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12 Best Chess Openings That Every Beginner Should Know
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BY
JACK PURSEY
UPDATED MAR 16, 2023
Newcomers to chess should consider learning the following twelve openings to ensure they get off to a good start as both White and Black.

(Left) black and white chess pieces (Right) ruy lopez chess opening on 2d board
Chess has enjoyed a sharp rise in popularity over the last year. This began 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 since.

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Furthermore, Netflix's hit series The Queen's Gambit spurred another wave of interest, which gave sites like Chess.com, Chess24, and Lichess huge increases in their player count. To help players who are new to the game, we've listed 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 March 16th, 2023, by Jack Pursey: Studying new openings can be a daunting task for newcomers to chess. Entire books have been written on chess openings, and many Grandmasters are still learning something new every day about opening patterns that have been around for centuries. However, learning new openings can also be great fun and is incredibly rewarding, as understanding even the basic principles of a handful of openings can significantly improve a beginner's game. To give newcomers to chess some more help, we've expanded this list of the best chess openings with some more useful information.



1
Scotch Game
Scotch Game on an online Chess board
The Scotch Game is an alternative to the popular Ruy Lopez system. The opening's main benefit is that it quickly gives White plenty of space, 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 to gain early space and avoid all of the theory that comes with playing the Ruy Lopez.

Example Game To Study
Kasparov, Garry vs Karpov, Anatoly (1990)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Nb6 9.Nd2 Qe6 10.b3 a5 11.Bb2 Bb4 12.a3 Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 d5 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Rc1 O-O 16.Rxc7 Qg6 17.f3 Bf5 18.g4 Bb1 19.Bb5 Rac8 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.O-O h5 22.h3 hxg4 23.hxg4 Bc2 24.Qd4 Qe6 25.Rf2 Rc7 26.Rh2 Nd7 27.b4 axb4 28.axb4 Nf8 29.Bf1 Bb3 30.Bd3 Bc4 31.Bf5 Qe7 32.Qd2 Rc6 33.Bd4 Ra6 34.Bb1 Ra3 35.Rh3 Rb3 36.Bc2 Qxb4 37.Qf2 Ng6 38.e6 Rb1+ 39.Bxb1 Qxb1+ 40.Kh2 fxe6 41.Qb2 Qxb2+ 42.Bxb2 Nf4 43.Rh4 Nd3 44.Bc3 e5 45.Kg3 d4 46.Bd2 Bd5 47.Rh5 Kf7 48.Ba5 Ke6 49.Rh8 Nb2 50.Re8+ Kd6 51.Bb4+ Kc6 52.Rc8+ Kd7 53.Rc5 Ke6 54.Rc7 g6 55.Re7+ Kf6 56.Rd7 Ba2 57.Ra7 Bc4 58.Ba5 Bd3 59.f4 exf4+ 60.Kxf4 Bc2 61.Ra6+ Kf7 62.Ke5 Nd3+ 63.Kxd4 Nf2 64.g5 Bf5 65.Bd2 Ke7 66.Kd5 Ne4 67.Ra7+ Ke8 68.Be3 Nc3+ 69.Ke5 Kd8 70.Bb6+ Ke8 71.Rc7 Ne4 72.Be3 Ng3 73.Bf4 Nh5 74.Ra7 Kf8 75.Bh2 Ng7 76.Bg1 Nh5 77.Bc5+ Kg8 78.Kd6 Kf8 79.Bd4 Bg4 80.Be5 Bf5 81.Rh7 Kg8 82.Rc7 Kf8 83.Kc6 Kg8 84.Re7 Kf8 85.Bd6 Kg8 86.Re8+ Kf7 87.Re7+ Kg8 88.Be5 Kf8 89.Ra7 Bg4 90.Kd6 Bh3 91.Ra3 Bg4 92.Re3 Bf5 93.Kc7 Kf7 94.Kd8 Bg4 95.Bb2 Be6 96.Bc3 Bf5 97.Re7+ Kf8 98.Be5 Bd3 99.Ra7 Be4 100.Rc7 Bb1 101.Bd6+ Kg8 102.Ke7 1-0

2
Italian Game
italian game chess opening on 2d board
The Italian Game is believed to have originated in the 15th century, making it one of the oldest openings still 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 as Black defends the e5 pawn that White is threatening.

