Basic Opening Strategy

General Principle #1: "Open with a central pawn."

Pushing one of your central pawns two squares forward is one of the best possible first moves
because it is one of the most direct ways to promote the development of your pieces and control
of the center. Examine the board below:

After 1. e4 White's pawn helps control vital central squares, specifically d5 and f5; in contrast,
moves like 1. a4 or 1. g4 would not. 1. e4 is also good because it doesn't get in the way of the
development of White's Knights to c3 and f3, their most natural squares; in contrast, moves like
1. c3 or 1. f3 would block those squares. 1. e4 also opens diagonals for the development of the
King-side Bishop and the Queen; in contrast, moves like 1. f3 or 1. h4 would not. With all of
this going for it, it's not hard to understand why 1. e4 is one of the most popular ways to open a
game, and arguably the best first move for novices, since it contributes to the development of the
pieces and control of the center in such a straightforward manner.

If 1. e4 is so good for White, then it should be no surprise that the follow-up 1...e5 is good for
Black. Examine the board below:
 Everything that 1. e4 does for White, 1...e5 does for Black. Black stakes a claim in the center
and plans quick development. These symmetrical e-pawn openings are referred to as the "Open
Games." This is because they have a tendency to give rise to early pawn exchanges in the
center, creating "open" positions in which both sides' quickly developed pieces have great
freedom of movement, and are therefore more likely to come into conflict early in the game. As
a result, the Open Games are known for their fighting, tactical character.

There are other perfectly good first moves, of course. We can't go through every single one of
them right now, but we should examine at least one more. Examine the board below:

After 1. d4 White's pawn helps control vital central squares, specifically c5 and e5. 1. d4 is also
good because it doesn't get in the way of the development of White's Knights. 1. d4 also opens a
diagonal for the development of the Queen-side Bishop. Unlike 1. e4, it doesn't open a diagonal
for the Queen, but that's okay. As we'll soon see, it's not usually a good idea to develop the
Queen early anyway.

If 1. d4 is so good for White, then it should be no surprise that the follow-up 1...d5 is good for
Black. Examine the board below:
 Everything that 1. d4 does for White, 1...d5 does for Black. Unlike the Open Games, these
symmetrical d-pawn openings do not usually give rise to early pawn exchanges in the center.
Both sides' pieces have less freedom of movement, and are therefore less likely to come into
conflict early in the game. Thus, symmetrical d-pawn openings are referred to as the "Closed
Games" and are known more for their subtle, strategic character.

Again, there are other perfectly good first moves, such as 1. c4 and 1. Nf3, but they are a bit
more subtle, and best left to more advanced players.

Basic Opening Strategy

General Principle #2: "Don't make any more pawn moves than necessary."

Every time you're thinking about moving a pawn during the opening phase of the game, ask
yourself: "Does it help me to control the center? Does it assist in the development of my pieces?
Does it serve some other specific purpose, like protecting me against one of my opponent's
threats?" If the answer to all of these is "No" then the pawn move is probably a waste of time (at
best) or a downright mistake (at worst). Consider the following moves:

1. e4

White opens with a central pawn, which helps to control the center and develop the pieces (as we
saw in "General Principles #1").

1...f6?
 Black moves a pawn for no good reason. The only remotely redeeming quality of this move is
that it helps to control the central e5 square. However, Black could protect the e5 square with a
developing move like 1...Nc6, or stake a claim further in the center with a move like 1...e5.
1...f6 is also a weak move because it doesn't prevent White from playing 2. d4 (the way 1...e5
does, for example), setting up the perfect classical pawn center (see the note after the next
move). 1...f6 is also bad because it blocks the most natural square for the development of
Black's Kingside Knight. Another bad thing about 1...f6 is that it weakens the pawn shield
protecting the Black King, potentially exposing His Majesty to checks along the h5-e8 diagonal.

2. d4

Since Black has done nothing to prevent it, White simply plays 2. d4 and sets up the perfect
classical pawn center, establishing a dominating control over the center and allowing the free and
easy development of all of White's pieces.

