The Best Openings For Black For Beginners
There's no way around it—every chess game starts with the opening. These first few moves are crucial to determining how the rest of the game will go. Because of this, learning how to play the opening well can drastically improve your results!
Here, you'll find the 10 best openings for beginners to play from the black side:
- How To Pick And Study Your Openings For Black As A Beginner
- Openings Against 1.e4
- Openings Against 1.d4
How To Pick And Study Your Openings For Black As A Beginner
For non-professional players, knowing how to play a couple of openings well is better than trying to play a bunch of different openings. That's why narrowing down your repertoire is generally the best strategy to get the best results.
Therefore, learning just one response against 1.e4 and another against 1.d4 is generally a good idea. Approximately 90% of your games should start with one of these moves, so you'll be mostly covered.
Once you know how to play against these two moves, you can expand your repertoire to include other moves like 1.c4 and 1.Nf3.
But whatever you choose to study, it's important to keep one thing in mind. Your best bet will be to focus on learning opening principles (like controlling the center and developing your pieces) and opening plans (the general idea behind each opening) instead of memorizing moves.
Openings Against 1.e4
White's most popular opening move is 1.e4, so it's important to be prepared to play against it. Below are five of the best openings for beginners to face 1.e4:
Caro-Kann Defense
The Caro-Kann Defense is a reputable opening and a great choice for beginners. A solid opening, the Caro-Kann also has the benefit of offering a simple piece development plan, which is very helpful for newer players.
Recommended course: Sielecki's Caro-Kann
Scandinavian Defense
Some might be surprised to see the Scandinavian Defense on a list of good openings for beginners. After all, this opening does violate some very basic opening principles. However, the Scandinavian also offers a very straightforward piece development scheme that's easy to remember. And once you know where the pawns and pieces go, the Scandinavian is not a hard opening to play!
Recommended course: IM John Bartholomew's Scandinavian
Sicilian Defense, Accelerated Dragon
Another good opening for beginners is the Accelerated Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defense. This opening is perfect for beginners who like more dynamic and tactical games. Understanding its plans is also very simple, making it one of the easiest variations of the Sicilian for beginners to learn and play.
Recommended course: FM Kamil Plichta's Accelerated Dragon
Sicilian Defense, Kan Variation
The Kan Variation is another good option for beginners who want to play the Sicilian Defense. This opening is solid and flexible, with very few sharp lines that require move memorization. The ideas behind this opening are also easy to understand, which can help newer players navigate the position.
Recommended course: GM Arturs Neiksans's and GM Igor Kovalenko's Kan Sicilian
Openings Against 1.d4
White's second most popular opening move is 1.d4, generally preferred by more positional players. Here are the five best openings for beginners against 1.d4:
Slav Defense
The Slav Defense resembles the Caro-Kann in many ways, including the placement of the pawns on c6 and d6. Because of this, players can choose to play the Slav against 1.d4 and the Caro-Kann against 1.e4 to always play with a similar pawn structure. In the Slav, Black gets a solid position and has a simple piece development plan, making it a good opening for beginners.
Recommended course: GM Erwin L'Ami's and IM Christof Sielecki's Triangle Slav
Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined is a classical opening that has been around for centuries. This strategically rich opening provides a solid defense against 1.d4, making it a good opening for beginners. Players can also learn a lot about positional play by adopting the Queen's Gambit Declined as part of their repertoire.
Recommended course: Sielecki's Queen's Gambit Declined
Stonewall Setup
Beginners looking for a more aggressive opening choice against 1.d4 can play the Stonewall setup. This opening has straightforward piece development and simple attacking plans, which makes it easier to play for beginners.
While the Stonewall has some positional drawbacks, it's still a good system that can be tough to play against, especially at the beginner level.
Recommended video: Learn the Stonewall Defense & Attack | 10-Minute Chess Openings
Benko Gambit
While the Benko Gambit is only possible if White plays both 1.d4 and 2.c4, it's nonetheless an excellent choice for beginners if they have the chance to play it. This gambit offers a sharp opening with very clear plans for the Black side for the cost of a pawn.
Recommended course: Perrine's Benko Gambit
While these openings are good for beginners, it's important to remember that learning the basic opening principles is the best way to improve your opening play. Check out this lesson by our team of master players to learn everything you need to know to play the opening well!