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The move Bc4 has multiple purposes. It puts pressure on Black'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 the Fried Liver Attack.

Example Game To Study
Loyd, Samuel vs Rosenthal, Samuel (1867)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Be3 Bb6 6.Nc3 d6 7.h3 Na5 8.Bb3 Nxb3 9.axb3 Be6 10.Nb5 Bxe3 11.fxe3 c6 12.Nc3 Qc7 13.g4 a6 14.d4 O-O-O 15.d5 Bd7 16.g5 Ne8 17.Nd2 c5 18.Nc4 h6 19.Qh5 Rf8 20.gxh6 Rh8 21.hxg7 Rxh5 22.g8=Q Rxh3 23.Rxh3 Bxh3 24.Nb5 Qe7 25.Qh7 Bg4 26.Na7+ Kb8 27.Rxa6 Nc7 28.Ra5 Qf6 29.Qh1 Rh8 30.Qf1 Bf3 31.Nb6 Qh4+ 32.Kd2 Qg4 33.Qxf3 Qxf3 34.Nd7+ Ka8 35.Nc6+ Na6 36.Nb6# 1-0


3
Ruy Lopez
ruy lopez chess opening on 2d board
The Ruy Lopez is similar to the Italian Game, but with the bishop on B5 instead of C5. Like the Italian Game, it's a solid opening as 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 to take the knight as it doubles Black's pawns. However, this is a dubious strategy as, generally speaking, bishops are slightly better than knights.

It may seem that if Black plays a6, White can take Black's knight, then capture the hanging pawn on e5 with their knight once it recaptures the bishop. However, this would allow Black to play either Qe7 or Qg5, causing problems for White.

Example Game To Study
Kasparov, Garry vs Smyslov, Vassily (1981)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6 5.d4 exd4 6.c3 Bg7 7.cxd4 b5 8.Bc2 d6 9.d5 Ne5 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.a4 Bd7 12.Be3 Nf6 13.O-O O-O 14.Qd2 Ne8 15.Bc5 Nd6 16.axb5 Bxb5 17.Re1 Qd7 18.Nc3 Rfb8 19.b4 Bf8 20.Qg5 Qe7 21.Qe3 Qf6 22.Bd3 Bxd3 23.Qxd3 Nb5 24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Rxa8 Rxa8 26.Qxb5 Qa6 27.Qxa6 Rxa6 28.g4 Bd6 29.b5 Ra8 30.Bxd6 cxd6 31.b6 Rb8 32.Rb1 Kf8 33.Kf1 Ke7 34.Ke2 g5 35.Kd3 Kd7 36.Kc4 Rc8+ 37.Kb5 Rc2 38.Ra1 Rb2+ 39.Ka6 1-0


4
Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack
Nimzowitsch Larsen Attack on an online chess board
The Nimzowitch-Larsen Attack is named after Aron Nimzowitsch and Bent Larsen, who both commonly played 1.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 their dark-square bishop on 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 block White's dark-squared bishop with 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 are 1. 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.

Example Game To Study
Larsen, Bent vs Eley, Brian (1972)

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 d6 5.Ne2 Bd7 6.0-0 Be7 7.f4 e4 8.Ng3 0-0 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.c4 d5 11.Nc3 Re8 12.Rc1 Bg4 13.Nce2 Nd7 14.h3 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Nc5 16.Qg4 g6 17.f5 Nd3 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.Rf7 Kf7 20.Rf1 Bf6 21.Bxf6 1-0

5
Sicilian Defense
sicilians defense chess opening on 2d board
The Sicilian Defense has become the most common response to e5, so it's certainly worth learning the move as both White 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.

Example Game To Study
Fischer, Robert James vs Saidy, Anthony (1957)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 Bd7 7.Bb3 e6 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.Qe2 b5 13.Nxb5 Bxe4 14.Nxa7 e5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.Be3 Qb8 17.Nb5 Bc6 18.Nc3 Qb4 19.Rad1 Ra5 20.Rd2 Qh4 21.Bb6 Rc5 22.Rd3 Rb8 23.Bxc5 Bxc5+ 24.Kh1 h5 25.Qxe5 Ba7 26.Qg3 1-0

6
French Defense
french defense chess opening on 2d board
The French Defense is the third most common response to e4, with e5 being the second. The idea is that Black wants to counter White by 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 their light-squared bishop due to Black's pawn structure blocking it in. The most common continuation from this position is 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3, defending the e4 pawn with the knight.

