My Favorite Chess Openings - And Why

Hey everyone! This is my second blog post and I'm excited to show you my favorite chess game openings - and why. Let's get started!! Also - all examples of chess openings can be played black or white, but in these images I play white and therefore all examples are played out in white.

First off, chess openings do this for you game:

1. They determine the outcome of your game. Chess openings, played right, keep your king safe from checkmate - think of it as the roof on your house. As you slowly take shingles and boards away from your roof, eventually you're vulnerable to rain, wind, sunshine, etc. A good chess opening is like the shingles and boards. Eventually, your king and queen, if you choose to keep her safe, will be exposed to the enemy 'rain' 'wind' and 'sunshine', and you don't want that unless you want checkmate/draw/stalemate. 

Personally, I love to use e4 as a chess game opening (shown above).  In the analysis that is available after your game, it will say that moving your pawn to e4 is categorized as a 'book move'. This is not a bad thing - any move you make to start your chess game is technically a 'book move'.  e4 is a good move for several reasons; it opens up your queen and your bishop so they can move freely and, if played right, activate a scholar's mate. 

g3 with your knight is a great way to open your game! Knights, unlike any other piece, can jump pieces and be played first. Knight movements are really good for the grand scheme as they keep that roof on your king's castle all while moving pieces out, making castling easier. b3 with your knight, shown below, is another good way - it begins to clear pieces out on the queen's side and makes it faster to castle queenside. 

I hope these really help you open your games with confidence and sound reasoning (: Come back for more chess tips and tricks!