First moves for Black

In some ways, playing white is easy. You get the first move, the first brush stroke on a blank canvas. You start the game with the initiative - black must react to your moves and plans. If you make a mistake with white, it usually only means the position is equal. With black, on the other hand, a mistake or two early on can land you in trouble. Everything you've read about quickly developing and getting castled counts double for black. At the start of the game, black is fighting just to equalise the position and erode white's opening advantage. Usually only when this has been achieved, does black press for an advantage.

In this tutorial, we'll be looking at how to respond to white's best opening moves, 1. e4, 1. d4, and 1. c4. While 1. Nf3 is also a good move, white will usually find he can't do without moving a central pawn as well. If you're playing black and white plays some other move, just bear in mind the opening principles from the beginning of this tutorial. Control the centre, develop your pieces, and don't waste time moving the same piece around.

1. e4 e5 - King's pawn openings

If white opens by moving the king-pawn two squares, you should do the same in reply. This is the easiest and most straightforward way to play. Although other defences such as 1... c5 or 1... e6 are perfectly playable, they usually have more advanced plans and ideas behind them, which it's best not to try and tackle until you're a bit more experienced. After the initial pawn moves, there are a variety of ways white can play. We'll look at the most common of them below:

2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 - The Italian Game/Giuoco Piano

This is one of the oldest openings in all of chess theory. Known as the Italian Game or Giuoco Piano ('Quiet game' in Italian), it is one of the most logical and straightforward ways to play. White brings out pieces to good squares, and black should do the same:

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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6Black will castle next, and can then think about developing the queenside.

2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 - The Scotch Game

Another old opening, the Scotch Game involves white making an early break in the centre. Black should develop pieces as usual:

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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4

Here, black is advised to capture on d4, or else the white pawn can push on to d5 and cramp your position, e.g. 3... d64. d5

4. Nxd4 Bc5

Black will bring out the other knight and castle soon. Capturing the knight on d4 isn't such a great idea here: 4... Nxd4 5. Qxd4 - the white queen is drawn into the centre, and while it is usually bad to bring out the queen early on, here black no longer has a knight on b8 that can attack it, so the queen is left on a powerful square in the centre of the board where it stops black's bishop coming out to a good square.

2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 - The Ruy Lopez/Spanish Game

Ruy Lopez was a 16th century spanish priest who was one of the strongest players of his time. His opening, which is known as the Ruy Lopez or Spanish Game in his honour, is the most popular way to play at the highest level. White brings out a bishop to attack black's defending knight. As one of the oldest and most popular openings, the Ruy Lopez certainly has plenty of theory, but here we will be looking at a simple response called the Classical or Cordel Defence:

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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O

Black shouldn't worry about white trying to capture the e-pawn here: 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nxe5 doesn't work, because black can play 5... Qd4 attacking both the knight and the pawn.

4... Nf6Black's pieces are nicely developed, ready to castle next move.

1. d4 d5 - Queen's pawn openings

If white starts with the queen's pawn, the game takes on a different character. Because the pawn is protected by the queen (unlike the king's pawn when it moves two squares), it is in less danger of being attacked and captured, so games tend to start at a slower pace and involve more manoeuvering. You should reply to 1. d4 by pushing your own queen's pawn two squares. Usually, in the queen's pawn openings, you want to develop your knight to f6, your bishop to e7, and castle as early as possible. For example:

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1. d4 d5 2. c4This is the Queen's Gambit, the most popular way of playing at higher levels (although you may see it less often at beginner level). White wants to draw black's pawn away from the centre. You can capture, but it's easier to decline the gambit.2... e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7Black will castle next. You can play the same way even if white doesn't play the Queen's Gambit:

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1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bg5 Be7One important thing to remember in the queen's pawn openings is to avoid blocking your c-pawn with your knight as white has done in this example. This is because you should use your c-pawn to attack the opponent's centre, for example:5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 c5When the pawns are exchanged, black's rooks can come into action on the c-file.

1. c4 e5 - The English Opening

The opening move 1. c4 is named the English opening, after the 19th century English master Howard Staunton, whose name you may have heard before as he lent his name to promote the Staunton pattern chess pieces - the standard chess set that is in common use today - in one of the oldest sports sponsorship deals! This is a crafty opening favoured by experienced strategists, but fortunately there is a simple enough way to play against it, which should be familiar from the king's pawn openings:

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1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bc5 4. Bg2 O-OYes, black can develop the knight and bishop and castle just as in the king's pawn openings. This simple plan of rapid development and castling is almost always safe and practical

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