Did you know that a chess game can be lost as soon as two moves from each side? This is often known as Fool’s Mate. There’s also the infamous Scholar’s Mate, where Black loses in only four sets of moves.

Learning about the opening stage of chess will help you avoid falling victim to these lightning-fast checkmates. 😵‍💫

In this post:

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What is an opening?

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The opening is the first stage of a chess game, from the very first move up until around move ten or fifteen.

In the opening, you’ll usually see a couple of things happen:

These are the three most important opening principles. Different openings follow them in different ways, leading to various types of positions. Openings like the Ruy Lopez or the Sicilian Defense are simply different approaches to the opening stage of the game.

No one knows exactly how many openings there are, but the total number is estimated to be in the thousands. Many of them have been studied for centuries and have been endlessly analyzed by modern computer engines. Below, you’ll find more than 30 of the most famous openings.

What comes after the opening?

The opening is followed by the middlegame. This is often the most complex and creative stage of the game, where players carry out strategic plans and look for tactical opportunities. Attacking the opponent’s king is common, but players may also focus on improving their position or winning material.

The final stage of a chess game is the endgame. It begins once most pieces are already traded and off the board, and often revolves around pawn promotion.

Not every chess game reaches every stage, though. It’s possible to be checkmated somewhere in the middlegame or even just a few moves into the opening!

Why are openings important?

One of the biggest benefits of learning openings is that they can help answer common questions, such as:

  • Which piece should I move first?
  • Where should I move each piece?
  • How do I know what move to make next?
  • How can I avoid getting checkmated early?

Studying openings is also a major shortcut to learning chess strategy. For example, did you know that the center is generally the most important part of the chess board? This is why most openings begin with a fight for control of the center!

Another benefit is that openings determine the type of game you’ll be playing. As you get more and more experienced with chess, you’ll discover that you enjoy certain kinds of positions more than others. Choosing specific openings can help you steer the game towards positions that suit your style.

Finally, learning openings saves valuable thinking time and brainpower. Don’t be fooled by chess’ quiet nature: It’s an intense, mentally and physically demanding activity, and already knowing your starting moves allows you to conserve your energy.

Who should learn openings?

Whether burying yourself in opening theory is right for you mostly depends on your skill level. A chess player’s strength is traditionally measured in Elo rating points. And while every player should learn the basic principles and goals of the opening stage, memorizing long move sequences of specific openings is generally most useful for intermediate and advanced players. At the beginner level, tactics and checkmates usually decide games, not opening subtleties.

Once players reach the intermediate level, around 1000-1200 Elo, studying a few specific openings is often recommended. Picking one or two openings for each color is a good idea, and once you have a basic grasp of these openings, you can gradually ramp up your repertoire. At this stage, the main focus should be on learning common patterns and strategy rather than memorizing long move sequences.

At the high-intermediate to advanced level, around 1600-1800 Elo, opening knowledge becomes increasingly important. Many players at this level are familiar with most common openings and begin memorizing longer and longer sequences.

33 famous chess openings

Openings are usually organized by White’s first move. You’ll often see this move—and every other chess move—written in a system called chess notation. Abbreviations like “e4” and “Nf3” tell you which piece is moved where on the board. (Every square on the board has a unique name made up of a letter and a number!)

White always makes the first move, but that doesn’t always determine which opening will be played. In many cases, Black’s response decides which opening the game enters.

For example, if White begins the game by moving a pawn to e4 (the square on the fourth rank and the fifth file of the board), Black can choose the Sicilian Defense, Alekhine’s Defense, the French Defense, or many other responses. Each one leads to a different opening with its own ideas and plans.

Here are 33 of the most famous openings, sorted by White’s first move:

1. e4:

1. d4:

1. Nf3:

1. b3:

1. c4:

1. f4:

1. g3:

1. g4:

Useful terms for chess openings

There are a variety of words commonly used to describe chess positions, games, and styles of play. Learning them will help you better understand openings and find ones that suit your style.

Terms around opening structure and move order

Term Description
Line A specific move sequence variation within an opening. There may be multiple lines within the same opening that lead to slightly different positions.
Mainline The most standard and commonly played sequence of moves in an opening.
Theory Knowledge about opening lines as a result of thorough analysis by humans and computers. Openings with a lot of theory have been heavily analyzed, so a lot is known about which moves are good and bad.
Transposition Different move orders that lead to the exact same position by the end.

Terms around opening ideas

Term Description
Gambit An opening in which a player sacrifices a pawn (or more!) in exchange for another advantage, such as faster piece development, a vulnerable enemy king, or a weakened pawn structure.
Hypermodern A style of play where pawns are not immediately placed in the center of the board. The goal is to allow the opponent to temporarily occupy the center, and to then use your own pieces and pawns to attack the center.

Terms for pawn and piece layouts

Term Description
Symmetrical A symmetrical pawn structure and even sometimes piece placement across the horizontal axis of the chessboard.
Asymmetrical An asymmetrical pawn structure or sometimes piece placement across the horizontal axis of the chessboard.
Balanced A position where neither side has a clear advantage.
Imbalanced A position or game where the two sides have different strengths and weaknesses.

Terms for space and piece mobility

Term Description
Open A position or game with few pawns blocking the board, leaving many ranks, files, and diagonals open for the pieces to move freely.
Closed A position or game where locked pawns block ranks, files, or diagonals.
Active Pieces that have many, usually good, squares available to them.
Passive Pieces that have few or poor squares available to them.

Terms for playing styles

Term Description
Positional A playing style that focuses on piece maneuvering, strategic thinking, and small advantages that build up over time.
Solid A playing style that minimizes risk and avoids tactics.
Dynamic A playing style with active pieces and many possibilities.
Sharp A playing style that is wild, dangerous, and tactical. Accurate moves are required, otherwise the game may be lost.
Attacking A playing style that causes immediate threats to the opponent, forcing them to respond.
Maneuvering Moving a piece from its current location to its desired final destination. Pieces are usually maneuvered for strategic purposes rather than tactics.

Terms for evaluation and game concepts

Term Description
Sound A move or opening that is objectively good.
Unsound A move or opening that is objectively poor.
Tactical A position or style of play where forced sequences of moves (tactics) are common, often leading to a win of material or checkmate.
Development Moving a piece from its starting square on the back rank.
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Time to make your first move

Now that you know what an opening is, pick one to try and see how you like it! Once you find openings you enjoy, you can study the common ideas behind them and how they work in practice.