Beginner Chess Openings?

I would avoid King's Indian Attack as a beginner. Other openings tend to inform your middlegame, but the King's Indian Attack doesn't seem to do so unless you study the theory. Also, it requires a very precise move order against certain openings.

As for the Stonewall, a simple King's Indian Defense would cripple it faster than a kick to the groin.

Try the queen's gambit for white.

You can play anny opening as a beginner, just try to understand the strategy behind each one.

You need to make it simple to beginn with:

Do you like to attack? Give up material? Go for the big kill?

If you prefer to play slow, try this:

After some games with both, you should be able to know what you prefer.

One is no better than the other, it's a matter of taste.

 I couldn't find the exact move order for White as you posted above in my book of openings. Is this a main line or a variation?

Here is one more recent game won by White in 2000 using the King's Indian Attack, if that's the correct name for the opening. Again, the move order is different for White than you suggested. Pskogli - you suggested 2. d3 instead of 2. g3. Why? 

I'll give it a try in blitz games anyway. It looks fun for something different than my normal 1.e4 opening. I'm a beginner. Thanks.  

The game seems a perfect example of why beginners should avoid KIA and other highly positional openings.

As a beginner, you could do a lot worse than just play 1.e4, develop your pieces, castle, and then look for a plan from there. Use Game Explorer (when that's allowed) if you like. If something interesting gets played against you, look it up. Let your own experiences be your guide.

Good advice.

I'm a band and orchestra teacher and play OTB chess everyday with 4-6 graders before school and during lunch. It's great fun and I teach them what you advise. Open with 1.e4, develop pieces, castle and let the battle begin. I do have a fundamental grasp of the basic principles of play after reading a few simple chess books and it's my desire to instill those fundamentals while enjoying my time with very competitive children. Chess is such a joy to play right now. The kids love trying to beat a teacher! 

My beginning book collection

Chess for idiots and chess for dummies are truly outsytanding books for any beginner who has no formal education in chess. I'm one such person. The Complete Idiots Guide to Chess is written by Patrick Wolf - U.S. Chess Champion!  I have not even begun to exhaust all of the sound teaching from those starter books. Now, I do have a few other books...too many...a thirst for knowledge... which I read slowly...much more slowly!

Chess Openings for White, Explained by GM Lev Alburd, GM Roman Dzindzichashvin and IM Eugene Perelshteyn (548 pages!) The Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack explanation is very good.

Chess Openings for Black, Explained by GM Lev Alburd, et al.

Modern Chess Openings by Nick de Firmian (3-time US Chess Champion) 745 pages!

Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps by Bruce Pandolfini

More Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps 2 by Bruce Pandolfini

Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide To Chess

Winning Chess Tactics by IGM Yasser Seirawan

Winning Chess Strategies by IGM Yasser Seirawan

How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman

The Reassess Your Chess Workbook by Jeremy Silman

Silman's Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman

My favorite simple PICTURE book: Teach Yourself Visiually - Chess by Jon Edwards (Senior International Master and US Correspondence Chess Champion). If you know anyone who is just starting out from about age 10 and up and/or would like to give a chess book as a gift, then look no further. It covers every aspect of the game using full color photographs of chess boards and chessmen. Chess notation is taught and used. It's an awesome book!

I have two interactive eBooks that open with ChessBase:

The New Sicilian Dragon by GM Simon Williams

Starting Out: Sicilian Grand Prix Attack by GM Gawain Jones

I'm learning the Sicilian because a good friend loves to play that opening. The ChessBase products are on the expensive side, but of high quality.

Software

I own both Fritz and Chessmaster, and for the beginner I would suggest Chessmaster. The Fritz engine is too strong for a beginner like myself. I started getting interested in Chess again by playing the free chess game that comes with Windows Vista - Chess Titans. 
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I've waited until age 50 to begin formal study, but it has been a wonderful adventure and something the hundreds of school children I encounter at the five schools I travel to will probably never forget.

I've ordered a chess clock for my outdoor chess games with the children. It will only make them more competitive. It's going to be a blast!

 It's the main setup, you need this move order to avoid the most common trouble.

If you feel that you don't want to read on many different openings, buy one book: KIA

The other option is to give a "dam" about theory, and play what you learn (from your own games) is good or not. (my choice)

For a beginner, I'd say use opening formations that you can prepare for easily and basically force. Keep in mind that if you open with 1. e4, Black has many options to choose from -- Sicilan, French, Alekhine, Caro-Kann, etc. Do you have a strategy for all of them?

One option is open with 1. d4 and whatever Black replies with, go 2. Qd3.

With Black, you can almost force certain set-ups like e6, g6, Bg7, Ne7. Play those as your first 4 moves and depending on what your opponent plays, fight for the center with an early d5 and/or c5.

i used to play e4, a4 and h4 then ra3 and rh3 when i first started playing chess

First, beginners shouldn't worry about playing people who are booked up. Other beginners won't be, except for maybe knowing the first 3-5 moves of the most popular openings. They should concentrate on examining every position with fresh eyes, not memorizing lines that they couldn't possibly understand.

Second, wanting to win shouldn't lure beginners to take up bad habits (like moving the Queen out early) or advanced concepts (like hypermodern openings). Let them learn the basics first: put a pawn in the center, get the pieces out, castle, watch for threats.

advanced == hypermodern?  I feel that is a misconception for the pircs very solid and very easy to play... (correct me if i am wrong). (e4 d6 d4 n-f6 N-C3 g6 N-F3 b-g7 B-D3 0-0 0-0 ...)

If you play a lackluster Pirc/Modern you can easily find yourself positionally crunched. It's one opening that when it's time to make a break you really can't temporize.

I agree that the hypermodern stuff is advanced. Master the classical ideas first, as the hypermodern stuff is a refinement on that.

Well, the easy thing about it is that it takes no thinking to setup, but this has absolutely nothing to do with finding the right plan...

And even if you do in the pirc you might find yourself squeezed anyway, but if you don't know what you're doing, that's quite likely.

CJS Purdy [1st correspondence World Champion and editor of the best Australian chess magazine for decades] suggested that beginners should play the Colle System.

The reason: Because beginners should be working on everything other than openings! You should be spending your study time working on your tactics and end-game abilities.

Some people say that the Colle does not promote tactical play, but that is simply untrue. It's just that the tactics start a few moves later.

Three Rules of the Opening

1. Control the center (preferably by occupying it with pawns);

2. Develop - bring your pieces from their starting positions onto squares from which they exercise influence on the action (start with the kingside pieces because of the next rule);

3. Castle (usually short, since it can be accomplished most quickly and safely).

- GM Lev Alburt, GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, GM Eugene Perelshteyn

For more than 100 years, 2. Nf3 has been viewed as the only serious follow-up to 1.e4.  - GM Lev Alburt, GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, GM Eugene Perelshteyn

I'll stick with the three opening principles set forth by the three GM's quoted when teaching the children in my chess clubs at school.

As to the comment regarding 2. Nf3, what about 1. e4 d5? The usual reply is 2. exd5 - Center Counter.

Center Counter Game / Mieses-Kotroc Gambit /Grunfeld Variation

A center counter where white wins with 2. Nf3.

Musikamole, it's good to be informed on such well-grounded principles, but not to adhere to them like commandments. The Center Game is fine for a beginner yet "breaks" the 2. Nf3 rule.

The Four Knights Opening is a very good beginner opening as well. I don't think it's been mentioned yet? It was the only real opening we school kids played, unbooked as we were.

As white, I would prefer not to play 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5. I don't like games where the queen comes out early. Would this response to black's 2. ...d5 work?