Example Game To Study
Kosintseva, Tatiana vs Xu Yuhua (2006)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.O-O-O b6 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.h4 Be7 12.Neg5 Nf6 13.c3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 c5 15.Qc2 h6 16.Nh7 Re8 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.dxc5 Qe7 19.c6 Bxh4 20.Ba6 Bg5+ 21.Kb1 Rad8 22.Qe4 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Rd8 24.Bd3 Qc7 25.Rg1 Kf8 26.Qb4+ Be7 27.Qe4 Bf6 28.Qb4+ Kg8 29.Be4 Be5 30.Qc4 Rd2 31.a4 Kf8 32.Re1 h5 33.Bc2 Bf6 34.Qb4+ Be7 35.Qe4 Bf6 36.Qb4+ Kg8 37.Qe4 g6 38.Qe3 Rd8 39.Be4 Kg7 40.Rg1 h4 41.f4 Be7 42.f5 exf5 43.Bxf5 Bc5 44.Qf3 Rd2 45.Rg2 Qe5 46.Ka2 Bd6 47.Bd7 Qc5 48.Kb1 Qc4 49.Be8 Qb3 0-1

7
Caro Kann Defence
Caro Kann Defence on an online chess board
The Caro-Kann Defence is the fourth most popular response to 1. e4. The opening is similar to the French Defence (more on that later) 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.

Example Game To Study
Morozevich, Alexander vs Ivanchuk, Vassily (2004)

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.f4 e6 5.Nf3 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 8.Bb5+ Nd7 9.O-O a6 10.Be2 g5 11.g4 gxf4 12.gxf5 Nxf5 13.Nxf5 fxe3 14.Nc3 Rg8+ 15.Kh1 Qg5 16.Bf3 Nxe5 17.Qe2 Qxf5 18.Bxd5 Qh3 19.Bxb7 Ra7 20.Bf3 Bh6 21.Ne4 Ke7 22.Qe1 f5 23.Qb4+ Kf7 24.Qd4 Nxf3 25.Qf6+ Ke8 26.Qxe6+ Kf8 27.Qf6+ Rf7 28.Qd6+ Kg7 29.Rg1+ Kh8 30.Nf6 0-1

8
Scholar's Mate
scholars mate chess opening on 2d board
The Scholar's Mate isn't a great opening to learn when aiming for chess improvement, but it's handy to know to avoid 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.

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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 prevents White 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.

Example Game To Study
Fontes, Carlos vs Pina, Vladimiro (2001)

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Qf3 Bc5 4.a3 d6 5.b4 Bb6 6.Nc3 c6 7.Nge2 O-O 8.h3 Be6 9.d3 d5 10.Bb3 d4 11.Na4 Bc7 12.Nc5 Bxb3 13.Nxb3 Ne8 14.Ng3 g6 15.Bh6 Ng7 16.h4 a5 17.h5 axb4 18.Qg4 Qf6 19.Bg5 Qe6 20.Qh4 f6 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.Qh7+ Kf7 23.Nc5 Qe7 24.Rh6 Ke8 25.Qxg6+ Qf7 26.Qxf6 Rxa3 27.Rb1 Na6 28.Qxf7+ Kxf7 29.Nd7 Rg8 30.Nf6 Bd8 31.Nxg8 Bxg5 32.Rh8 Ra2 33.Nh6+ Kg6 34.Nhf5 Ne6 35.Nh4+ Kg7 36.Re8 Kf7 37.Rh8 Rxc2 38.Nf3 Bf6 39.Rh7+ Kg6 40.Rxb7 Nac5 41.R7xb4 Nxd3+ 42.Kd1 Nxb4 43.Rxb4 Rxf2 44.Rb6 Rxg2 45.Rxc6 Nd8 46.Nxe5+ Kg5 47.Nf3+ Kg4 48.Rxf6 Rxg3 49.Nxd4 Rd3+ 50.Ke2 Rxd4 51.Ke3 Ra4 52.Rf8 Ra3+ 53.Kf2 Ne6 54.Rf6 Nf4 55.e5 Ra5 56.e6 Re5 57.Kf1 Nxe6 58.Rf7 Nf4 59.Rf8 Kf3 0-1

9
Queen's Gambit
queens gambit chess opening on 2d board
The Queen's Gambit is an opening that new players may want to learn after watching the show of the same name. The move may seem odd to new players, as Black is free to take the unprotected c4 pawn. However, White is likely to win a pawn back. 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 will likely find themselves in an awkward position.

