Top 10 Chess Openings

I've heard that, if you want to improve at chess, one of the many ways is to learn chess openings. Or even STUDY chess openings, but where does one start? You must start at the VERY BEGINNING...

There are so many chess openings that exist, it is hard to decide which openings to learn first...and which to learn last.  I was hoping to get help from other chess players here on chess.com.

So my question is simple: If you had to pick the top 10 chess openings, which 10 would you pick?

At the beginning of studying chess openings, it's best to study and play 1.e4 for white and 1. ...e5 for black and after when you feel you are much better than now you should find openings that you like and that lead to types of positions you like to play (open or closed). 

  Anyway, you asked for Top 10 chess openings, so my opinion is:

1. Italian game (Giucco Piano)

2. Scotch game

3. Ruy Lopez

4. Queen gambit

5. Sicilian defense

6. Scandinavian defense

7. Caro - Kan defense

8. Alekhine's defense

9. Petrov's defense

10. Reti's opening

I think thoose openings are the most natural ones, but you have to choose your openings.

Just because an opening is good objectively doesn't mean it's good for you.  Things depend on skill level and style (i.e., the positions you're most adept at, save playing openings for positions you need help with for training rather than rated games many coaches recommend playing gambits but only do it for training games).  For example the Najdorf's complexity is not necessary at the 1200 level as you will find gaps in their understanding to exploit with far simpler setups.  

With that said here's a top 10 list:

1.Najdorf

2.Berlin Wall

3.Queen's Indian

4.Paulsen Sicilian (not the refuted pin variation)

5.Nimzo-Indian

6.Nimzo-Larsen attack starting with 1.Nf3

7.Hedgehog variation of the English

8.Alekhine's Defense

9.Nimzo-Larsen starting with 1.b3

10.Marshall Attack of the Ruy Lopez.

Honorable mentions go to the Leningrad Dutch (black's perspective) and queen's gambit (from white's perspective) and the list is just a personal opinion. 

http://chessok.com/?page_id=352

Hippopotamus defence.

Hi, thanks for the reply! I would just like to point out that I wrote "one of the many ways", thus it isn't the only way. So, yes you are correct.

If you don't approve of studying openings to improve, what did you do or what do you suggest? :)

Let's not confuse variations with openings. The Najdorf is a variation of the Sicilian, just as the Berlin is a variation of the Ruy Lopez.

The top ten openings, and by "top" I mean those that are respected and played regularly by the elite chess players, are probably:

1. Ruy Lopez

2. Petrov Defence

3. Sicilian Defence

4. Caro - Kann

5. Queen's Gambit Declined

6. Nimzo-Indian Defence

7. The Catalan Opening

8. The Slav and the Semi-Slav

9. Reti Opening 

10. English Opening

You asked for ten, you got ten. 

You forgot the Bongcloud.

1. e4

1.Nf3...Please be relevant, helpful & nice!

Heh heh, yeh posted tha' move, it's relevant, quit' helpful an' pre'y nice. 

hard to disagree with crazychessplaya's choice.maybe i'm missing the french and the king's indian but then it is top twelve!

Stonewall Attack.

Grob opening. Best by Test

I read the Petroff was not played often at the highest levels. Was I misinformed?

The Pin isn't refuted. Yasser wouldn't lecture about an opening that's refuted and recommend it.

study chess systems eg  london ; as white  e4

sorry i meant london system with d4   then Bf4  thene3

Study the London system

In top ten I would also prefer Nimzo Larsen