Colle-zukertort, an opening for white which is pretty much the same whatever your opponent play.
Stonewall defense, more a pawn structure than opening, for black
But do you prefer to start with e4 or d4?
best openings for beginners
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I prefer e4
Beginners will typically play other beginners. In that case go for somewhat unorthodox openings such as 1...Nc6 or 1.Nc3 (or 1.g3) as they will expend a lot of energy trying to refute such openings over the board. Don't play the Latvian however since there's an actual refutation for it (contrary to Nimzowitsch's opinion that it should ultimately be playable)
Maybe the Albin Countergambit would be worth a try, but I don't personally know anything about it. Beware however since many are advised that if they don't know the theory then it's best to decline a gambit (especially ...Bb6! against the Evan's Gambit which simply leaves the b-pawn weak and defeats the purpose of offering the gambit).
The Petroff may be worth a whirl as well for black. White may overestimate his winning chances (black moves the d-pawn twice in the mainline so beginners will of course think there's a refutation) and eventually lose the game. Another positive about the Petroff is it is used very rarely today. However, it's because it's slightly dubious in that black plays for attack instead of defense despite going second.
Instead of tricky gambits or Stonewall... A beginner needs to develope a fundemental understanding of the game and what's more the novice should understand their style and prefences, i.e., the sort of game they are both good at & like to play...
I suggest Emmanuel Lasker's recommendation of one or two pawn moves in the openning, both knights, the King's Bishop, think twice about the second biship's deployment, castle early and often, then think critically about the result....
i had never heard of Lasker but searched and found this: http://www.chess.com/article/view/emanuel-lasker-tactical-monster
Jadulla: I seem to prefer e4 openings but want to try to be flexible.
and thanks for all of the ideas everyone
most writers ive come across suggest learning open games first, as it teaches you tactics. maybe giuoco piano, two knights defence for starters.
pfren wrote:
pfren wrote: Control as much of the center as you can, develop your minor pieces fast, castle fast, take care not dropping pawns and pieces, avoid uneccessary pawn moves and queen excursions.That's all you need to know as a beginner.
Control as much of the center as you can, develop your minor pieces fast, castle fast, take care not dropping pawns and pieces, avoid uneccessary pawn moves and queen excursions.That's all you need to know as a beginner.
Everytime this question gets asked, everyone spits out the same old tried and trued answers. 1.e4, the open games, control the center, one or two pawn moves, castle quick, blah blah blah.
People forget not everyone desires to be a GM or even an "Expert". If you desire to have some kind of letter combination in front of your name - your probably not really asking the question "What opening to play" on the Chess.com forums. You more than likly already have the proper resources to answer such a basic question.
So one can only assume that you are like the majority of us. Excited hobbyist. And, to you I say - play whatever opening you feel like and have a great time doing it.
I personally have found the Trompkosky entertaining as white latly.
lately im trying d4 c4 K3c but the opponents don't always cooperate! they like to come at ya so you have to try to divert and be ready...
Perhaps it would also be an idea to know how to avoid scholar's mate and other cheapos
Jadulla wrote:
Perhaps it would also be an idea to know how to avoid scholar's mate and other cheapos
Simple observation and not being careless enough to allow them. Some trappy variations can get quite tricky so it's important to know them and not fall for them. Even if you don't know the theory then calculating to make sure something is safe to play is a good idea. The Budapest is especially notorious for different traps, and they lurk around every corner. The premature distant relative of the Budapest is the Englund 2...e5? which carries with it some traps too. Best to be avoided:
pfren wrote:
TheChessAnalyst wrote:
Everytime this question gets asked, everyone spits out the same old tried and trued answers. 1.e4, the open games, control the center, one or two pawn moves, castle quick, blah blah blah.
People forget not everyone desires to be a GM or even an "Expert". If you desire to have some kind of letter combination in front of your name - your probably not really asking the question "What opening to play" on the Chess.com forums. You more than likly already have the proper resources to answer such a basic question.
So one can only assume that you are like the majority of us. Excited hobbyist. And, to you I say - play whatever opening you feel like and have a great time doing it.
I personally have found the Trompkosky entertaining as white latly.
These advices are NOT to become a GM. They are given if you are interested to learn chess. If you don't want to do so, then it's OK- nobody will force you to do so.
Phren I just noticed that I almost directly quoted you when I wrote my forum post - nad it could have been taken as I was making a slight towards your advice -
I just wanted you to know that my comment was not direced towards you or advice - I actually have a lot of respect for your knowledge and I (personally) really appreciate how open you are to share you knowledge with us, so thanks for that.
pfren wrote:
Control as much of the center as you can, develop your minor pieces fast, castle fast, take care not dropping pawns and pieces, avoid uneccessary pawn moves and queen excursions.That's all you need to know as a beginner.
So now I need to know as an IM how long should one follow that prescritption?
what's the best openings for beginners - a few and the best order to learn/try them?
Should you learn them in pairs: white and black response moves and then branch out and learn variations, likely the ones that seem to set us back so quickly and wind up beating us?!
thanks you