Best openings?

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IndigoNightshade

I often play the Queen's gambit, Rousseau, French if I'm White, Philador, and Pirc. Are these good for beginners, and if not, what are some alternatives?

RussBell

Understand that there is no "best" opening.  There are many good, very playable openings, albeit with lots of inconclusive debate over which are better than others.  However, for less experienced players some openings may be more or less appropriate - i.e., easier or more difficult to learn and play, depending on the amount of "theory" to absorb - than others. The following present many interesting possibilities...

Chess Openings Tier Lists – GMHikaru (complete, beginner thru GM)…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9CwH47r6og&list=PL4KCWZ5Ti2H43-gcoByRnZs5fVR_Lg133&index=4

In the tier lists above, chess openings are classified in terms of their appropriateness vis-a-vis player skill level -  i.e., beginner vs intermediate vs GM, etc.  For a given player level, the openings are rated and categorized into six "tiers", from "legendary" to "garbage" (the latter being an unfortunate choice of terms, IMO).  These qualifiers are used in the context of not only the general effectiveness of the particular opening, but also how much so-called "theory" (i.e., documented variations) it encompasses, or how much emphasis is placed on positional versus tactical skill in order to play it well.  So an opening they refer to as "garbage" (i.e. less 'appropriate' - a better term!) for a beginner may in fact be more appropriate for higher rated players who are assumed to possess a more highly developed requisite knowledge base and skills set.  For each of the openings discussed note also whether the evaluation is from White's or Black’s perspective.

For beginner-intermediate players check out ‘GothamChess’ (IM Levy Rozman) on YouTube for recommendations and quick exposure to a variety of openings....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFod-ozimmM&t=103s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdyik5UwBtM
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gothamchess+openings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmbU97iftC8&list=PLBRObSmbZluTpMdP-rUL3bQ5GA8v4dMbT

Chess opening – Wikipedia...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_opening

Chessable’s Guide to Chess Openings (for White & Black)...
https://www.chessable.com/blog/opening-guide/

Openings Guides – SimplifyChess.com...
https://simplifychess.com/homepage/openings.html

Hanging Pawns’ openings videos on YouTube…
https://www.youtube.com/c/HangingPawns

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

more helpful chess resources, including openings and book recommendations, in my blog...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

 

IndigoNightshade

@RussBell Thanks! I appreciate the info.

Alchessblitz

With White it doesn't make much sense to me because even if White plays "anything" White can still find himself in a good opening example : 1) a3 e5 2) c4 and in theory the best opening against 1) e4 with Black is 1) e4 c5 and so even after playing like "a clown" White always finds himself in a better position with a useful a3 pawn already played. 

 

Otherwise with Black against 1) e4 for "newbie" the best I think is French Defense with three positions to study :

a : 1) e4 e6 2) d4 d5 3) e5 c5 4) c3 Qb6 (to eliminate the variant 5.Be3) 5) Nf3 Nc6

The most likely variant that a "noob" plays because in theory [according to me] he doesn't like to keep the pieces in contact because it forces him to calculate the consequences of the contact (consequences of the dxe4) and he plays this move rather than another one because he sees that it closes the position and that his opponent's white square Bishop is locked in by his pawn chain.

After with Black Youtube video or maybe a chess.com lessen giving the strategic b.a.b.a or more  then after play with White against a strong chess program in tester mode and identify tactical refutes and key moves against basic strategies that a "newbie will tend to play". (Of course even if the program is strong it remains an artificial intelligence being like a "newborn"  so in a closed position the program can play "stupid moves" but as you are in knowledge of the strategic b.a.b.a with Black in the test game you don't make to play "these errors of newborn and of AI"

b :  1) e4 e6 2) d4 d5 3) exd5 exd5 4) Nf3 Nc6 5) Bd3 Bg4 6) c3 Qf6 7) Nbd2 0-0-0

Understand that when the "noob" has taken too many defeats on the variant in advance he starts to get really tired of losing and he just starts playing so as not to lose which orients him fairly quickly in the French exchange but he will not necessarily play "the unbearable variant" 1) e4 e5 2) d4 d5 3) exd5 exd5 4) Bd3 Bd6 5) Ne2 (with idea x) Ff4) so there is a parade that consists in playing a strategy with castling long.

(Remember that your opponent fights to draw and in the end it is him who finds himself annoyed by the dangerous position)
c : 1) e4 e6 2) d4 d5 3) Nc3 Bb4 4) e5 c5 5) a3 Bxc3+ 6) bxc3 Ne7 7) Qg4 Qc7 8) Qxg7 Rg8 9) Qxh7 cxd4 10) Ne2 Nbc6

Understand that when the "noob" really gets fed up he'll just play the mainline and the 7...Qc7 insead 7...0-0 will be a tragedy for him.

 

But from my point of view the real problem will come when you no longer play with "noobs" or "below the strong newbie level" . On the one hand because you will have artificially increased in level and you will fall against opponents with a better technical level and other parts because they can play "painful variants" :

a : 1) e4 e6 2) d4 d5 3) exd5 exd5 4) c4  (your opponent probably watched victories of Joshua Waitzkin)

b : 1) e4 e6 2) d3 d5 3) Nd2 c5 4) Ngf3 Nc6 5) g3 Nf6 6) Bg2 Be7 7) 0-0  (your opponent probably watched victories of Bobby Fischer) it is a kind of reversed KID and it can annoy.

c : 1) e4 e6 2) d4 d5 3) Nd2 even if it's not the main variant etc. it's [in my point of view] really the one that annoys the most.

In the end maybe you risk changing your opening and so in short I don't know if it's better not to choose directly a opening you like from your point of view rather than an efficient opening against "newbie" but you don't like really and then strongest opponents can get painful.