onBlack’s weak f7 square, develops a minor piece, helps control the center of the board, and allows White to castle on their next move. When playing as Black and in this position, be wary of the move Ng5, which sees White threaten to take the f7 pawn, forking the queen and rook. This is known as theFried Liver Attack.
Loyd vs Rosenthal (1867)
Short vs Aleksandrov (2004)
Botella vs Fernandez (2001)
Ruy Lopez
A Popular Alternative to the Italian Game with Similar Benefits
The Ruy Lopez is similar to the Italian Game but with the bishop on B5 instead of C5. Like the Italian Game, it’s asolid openingas White has good control of the center with their pawn and knight and can castle with their next turn. The most common response for White in this position is a6, forcing White to decide what to do with their bishop. It may seem tempting totake the knight as it doubles Black’s pawns. However, this is adubious strategyas, generally speaking,bishops are slightly better than knights.
It may seem that if Black plays a6, White can take Black’s knight, thencapture the hanging pawn on e5with their knight once it recaptures the bishop. However, this would allow Black to play either Qe7 or Qg5, causing problems for White.
Kasparov vs Smyslov (1981)
Morphy vs Loewenthal (1858)
Adams vs Kasimdzhanov (2004)
Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack
An Unorthodox Opening That Can Catch Players Unprepared
The Nimzowitch-Larsen Attack is named afterAron Nimzowitsch and Bent Larsen, who both commonly played1.b3 or 1. Nf3 2.b3.It’s an uncommon opening, especially at the beginner level, which makes it a good opening for newcomers to learn, as their opponent will likely be unprepared for it.
The Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack lets players put theirdark-square bishopon b2 early in the game, which helps to control the center and also gives White a dangerous weapon against Black’s kingside, especially if they castle on that side. A common tactic for Black is to try and blockWhite’s dark-squared bishopwith their pawn structure and to attack White’s kingside, which can be underdeveloped in the mid-game if White isn’t careful.
The two most popular continuations from this position are1. e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6 and 1. e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 d5 4. Bb5 Bd6. In both examples, White is trying to capture Black’s knight and then take their pawn, which would be undefended.
Larsen vs Eley (1972)
Schmidt vs Gallagher (2007)
Fischer vs Mecking (1970)
Sicilian Defense
The Most Popular Response to e4
The Sicilian Defense has become the most common response to e5, so it’s certainly worth learning the move as bothWhite and Black. However, the Sicilian Defense is a minefield when it comes to chess theory – entire books have been written about it. Therefore, the best strategy to adopt when encountering the opening as a beginner is to stick to basic opening principles –control the center of the board, develop pieces, and castle early.
The idea behind c5 for Black is that it discourages White from playing d4, their ideal move. The most common move for White in this position is to play Nf3, with the idea of pushing d4 next move. If cxd4, White has the move Nxd4.
Fischer vs Saidy (1957)
Polgar vs Sax (1990)
Akopian vs Sveshnikov (1993)
French Defense
Great for Players Who Want Closed Positions as Black
The French Defense is the third most common response to e4, with e5 being the second. The idea is thatBlack wants to counter Whiteby playing d5 next move, quickly challenging White for control of the center. It’s a solid move for Black, as it usually leads to closed positions in the mid-game. This is handy when learning the game or playing against a higher-rated opponent.
However, the increase in defense creates an offensive issue. The main one is that Black will likely struggle to develop theirlight-squared bishopdue to Black’s pawn structure blocking it in. The most common continuation from this position is2. d4 d5 3. Nc3, defending the e4 pawn with the knight.
Anastasian vs Lputian (2008)
Byambaa vs Lputian (2004)
Caro Kann Defence
Similar to the French Defence but With Better Chances to Develop the Light-Squared Bishop
TheCaro-Kann Defenceis the fourth most popular response to 1. e4. The opening is similar to the French Defence in the sense that Black ideally wants to play 2. d5, quickly challenging White’s e4 pawn for control of the center.
One of the main benefits of the Caro-Kann Defence in comparison to the French Defence is that Black’s light-squared bishop doesn’t tend to get blocked, though it does prevent Black from moving their knight to the c6 square.
Morozevich vs Ivanchuk (2004)
Marshall vs Capablanca (1927)
Nimzowitsch vs Capablanca (1927)
Scholar’s Mate
Every Player Must Learn This Opening to Avoid Falling Into Its Devastating Trap
The Scholar’s Mate isn’t a great opening to learn when aiming for chess improvement, but it’s important to know toavoid being beaten by it. White has checkmated Black in this position, as the king can’t escape White’s queen. Meanwhile, White’s bishop prevents Black from capturing it.
