Top Ten Chess Openings to Try!
Introduction
An 800 year old classic, Chess is a popular strategy game where two players match wits and pull tactics out of their sleeves, while working on bringing about a masterplan from start to end. Specialized pieces are played in tandem with common pawns, in an effort to capture territory and secure key positions on the 8x8 board. This masterpiece of a strategy game links together art, math, psychology and philosophy together. Although chess is not a physical sport, it can often turn quite violent!
Every aspiring chess player needs to learn their opening theory in order to play, and this guide is meant to help you. Each of these openings have their own character and philosophies, from the solid Caro-Kann to the destructive Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile gambit. It’s your choice to play it safe, or go for high-risk-high-reward!
King’s Knight Gambit
The King’s Knight Gambit is a well-known gambit, as well as the smarter variation of the King’s Gambit. The King’s Knight Gambit gambits away a pawn (don’t worry, you’ll make it even later!) in order to gain an open f-file and secure position on the right side of the board. If black has met the king’s pawn play with their own pawn in the center, white can tempt black by playing pawn f4. If black takes the pawn, white’s right-hand knight will move to g3 (to discourage the queen from interfering), and their bishop will secure the open diagonal to the f7 square, allowing for a king-side castle with open file to place additional pressure on black’s weak spot. White can then move their queen pawn to d3 to attempt to capture the black pawn on f4, as well as create a semi-Slav triangle at the same time. All-in-all, this opening is solid for a beginner and one of my favorites (even though it may appear a bit dull).
Accelerated Dragon
The accelerated dragon is a peculiar opening that intends to bring in a fianchetto, where white’s bishop asserts its dominance over a large diagonal of the board (like a dragon’s precise flame enveloping this area). Keeping its bishop protected within its ranks, white aims to discourage black from encroaching on the squares of this diagonal and thus gains a tactical advantage. This line is quite advanced, even for me, so new players are encouraged to learn about easier openings before testing the dragon.
Caro-Kann
In the Caro-Kann, black digs its trenches and creates a solid pawn structure to use in the endgame. The Caro-Kann is a popular retort to the classic pawn e4, moving black’s pawn to c6 to support moving the queen pawn all the way ahead. This opening is fairly simple for beginners to understand, and promotes a safe style of play.
French Defense
Second only to the Sicilian in player-popularity, the French Defense is another tried-and-tested response to white’s King’s Pawn opening. However, instead of moving a pawn to e4, black instead opts to move its king pawn one square ahead to support its queen pawn. The Caro-Kann still shares the same principle; introduce the queen pawn to the center and create tension between both players.
The Sicilian
The Sicilian is widely recognized as the most successful play against the King’s Pawn; almost a quarter of all games use the Sicilian! This sneaky bastard intends to unbalance the center of the board by striking it from the side! Black moves their cowardly pawn to c5, avoiding direct contact with white in the region, as well as rejecting a potential pawn exchange. I would not recommend the Sicilian to a beginner, however, unless they intend to zealously memorize the endless variations that the opening can evolve into.
The Whale
Why let black have all the fun? The Whale challenges stereotypes by having white move their pawn to c4, unbalancing the board before black even has a chance to react! Just like the Sicilian, the Whale may be a tad-bit hard to play, so its recommended to brush up on your opening principles before trying it out.
Staunton-Cochrane Variation
Still intend on playing the King’s Pawn and unbalancing the center? Fear not, there’s a cheeky move just for you! In this variation of the Sicilian (one of my favorite, to be honest), black plays the Sicilian as normal. However, white strikes back with pawn c4! This position can support a semi-Slav or Slav-like tendencies, so make sure to develop your minor pieces and castle to secure a comfortable hold in the middle-game. After all, a good investment is what you need.
Italian Game and the Traxler
One of the most famous pieces of opening theory is the Italian Game. This beloved line features meeting king pawns in the center, with opposing knights competing for the square e5 and a white bishop aiming for black’s critical f7 square. The aim of this opening is for white’s knight to mosey on over to g5, looking to capture f7 and force black to choose between their queen and rook (black will naturally choose to save the queen, of course).
However, there is one absolutely poisonous move that will throw white off completely; the infamous Traxler. Black will introduce their black bishop to c5, and when knight takes f7, black’s bishop will lunge at f2 in defiance, striking off a series of maneuvers that will leave white scarred from the whole affair. Learning this as a beginner will surely make your climb up to the top that much easier!
Ruy-Lopez
The Ruy Lopez is a boring opening similar to the Italian Game, where white opts to pin black’s knight to their king with their white bishop instead of taking the long diagonal and targeting f7. The Ruy Lopez is often used when white wants to take black’s knight out of the game and castle peacefully, looking to transition into the middle game early and protect their investments. A solid all-round choice for beginners, I give it a 7 out of 10.
Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Gambit
The best opening on this list! The ICBM is a murderous, dangerous gambit that aims to assassinate black’s queen from across the board. In this gambit, white plays a knight to f3. Black must respond with the Scandinavian Defense (queen pawn all the way into the center) for the gambit to take place. Good news is, it’s all smooth-sailing from here! White gambits away their king pawn in order to lure black into attacking their knight; after that, white intrudes on black’s territory to target the pawn, prompting their knight to come out to counter-defend the foot-soldier. Now, white gambits away yet another pawn (queen to d3) to lure black in. Gladly, black takes, allowing for white to recapture the square with the light bishop.
At this point, black grows frustrated with white’s knight in their territory, and commits a fatal error; they move their rook pawn to h6 to attack white’s knight. Immediately the knight springs into action, and tackles f7! Confused, black’s king will take the knight to prevent losing their queen or rook, and it’s all game-over from here. The white bishop will move to g6 to check the king, and the silo has been opened! With this brilliant double sacrifice, the queen pounces across the board onto her nemesis, destroying black’s territorial integrity and dreams and leaving behind total devastation and destruction. At this point, all black can do is capitulate as white rejoices with a hard-earned victory!
This is one of the few openings on this list that I recommend to beginners, simply because of the naturalness behind the moves and the lessons in positional and tactical play.
