Best Chess Openings for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Hundreds of named openings exist. Thousands of variations. Where do you start?
You don't need most of them. As a beginner, pick openings that are sound, easy to understand, and teach good habits. Here are solid choices for both colors.
Best Openings for White
The Italian Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4)
The Italian Game does everything a beginner opening should:
- Controls the center with 1. e4
- Develops a knight to its best square with 2. Nf3
- Develops the bishop actively with 3. Bc4, aiming at f7
Plans are simple: castle kingside, build up the center, look for tactics. You'll pick up piece development, king safety, and central control naturally.
The London System (1. d4 d5 2. Bf4)
If you prefer slower, more strategic games:
- Works against nearly any Black defense
- The setup is almost automatic: d4, Bf4, e3, Nf3, Bd3, Nbd2
- You avoid sharp theoretical fights in the opening
The London teaches pawn structures and long-term planning without making you memorize dozens of variations.
Best Openings for Black
Against 1. e4: The Scandinavian Defense (1. e4 d5)
The Scandinavian is beginner-friendly:
- Concrete: you challenge White's center immediately
- After 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5, your queen is safe and you develop normally
- Less theory than the Sicilian or French
You'll learn about piece activity and how to handle an early queen move.
Against 1. d4: The King's Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6)
The King's Indian gives you attacking chances:
- Your bishop goes to g7, controlling the long diagonal
- The pawn structure tells you what to do in the middlegame
- You often get kingside attacks
This opening teaches fianchetto setups and how to play for the initiative.
Tips for Learning Your First Openings
- Understand the ideas, not just the moves. Know why each move is played.
- Start with the main line only. Sidelines can wait.
- Play games with your openings. Theory doesn't stick until you use it.
- Use spaced repetition. AnkiChess schedules reviews so you don't forget what you've learned.
- Stick with your openings. Don't switch every week.
How Many Openings Do Beginners Need?
Three:
- One opening for White (Italian Game or London System)
- One defense against 1. e4 (Scandinavian)
- One defense against 1. d4 (King's Indian)
That covers everything. Expand later once you've hit 1500+.
Get Started
Pick one opening from each category. Learn it properly before adding more. Spaced repetition will get these into long-term memory faster than cramming.
Try AnkiChess if you want annotated openings with the ideas explained.