2...g5??

Clearly, Black's last move doesn't promote control of the center nor the development of the
pieces, and further weakens the Black King's position. In fact, it allows the devastating:

3. Qh5#!
 Checkmate!!! By the way, this silly sequence is know as the "Fool's Mate" since only a total
fool would allow it! However, even though no one is likely to play this exact sequence, it's not
unusual for beginners to make similar pawn moves which not only do nothing to promote the
control of the center or the development of the pieces, but also weaken the position of the King.
Make sure you don't do the same, and try to take advantage of the situation if your opponent
does!

Contrast this with the following sequence of moves (click here to view an interactive board):

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. Nc3 O-O

Notice that both players only made pawn moves which helped to control of the center and
develop their pieces, while avoiding pawn moves which fail to do either, or which endanger the
King's position.

Here are a few thing to notice:

1) Strictly speaking, no pawn moves are necessary to develop Knights, since they can jump
over other pieces.
2) At least two moves are necessary to develop both Bishops: one to open a dark-squared
diagonal and one to open a light-squared diagonal.
3) Only one pawn move is necessary to develop the Queen. In some cases a single pawn
move (for example, e4 for White and ...e5 for Black) allows both one of the Bishops and
the Queen to develop. However, it's not always a good idea to develop the Queen early
in the game, as we will see in another lesson.
4) The Rooks usually cannot be developed properly until some pawns are exchanged and
some files open up. However, it's not always a good idea to develop the Rooks early in
the game, as we will see in another lesson

Basic Opening Strategy

General Principle #3: "Develop the Minor Pieces before the Major Pieces."

and

General Principle #4: "Don't Develop the Queen Too Early."

At the beginning of the game, the pieces lie dormant behind a wall of pawns. They need to be
developed, but which ones should be developed first? As a general rule, it's usually best to
develop the minor pieces before the major pieces. ("Minor pieces" refers to the Knights and
Bishops. "Major pieces" refers to the Rooks and Queens.) But why should the minor pieces be
developed before the major pieces?

One reason why they should be developed first is simply that they can be developed first! The
Knights can jump over the wall of pawns and the Bishops only need two pawns to move before
they can develop. Furthermore, the Knights and Bishops can move around the board with
relative ease during the opening phase of the game even though the board is crowded with pieces
and pawns, because the Knights can jump over other pieces and the Bishops can slide between
other pieces along the diagonals.

In contrast, the Rooks cannot be developed as easily and have limited mobility during the early
part of the game. This is because Rooks need open files in order to move up the board and open
ranks in order to move across the board from side to side. Open files and ranks are not typically
available until several pawns and pieces are exchanged, and this doesn't usually happen until
later in the game.
"What about the Queen? Can't she be developed fairly easily? After all, she only needs an open
diagonal, just like the Bishops." Well, that's true: the Queen can be developed early. However,
she's an exception to what I said before. Just because you can develop the queen early doesn't
mean you should. In fact, it's usually a bad idea to develop the Queen too early.

The reason why is simply this: the more valuable a piece, the more dangerous it is to develop it
during the opening. The board is a very crowded and there are lots of pawns and Knights and
Bishops guarding the center squares and casting nasty glances in every direction. If you were to
develop valuable pieces like Rooks and Queens (or even the King) too early, you'd be putting
them in danger of harassment or capture by your opponent's pieces (or even checkmate, in the
case of the King!).

A couple of examples will help clarify when it's "too early" to develop the Queen. Consider the
following sequence of moves (click here for an interactive board): 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4.
White has played an opening sequence which forces the Queen to develop too early. This is a
mistake because after 3...Nc6 Black's Knight is threatening to capture White's Queen. This
forces White to waste a turn moving the Queen to safety. After 4. Qe3 Nf6, Black is ahead in
development.