Thankfully, there are a few ways to combat this as Black. For starters, Black can play Nf6 on move 3, guarding the f7 square and simultaneously developing a minor piece. It also preventsWhite from moving their queen to h5, which is another way to deliver the early checkmate. Opening in this way isn’t a good strategy for White, as it usually puts them in a poor position in the middle game due to their awkwardly placed queen.
Fontes vs Pina (2001)
Queen’s Gambit
A Solid Gambit With Minimal Risk
The Queen’s Gambit is an opening that new players may want to learn after watchingthe popular show of the same name. The move may seem odd to new players, asBlack is free to take the unprotected c4 pawn.However, White is likely to win a pawn back before long. The most common way for White to win the pawn back is with the move e3, which opens up the bishop to capture Black’s pawn. Black can continue trying to defend the pawn, though they could soon find themselves in an awkward position if White knows what they’re doing.
If Black doesn’t take the pawn, thenWhite enjoys decent control of the centerand is free to start developing their pieces and get castled.
Kasparov vs Karpov (1986)
Spassky vs Fischer (1992)
Keene vs Briant (1988)
King’s Indian Defense
A Great Way to Protect the King and Castle Quick as Black
The King’s Indian Defense is a common response toWhite’s d4 and c4 moves. Black intends to play g7 within their next few moves, allowing them to castle and develop some center control with their pieces rather than pawns. Generally speaking, this opening allows both players to comfortably start developing their minor pieces. It also allows them to castle within the first ten moves without any real trouble.
A common continuation from this position is3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5. The move e5 challenges the center while White is ready to castle.
Byrne vs Fischer (1963)
Ivanchuk vs Radjabov (2009)
Najdorf vs Gligoric (1953)
London System
An Almost Fool-Proof Opening With Solid Development
The London System is very common for new players to learn as it usually allows White to safely develop their pieces and obtain a solid position moving into the mid-game. A common strategy for White in this position is toplay e3 on their next turn; thisdefends White’s dark-squared bishopwhile also allowing the light-squared to develop, letting White castle kingside.
A common continuation from here is 3. c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. c3 e6 6. Nbd2 Bd6, giving both players a solid position to beginthe mid-game.
Carlsen vs Caruana (2017)
Kamsky vs Aseev (1986)
Carlsen vs Laznicka (2019)
King’s Indian Attack
Easy to Learn and Gets the King Safe Early
The King’s Indian Attack is agreat opening for beginnersas it’s easy to learn, quicklygets White’s king safe, and isn’t a theoretical minefield like many of the e4 openings.
The King’s Indian Attack is similar to the aforementioned King’s Indian Defense, but with White having an extra tempo. The opening has similar benefits to the King’s Indian Defense, as White aims to control the center while developing pieces and can castle within their first few moves after moving their light-squared bishop to g2.
After fianchettoing the bishop and casting, it’s often a good idea to play d3. The purpose of d3 is that it stops Black from playing e4, opens a line for the dark-squared bishop, and also gives the b1 knight the option to go to the d2 square.
Vaganian vs Sveshnikov (1980)
Botvinnik vs Salamanca (1962)
Sasikiran vs Anand (2002)
Fischer Random Chess (Chess 960) Opening Advice
Fischer Random Chess (also known as Chess 960) was invented by legendaryGrandmaster Bobby Fischerand is a style of chess that randomizes the player’s home rank pieces, with the king still being someone in-between the two rooks to allow casting and with the bishops being on opposite-colored squares. White and Black have identical positions.
Bobby Fischer created this variation of the classic game in 1996 to remove opening memorization from the game – something that he felt was harming the game of chess and removing creativity. The chess variant has grown in popularity in recent years, and FIDE even sanctioned a Fischer Random Chess World Championship in 2019 and another in 2022.
Although Fischer Random Chess is designed to remove opening memorization from the game, that doesn’t mean players should throw any semblance of opening theory out of the window. In fact,players should still stick to the seven opening principles listed at the top of this article. Developing pieces, protecting the king, and controlling the center are all still key concepts that should be applied in Fischer Random Chess, and, generally speaking, a good player will reach a relatively normal-looking chess position by the time the mid-game begins.