If Black doesn't take the pawn, then White enjoys decent control of the center and is free to start developing their pieces and get castled.

Example Game To Study
Kasparov, Garry vs Karpov, Anatoly (1986)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 O-O 7.Bd3 c5 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.O-O Bg4 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 d4 13.Ne4 Be7 14.Rad1 Qa5 15.Ng3 dxe3 16.fxe3 Qxa2 17.Nf5 Qe6 18.Bh6 Ne8 19.Qh5 g6 20.Qg4 Ne5 21.Qg3 Bf6 22.Bb5 Ng7 23.Bxg7 Bxg7 24.Rd6 Qb3 25.Nxg7 Qxb5 26.Nf5 Rad8 27.Rf6 Rd2 28.Qg5 Qxb2 29.Kh1 Kh8 30.Nd4 Rxd4 31.Qxe5 1-0

10
King's Indian Defense
kings indian defense chess opening on 2d board
The King's Indian Defense is a common response to White'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 is 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5. The move e5 challenges the center while White is ready to castle.

Example Game To Study
Robert Byrne vs Robert James Fischer (1963)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e3 O-O 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.O-O b6 10.b3 Ba6 11.Ba3 Re8 12.Qd2 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Rfd1 Nd3 15.Qc2 Nxf2 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Kg1 Nxe3 18.Qd2 Nxg2 19.Kxg2 d4 20.Nxd4 Bb7+ 21.Kf1 Qd7 0-1

11
London System
london system chess opening on 2d board
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 to play e3 on their next turn; this defends White's dark-squared bishop while 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 begin the mid-game.

Example Game To Study
Carlsen, Magnus vs Caruana, Fabiano (2017)

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.Bg3 O-O 8.Bb5 Bxg3 9.hxg3 Qb6 10.a4 h6 11.O-O Ne7 12.Qb3 Qc7 13.a5 Bd7 14.Be2 Ng6 15.Qa3 c4 16.b3 cxb3 17.Nxb3 Ne4 18.Rfc1 Bc6 19.c4 dxc4 20.Rxc4 Qd8 21.Nc5 Nd6 22.Rc2 Bd5 23.Bd3 b6 24.e4 bxc5 25.exd5 exd5 26.dxc5 Ne4 27.c6 Qc7 28.Qb3 Rfd8 29.Qb7 Rac8 30.Rb1 Qxa5 31.c7 Rf8 32.Qb5 Qa3 33.Qxd5 Nc3 34.Rxc3 Qxc3 35.Bxg6 Rxc7 36.Ne5 Qc5 37.Bxf7+ Rfxf7 38.Rb8+ 1-0

12
King's Indian Attack
kings indian attack chess opening on 2d board
The King's Indian Attack is a great opening for beginners as it's easy to learn, quickly gets 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.

Example Game To Study
Vaganian, Rafael A vs Sveshnikov, Evgeny (1980)

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.O-O Bf5 5.d3 e6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.Qe1 h6 8.e4 Bh7 9.Ne5 Nbd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.f4 O-O 12.Kh1 a5 13.g4 a4 14.f5 a3 15.b3 Re8 16.Rb1 exf5 17.gxf5 Qa5 18.exd5 cxd5 19.Qg3 Bb4 20.Nf3 Kh8 21.f6 Nxf6 22.Bxh6 Nh5 23.Qg4 Ra6 24.Ng5 Bg6 25.Nxf7+ Bxf7 26.Bxg7+ Nxg7 27.Rxf7 Bf8 28.Rbf1 Qc5 29.b4 Qd6 30.Rxg7 Bxg7 31.Qh5+ Qh6 32.Qxe8+ Kh7 33.Bxd5 Qh3 34.Be4+ Kh6 35.Rg1 1-0

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Jack Pursey
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Jack began working at Game Rant as a List writer and has worked his way up to the position of Evergreen Editor. Jack enjoys games from a wide range of genres but has a soft spot for puzzle and platform games.

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