In contrast, consider the following sequence of moves (click here for an interactive board): 1. e4
e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4?! 5. Qxd4. Black should not have played 4...Nxd4.
Perhaps Black thought that this was a good move, since it "forces" White to develop the Queen
"too early." However, in this case White's Queen is perfectly safe in the center of the board.
Black has no good way to threaten White's Queen, (Black could play ...c5 but it's not a
developing move the way ...Nc6 was in the previous example; also, ...c5 does nothing for Black's
development and only serves to weaken Black's pawn structure). White's Queen has safely taken
up a dominating post in the center of the board.

Therefore, the key to determining whether or not it's "too early" to develop the Queen is safety.
If the Queen can take up an active, influential, and safe post somewhere, then it's probably okay.
Otherwise, it's probably a mistake.

Parting Thoughts

One way to think of all of this is to use a military metaphor. In battle, you wouldn't send out
your best warriors first. Instead, you'd send out a bunch of common foot soldiers (like the
pawns) and the highly mobile (but still expendable) scouts and cavalry (like the Knights and
Bishops) and let them do most of the dirty work. Only later after most of the battle is over,
would you send in the elite troops (like the Rooks and Queens) to finish up.

By the way, there's a related but old-fashioned "opening rule" you might come across: "Knights
before Bishops" (that is, "You should develop your Knights before you develop your Bishops.").
There is a grain of truth to this. In many of the established openings, Knights are indeed
developed before the Bishops. One reason for this is simply because they can be. Another
reason for this is that it's often just more obvious where you'll develop the Knights than the
Bishops. In most openings, White's Knights are best developed to c3 and f3 and Black's Knights
 to c6 and f6 because those are the squares on which they have the most central influence. In
contrast, it is not always so obvious where to put the Bishops. It very often depends somewhat
on what pawns and pieces your opponent has moved and what central squares they control.
Once that becomes clear, then it's easier to decide what squares will be safe for the Bishops. As
you become a more sophisticated and experienced player, you'll see that there are plenty of times
when the Bishops need to be developed before the Knights, so I wouldn't pay to much attention
to the "Knights before Bishops" rule.

Basic Opening Strategy

General Principle #5: "Castle early."

As a general rule, it's a good idea to castle early in the game, preferably on the Kingside. This
principle is especially appropriate in the Open Games. (Remember that the Open Games are
typically characterized by early central pawn exchanges which increase the mobility and activity
of both armies, promote tactics, and facilitate attack and counter-attack, especially via the center
of the board). There are a few reasons for this.

First, castling tucks the King away in the corner where he's usually safer from attack than if he
were to remain in the center. Examine the board below:

Black's castled King is safe from White's threats. Notice how both the King and the Rook
protect the f7 square. White's Bishop and Queen pose no serious threat to that square. Also
notice how the King and Knight both protect the h7 square. White's Rooks cannot make
headway on the h-file.

In contrast, examine the board below:

 Black's centralized King is vulnerable. There are no minor pieces (that is, Knights or Bishops)
nearby to help defend the Black King. Black's Kingside Rook is stuck passively in the corner,
unable to join in the battle. White's Queen and Bishop threaten the f7 square and White's Rooks
glare menacingly down the h-file. White's attack has a good chance of success.

Second, castling helps activate the Rooks by bringing one of them closer to the center and closer
to the other Rook on the other side of the board. Without castling, one of the Rooks will be stuck
in the corner, making it difficult to activate. Rooks need open files before they can be activated,
and the central files tend to open sooner than files on the flanks (especially in the Open Games).

Third (and closely related to the previous point), castling helps to connect the Rooks; that is, to
open the rank between them so that they can protect each other. Examine the board below:

White's Rooks have active posts on the central files. They also protect each other, so that if it
were Black's turn and Black were to play "Rook captures Rook," White could respond "Rook
captures Rook." On the other hand, Black's Kingside Rook is stuck in the corner. Because of
that, Black's Rooks cannot protect each other, so if it were White's turn and White were to play
"Rook captures Rook," Black would simply lose a piece.
Castling Kingside is often preferable to castling Queenside, simply because the Kingside castled
position tends to be more secure. Examine the board below:

White is castled on the Kingside and Black is castled on the Queenside. Notice that Black's a-
pawn is undefended. The same is not true of White's h-pawn. Therefore, White's castled
position is a bit more secure. Also, the Queenside-castled King is closer to the center and often
sitting on an open diagonal, making him more vulnerable to attack.

Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to this principle. There are occasions when the King is
safer on the Queenside, or even in the center. This usually depends on what opening sequence
has been played, whether or not the center of the board is open (or likely to open soon), how
well-developed your opponent's pieces are, how active your opponent is in various parts of the
board, etc.

For example, in the Morphy game we saw earlier, Morphy didn't have to worry about castling
very early because his King was never in any danger. When he did castle, it was on the
Queenside, partially because it was plenty safe there, and partially because he wanted to activate
his Queenside Rook to the open d-file and launch an attack. Also notice in that game that Black
should have developed better and castled his King early. The Black King ended up getting stuck
in the center of an open board and fell vulnerable to Morphy's devastating attack.

As you become a more sophisticated player, you'll get a sense of when it's best to castle
Kingside, castle Queenside, or not castle at all. Until that time: castle early, preferably on the
Kingside, unless you have a clear reason not to. It will serve you well more often than not

General Principle #6: "Combine Developing Moves with Threats."

General Principle #7: "Don't Waste Moves."

General Principle #8: "Don't Block the Development of Your Other Pieces."
 Here are a few more opening tips:

Combine Developing Moves with Threats: This puts your opponent on the defensive and
gives you the initiative (that is, allows you to dictate the course of events). Consider the
following series of moves [click here for an interactive board]:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 White develops a Knight and threatens Black's e5 pawn. Black's most common
follow-up is 2...Nc6, protecting the e5 pawn. Then with 3. Bb5, White develops a Bishop and
again threatens the Black e-pawn, although indirectly this time (the threat is Bxc6 followed by
Nxe5). Black's most common follow-up is 3...a6, "putting the question to the Bishop." (Notice
that ...a6 is a threatening move, but not a developing move.) White most often responds with 4.
Ba4, maintaining the threat against the Black Knight and the possible follow-up of Nxe5.

Notice that White's second and third moves were developing moves which also involved a
threat. This put Black on the defensive: instead of acting, Black was merely reacting. Contrast
the moves above with 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3. White's second move is certainly not bad, but probably
not the best. Although it's a good developing move, it doesn't threaten anything. This gives
Black the flexibility to make any number of moves (likely candidates include 2...Nc6, 2...Nf6,
and 2...Bc5). If White isn't careful, soon Black will be the one making the threats!

Don't Waste Moves: This seems obvious, but it's surprising how often it happens in amateur
games. Every wasted move is like a free turn for your opponent, and before you know it, your
opponent could end up with an advantage in development and / or central control. Consider the
following series of moves [click here for an interactive board]:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bb5. White decides to transpose into something like the line
above, but takes two moves to put the Bishop on b5 when it could have been put there in just
one. After 4...Nf6 Black is ahead in development.

The lesson: Don't take more moves to do something than you need to. Make every move count!

Don't Block the Development of Your Other Pieces: Before you develop a piece, make sure
that it won't inhibit the development of your other pieces. Consider the following series of
moves [click here for an interactive board]:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6. Instead of reacting to White's threat against the e5 pawn, Black creates an
equal threat against the e4 pawn! This confuses White, who meekly replies with the
substandard 3. Bd3. It's true that this develops the light-squared Bishop and protects the e4
pawn, but it also blocks the potential advance of White's d-pawn, which will limit White's
influence over the center and will make it difficult to develop the dark-squared Bishop. After
2...Nf6, White should have at least considered 3. Nc3: this would have protected the e4 pawn and
developed a Knight without interfering with White's development or central pawn advances.
Another brief example: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qf6. True, the Queen does protect the e5 pawn, but she
prevents Black's kingside Knight from developing to its most natural square at f6. (And of
course, it violates the principle of "Don't develop your Queen too early.")
To put it another way, make sure that each developing move takes into account and is
harmonious with the potential development of the other pieces.