Mastering Chess Openings: An Essential Guide for Beginners

---

💨 3-Bullet Summary

• Keep it relevant

• Follow the opening principles when in doubt

• Imitate Master games

---

⚓ Going Deeper

WHY IT MATTERS:

The opening phase is often discussed in modern chess, especially among top-level players. Phrases in commentary, such as "excellent opening preparation, giving a decisive advantage," may convey the message that extensive knowledge in the opening is a magic pill for success in chess. However, this is not as compelling a case for beginners and intermediate players. The opening is just one part of the game, much like the endgame, calculation, positional play, and converting advantages, each being an essential component as well. Top players prioritize the opening because they have already mastered other aspects, something newer players haven't done yet.

However, I do acknowledge the importance of learning openings. If you are going to encounter the same position every time you start a chess game, there are benefits to learning some plans about it—just not to the extent people are currently emphasizing. In this post, I will share my story of how I developed my own openings over the years and how I help my students do the same.

"Openings teach you openings. Endgames teach you chess!" - Stephan Gerzadowicz

STORYTIME:

#1 Keep it relevant

My first-ever chess tournament was an interclass event. It was a knockout format, and I got to play with kids two or three years older than me. That was intimidating. In the first round, I was paired with the supposed 'best' player in the chess club. After a gruelling back-and-forth battle, I emerged victorious. The win fueled my confidence, and I thought nothing could stop me now. However, the second round brought a swift defeat—four moves quick.

I fell for the Scholar's Mate

I lost in 4-moves which I never thought would be possible. So I started to investigate why did this happen and that is how I learned that the f7/f2-pawn is the weakest pawn in the starting position. If this is possible on the fourth move, then there are other possibilities latter parts of the game. That night, I was on Google searching "Opening Traps for White and Black" and devoured every piece of content I could possibly manage in my 8-year-old brain.

When coaching, I make sure that the moves and plans I've picked are relevant to my students. There is no point in looking at all the mainlines of the Open Sicilian Defence when everyone is playing non-theoretical moves. There will be a time when those openings appear but for now, it is wiser to choose the things that you see the most.

#2 Follow the opening principles when in doubt

There are three universally known opening principles:

1. Control the centre

2. Develop your pieces

3. King safety

When I teach a complete beginner, we will go through examples of how to apply these three principles in a given situation. This is done before discussing any specific openings. I strongly believe that learning the principles is more important than memorising moves for beginners. This is because at the lower level, they are likely to face random non-theoretical moves more, and the principles serve as a framework for them to evaluate the strength of their opponent's decisions. For example, pushing the a-pawn as the first move is not good because it does not control the centre.

Besides, learning on memorization alone is bound to fail because a) no course or book out there will be able to cover openings sufficiently and b) forgetting things is inevitable.

#3 Imitate Master games

After a while, the opening principles become less useful. It will still help them navigate positions they are not familiar with but may not be enough to create good winning chances. This is where learning plans from strong players will be beneficial for your games.

When I was playing the London System exclusively, the only thing I did was look at how GM Gata Kamsky plays it. See what plans he executes and try and do it in my own games. Here is an example:

In this position, White played the move e4 and broke open the position. This idea stuck and I thought that if such a good player played it, it must not be that bad of a move. Note that this wasn't actually the game from when I studied it, but it had a similar structure.

In one of my earlier tournaments, I reached the position below:

Notice the resemblance?

I played the same type of move, e4, and had a good position.

I do think that learning chess now is an amazing time because there are so many games to learn from, but also a problem because there are so many games to learn from. Do share in the comment section how you navigate learning chess in the opening, and in general, during this time of information overload.

---

💡 Thinking of improving your chess?

1:1 Chess coaching: Book a working session with me. Let me help you reach your chess goals!

ChessMood: A proven platform where Grandmasters make self-paced courses, all for an affordable price. You get a 20% discount if you join with this link 😜.