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Keeping the following opening principles in mind will serve you well. Even when you begin memorizing specific sequences of moves, these principles are still crucial to playing the opening successfully – if your opponent plays a move you’re unfamiliar with, you’re back on your own, and these principles will be your lifeline!
Control central space with your pawns. Controlling space gives your pieces room to maneuver, and denies squares to enemy pieces.
Castle early. Once the center opens up, it will be dangerous for your king to be stuck on its starting square. Castling tucks your king safely away in a corner, and also allows you to connect your rooks – good for contesting open files in the middlegame! Castling? Click Here to see what this means.
Develop your pieces. Each player starts each chess game with eight pieces sitting lazily on their own back rank. You won’t win many games if they stay there too long. Make pawn moves when needed to control space, but have a sense of urgency in getting your pieces into the action.
Don’t move the same piece twice without a good reason. If your opponent methodically brings all their pieces into the game, while you move the same piece again and again, you’re going to fall behind in piece development.
Don’t make unnecessary early queen moves. If you do move your queen, make sure that she can’t easily be harassed by enemy pieces. There’s a good reason why knights and bishops are often developed before the queen – check out the video below to learn why!
Strike while the iron is hot! If you succeed in getting a large lead in development (especially if you’re castled and your opponent isn’t), you need to act quickly or your opponent will catch up! Open the center and start a tactical skirmish with your fully mobilized army, before your opponent’s troops have left their barracks.
Safety first. None of the above principles give you a license to make unsafe moves that allow your opponent to win free material. Carefully assess the safety of each move before making it – in chess openings and in ANY chess position. If your opponent violates this principle, capitalize on it, regardless of what the above principles say – after all, it would be silly to avoid capturing a free enemy queen because you don’t want to move the same piece twice in the opening!
Be cautious about exposing the “King’s Short Diagonal.”
For examples of opening moves see this website:
https://chesspathways.com/chess-openings/
See below what is meant by the King's Short Diagonal as a dangerous place for the queen to get to against your King
The Queen's Gambit is a chess opening where White sacrifices a pawn in the center of the board to gain control of the center. It's a popular opening for all levels of play, including beginners and intermediate players.
How it works
White moves their pawn from D2 to D4
Black moves their pawn to D5
White moves their pawn to C4
Black can accept the gambit by capturing the d4 pawn with their own pawn, or decline it by making other moves.
Why it's popular
It's a versatile opening that can lead to many different positions
It's strategically deep, offering many possibilities for both players
It's been used by some of the greatest chess grandmasters
What happens if Black accepts the gambit?
It can lead to a sharp and tactical battle
White can easily get back the pawn they sacrificed
What happens if Black declines the gambit? Black can maintain a solid position and White can gain a space advantage.
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